William Charles Sims

Story:
William Charles Sims was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 26th January 1894, the son of William Sims and Sarah Sims (née Ransom).  His father had died in 1899 and his mother re-married Charles Job Stretch in 1899.  William lived with his mother in Milford, Wiltshire, during his childhood, until the family returned to Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, by the 1911 Census.  He enlisted on 28th February 1911 and joined the 2/4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service Nos. 4561 and 4/1364).  He was embodied on 14th August 1914 with the rank of Acting Sergeant and served in India until he was discharged on 23rd May 1916 having completed the terms of his engagement.  Notwithstanding his discharge he re-enlisted on 15th August 1916 and joined the 4th (Reserve) Battalion (Service No. 202489).  He retained his rank according to his military records.  He was finally demobilized in March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1914/15 Star.  The 1921 Census shows him living with his mother and step-father at 10 Church Lane, Shaftesbury, working as a Baker and Confectioner on his own account. He married Beatrice Vera Chubb in Shaftesbury during the Oct/Dec Quarter of 1921. They went on to have at least three children.   By the 1939 Register he was living at 25 Coppice Street, Shaftesbury and still described as a Baker.  His death was registered at the Sturminster, Dorset, Registry in 1968.