William Henry Fletcher

Story:
William Henry Fletcher was born at Higher Coombe, Donhead St. Mary, Wiltshire, on 30th October 1894 and baptised at Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 6th January 1895. He was the son of William Fletcher and Charlotte Ann Fletcher (née Watts) and brother of Sidney Frank (b.1892) who was killed during the Great War. During his childhood William lived with his family at Higher Coombe. He enlisted on 10th September 1914 with the Somerset Light Infantry (Service No. 14253) but was immediately placed on reserve. He rejoined on 22nd September 1914 and was transferred to the 10th (Service) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment on 30th September 1914 (Service No. 13507). He embarked for France on 22nd September 1915 and on 31st October 1915 re-embarked for Egypt. He then served in Salonika during which time he transferred to the Machine Gun Corps on 14th August 1917 (Service No. 74545) and was attached to the 79th Company (Tank Corps). He suffered during his time in the Near East with malaria and had various spells in hospital. Nevertheless on the 22nd December 1918 he was promoted to Sergeant. He embarked for England on 11th April 1919 and was eventually demobilized on 25th May 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals as well as the 1914/15 Star. By the 1939 Register he is shown living at 157 Willingdon Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, working as a hotel valet. He remained single and died in the Haringey, Greater London, Registry District in 1981. Two other brothers, Percy Edwin John Fletcher and Victor Reginald Fletcher, also served and survived.