Use the below links to display a list of men by surname that appears on the War Memorial.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Or by date of death (will not display all names).
| 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 |
William appears to be the only child of George and Sarah Clayton. There is no trace of them after his birth. There is a possibility that George was born in Curragh, Kildare and they might have returned there. William was baptised on 4th October 1885 at St Luke's church, Woodside.
On 12th April 1901 William attested in the Militia giving his age as 17yrs 9mths when in fact he was not quite 16. At the time he was living in Catford. He was described as being 5ft 3ins tall, weighing 108lbs, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He served for 3 years.
When war broke out William enlisted in the Royal West Kents on 17th August 1914. This time he says he is 27 when he is nearly 29. He is 5ft 6½ins tall and weighs 154lbs. His time with the Royal West Kents only lasted 5 days as he was discharged unfit having suffered with epilepsy all his life.
William didn't give up. On 1st January 1915 he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery stating that he had never served before. He was sent to Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow the next day. At about 6am following morning William had a fit and was told to report himself to the orderly as unwell so that he could be taken to the barracks hospital. It isn't clear what happened next but at 7.55am William was found face down in a muddy puddle, he had died of asphyxiation following another seizure. His wife Daisy was not eligible for a pension.
Daisy's brother Henry James Oswald (alias Heath) also died.
Is there information missing here? If you can help, please email contact@bromleywarmemorial.org.uk.