William Dewhurst was killed in action on this day in 1917

William Dewhurst was born in Helmshore, Lancashire 18 September 1885.

He was the son of Thomas (a cotton mill engineer) and Ann (née Bielby). All the children become weavers, probably working part-time from school as age 12 and full-time shortly after. Unfortunately their father Thomas died in July 1906. The children lived at home until they married in their early to mid-twenties.

At the time of the outbreak of war in 1914 William was living at home in Barnoldswick with his mother at 3 Federation Street and was employed as a weaver.

William had been conscripted in March 1916 and then called up for service into the 4th Bn KOYLI at Keighley on 24 August 1916 - aged was 31. On 14 November that year he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and went to Grantham Camp for training.

He was posted on active service to France with the BEF on 16 March 1917 and saw action during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. He was appointed Lance Corporal 'Unpaid' on 9 September.

During the Battle of Cambrai he was reported as 'missing' during the German counter-attack on 30 November 1917. He was later reported to have 'died on service' on that day.

Having no-known grave, William is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, Nord.

Tragedy hit the family several time during the war, William's only Clara sister had been killed during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915 and older brother Thomas had been killed in action on the Somme in August 1917.

67733 L/Cpl William Dewhurst, 217th Coy Machine Gun Corps