William Thomas Baxter was born in Strood in the summer of 1888.\u00a0 In 1891 he was living in Strood with his father (also William Thomas) and mother, Mary Ann, his younger brother, Edward, who was four months, and a nine year old cousin.\u00a0 William Senior was a wharf labourer.<\/p>\n
Ten years later the family had moved to 65, High Street, Strood.\u00a0 \u00a0Edward had died, aged 4 in 1895 but William had three new, younger siblings, Sidney, Daisy and Charles.\u00a0 His father was now working as a fisherman\u2019s labourer.<\/p>\n
In the 1911 census the Baxter family can be found at 6 Taylor\u2019s Lane, Strood, which was near Rochester Bridge.\u00a0 By this time William Junior was aged 22, unmarried and working as a plumber.\u00a0 His skill would have made him an attractive recruit for the Royal Engineers (RE) which was the regiment he joined as a volunteer, probably in 1914.\u00a0 By the time of the 1911 census William\u2019s 45-year-old mother had given birth to thirteen children, but only nine had survived.\u00a0 The household contained all nine living children at the time of the census.\u00a0 Sidney Baxter, now aged eighteen, was a gun-maker\u2019s assistant, and the other family members\u2019 ages ranged from twelve years to one month. \u00a0Their father was now described as a fisherman.<\/p>\n
In 1913 William Junior married Clara Alice Coomber.\u00a0 Clara was born in 1892 and in 1901 was living with her mother, Eliza at 24, Gun Lane, Strood, a short distance from William\u2019s childhood homes.\u00a0 Eliza was a widow and according to the census worked as a \u2018mangler\u2019 (a washerwoman).\u00a0 At the time of the 1901 census Clara was eight years old and had two older brothers, one a crane driver and the other a cement labourer, and two older sisters, one who was a general servant and the other without occupation.\u00a0 Clara also went into domestic service and in 1911 was working as a general servant in Weybridge, Surrey.\u00a0 In 1914 Clara gave birth to a daughter named Dorothy.<\/p>\n
William was a Pioneer (Private) in the 90th<\/sup> Field Company of the Royal Engineers and his service number was 63421.\u00a0 The 90th<\/sup> field company was part of Kitchener\u2019s new, expanded army raised in 1914-15 which was technically part of the regular army.\u00a0 William was on active service by 1 August 1915.\u00a0 In 1916 the 9th<\/sup> (Scottish) division of which William\u2019s field company fought on the Somme<\/a>.\u00a0 It was here, in the opening phase of the battle, that he was killed in action on 3 July 1916. \u00a0He was buried in the Quarry Cemetery, Montauban, which is ten kilometres from the town of Albert.\u00a0 He was posthumously awarded the British, Victory and star medals.<\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n Ancestry.com:<\/p>\n FreeBMD.\u00a0England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915<\/em><\/p>\n FreeBMD.\u00a0England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915<\/em><\/p>\n FreeBMD.\u00a0England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915<\/em><\/p>\n 1891 England Census<\/em>\u00a0Class:\u00a0RG12<\/em>; Piece:\u00a0653<\/em>; Folio:\u00a0138<\/em>; Page:\u00a048<\/em>; GSU roll:\u00a06095763<\/em><\/p>\n 1901 England Census<\/em>\u00a0Class:\u00a0RG13<\/em>; Piece:\u00a0720<\/em>; Folio:\u00a0117<\/em>; Page:\u00a011; <\/em>Class:\u00a0RG13<\/em>; Piece:\u00a0721<\/em>; Folio:\u00a0106<\/em>; Page:\u00a010<\/em><\/p>\n 1911 England Census<\/em>\u00a0Class:\u00a0RG14<\/em>; Piece:\u00a03871<\/em>; Schedule Number:\u00a07; <\/em>Class:\u00a0RG14<\/em>; Piece:\u00a02991<\/em>; Schedule Number:\u00a0141<\/em><\/p>\n UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line].<\/p>\n British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920<\/em>\u00a0[database on-line].<\/p>\n Other:<\/p>\n