2/5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Volunteers)
William John Roberts was born in the Sturminster, Dorset registration district in 1872. He was the son of John Roberts (1844-1906) and his wife Eliza (née Goddard: 1845-1931) and was one of four children.
By 1891 he had moved to the Prescot area of Lancashire, now known as Merseyside and in that year he married Elizabeth Ann Birchall (1867-1931).
By the time of the 1911 Census he and his wife had had five children, four of whom were living and were living at Tarbock, near Prescot,where John (as he appears to have been known) was employed as a waggoner on a farm.
John’s Army Service Record has not survived and much of what is known about his time in the Army comes from the report of proceedings of the Coroner’s court that was convened after his body was discovered and contained in the Gloucester Journal of 8 April 1916. There was also an edited version in the Liverpool Echo of 6 April 1916.
He appears to have joined the Army in the early months of 1915.
The 2/5th Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment, a Territorial Force unit, had been formed at Warrington in September 1914 and in February 1915 were at Ashford, Kent having been placed in 172 Brigade, 57 Division.
According to his entry in the Register of Soldiers’ Effects he had initially been allocated the number 20807, however this obviously changed to 200130, however, this may well have been posthumously, as Territorial Force numbers did not switch to six figure digit format until 1917.
John had come to Gloucester on 17 February 1916, engaged on military work. On 29 February his wife had received a letter from him which she described as cheerful.
On the day before John had gone missing. A fellow member of his battalion told the court that he met up with John in Gloucester on that day and they stayed together from 5.30 to 8.45pm: he was sober, quite cheerful and there was nothing unusual about his conduct.
They had parted in estgate Street. It was a very dark night made worse by the prevailing Lighting Order and John was a stranger to the city. It was believed that he lost his way and fell into the Gloucester to Berkeley (Sharpness) Canal.
When his body was discovered by the bridgeman at Hempsted Bridge on 1 April 1916 it showed no evidence of violence and it was still clad in his uniform.
Various personal effects were found on the body, including letters showing his home to be Paradise Lane, Whiston, near Prescot.
The Coroner’s jury concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and that he had been found drowned.
His Commanding Officer had given evidence that Private Roberts was one of his best men and was quiet, always cheerful, smart on parade and duty.
Private William John Roberts was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery and it appears that this was in an unmarked grave and the exact location is unknown.
In February 2010, as a result of evidence presented to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, his name was added to their register of casualties and a ‘Special Memorial’, in the form of a headstone stating that he is ‘known to be buried in this cemetery’ was installed.
The register states the date of death to be 1 April 1916, aged 41, the date his body was found but the date of 28 February 1916, shown in the Register of Soldiers’ Effects, appears more accurate, being the actual date he went missing.
Researched by Graham Adams 7 April 2020