Ernest William Sturgess. Died 25 September 1915
William was born in 1882 to father William and mother Rose in Reading, Berkshire. He was the first born and had five siblings, one brother and four sisters. By the age of 27, William had become a shop assistant to a grocers in Wokingham. His parents do not appear in the 1911 census and William is living in lodgings.
William joined the Berkshire Yeomanry in the early 1900’s and served in the South African War which came to an end in 1906. From the photograph’s text we are told William was seriously injured and as a result was probably retired. Being a grocer after such action would have been unbearable for William and no wonder he rejoined when war was called in July 1914. It was not long before a dismounted Berkshire Yeomanry was sent to Gallipoli and this is where William lost his life on 25 September 1915. He was 33 years old.
Name: STURGESS
Initials: E W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service: Berkshire Yeomanry
Date of Death: 25/09/1915
Service No: 809
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: II. F. 14.
Cemetery: GREEN HILL CEMETERY
Historical Information: The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further troops were put ashore at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. The aim of the Suvla force had been to quickly secure the sparsely held high ground surrounding the bay and salt lake, but confused landings and indecision caused fatal delays allowing the Turks to reinforce and only a few of the objectives were taken with difficulty. Green Hill and Chocolate Hill (which form together Yilghin Burnu), rise from the eastern shore of the salt lake. They were captured on 7 August 1915 by the 6th Lincolns and the 6th Border Regiment but once taken, no further advance was then made. On the two following days, unsuccessful efforts were made to push on along the ridge of ‘W’ Hill (Ismail Oglu Tepe), leading to Anafarta Sagir and on 21 August, the attack of the 11th and 29th Divisions and the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade to take Scimitar Hill, although pressed with great resolution, left the front line where it had been. Green Hill Cemetery was made after the Armistice when isolated graves were brought in from the battlefields of August 1915 and from small burial grounds in the surrounding area. These earlier burial grounds were known as York; 40th Brigade Nos. 1 and 2; Green Hill Nos. 1 and 2; Chocolate Hill; Inniskilling; Salt Lake; and Scimitar Hill (which contained 520 graves, almost all unidentified). There are now 2,971 servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 2,472 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them
Bedford Cottages, London Road, Wokingham
[iframe_loader width=”640″ height=”550″ frameborder = “1” longdesc=’ ‘marginheight=’0′ marginwidth=’0′ name=’ ‘click_words=’ ‘click_url=’ scrolling=’yes’ src=’http://wokinghamremembersco.ipage.com/Family trees/Sturgess WilliamE’]