![William Henry Lawrence](pix/lawrence-wh-portrait.jpg)
Bombardier William Henry Lawrence
9th Divisional Ammunition Column,
Royal Field Artillery
![](../../../medals/pix/1914-15.gif)
1914-15 Star
The photograph shows William, in 1938, wearing his
British Legion badge
1st contingent. Born in 1893. From L'Islet, St Sampson's,
Guernsey. He died in 1969. The son of William Thomas
Lawrence & Jersey born Rosina Hall.
Wounded by gun shot wound to his neck on 22/03/1917.
He was treated initially by the 25th Field Ambulance
then sent to the 42nd Casualty Clearing Station (Aubigny
en Artois) before being sent to hospital in England
on board the hospital ship "Brighton" in early
April. He was treated at Whipps Cross Hospital in Walthamstow,
London after he was wounded then spent some time in
Richmond Hospital in early 1918.
His Great Granddaughter has sent her
discoveries:
"I THINK Ive worked out every battle my great
grandad Lawrence fought in during WW1, based on his
partially legible service record and hospitalisation
records.
First he was a gunner in the Guernsey Artillery, then
in the first contingent to the 9th Divisional Ammunition
Column, promoted to Bombardier and shipped to France,
he supplied frontline troops and artillery batteries
during the battle of Loos.
Then he was posted to a Heavy Trench Mortar Battery,
2nd in command and in charge of aiming and firing a
Mortar and of 15 men at the battle of the Somme for
5 months during which time he was promoted to corporal.
22 March 1917 he was shot in the neck in the battle
of Vimy Ridge (first part of the battle of Arras) he
was sent home to Guernsey to recover and married his
sweetheart ??.
March 1918 he returned as a reinforcement to a decimated
Howitzer battery after the battle of Lys. He fought
until armistice, pushing the Germans back over 50 miles
in 80 days
© Adelaide May Lainé
2022