William Hammett – Dorsetshire Regiment, 1st Battalion

Private William Hammett – Dorsetshire Regiment, 1^st Battalion

Early Life

William Hammett

William Hammett was born in 1895 at Oystermouth, the son of William Hammett and Annie Jane Davies.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Hammett family were living at Cemetery Lodge, Oystermouth. William (senior), aged 32, was recorded as a General Labourer, and his wife Annie was 28. Their children present were William (6) and Alfred (4)—both attending school—along with Edwin (2).

1911 Census

The 1911 Census shows the family still residing at Cemetery Lodge, Oystermouth. William, now aged 42, was employed as a Grave Digger, and Annie was 38. Their children present at this time were William (16), working as a Mason Apprentice; Alfred (14) and Edwin (12), both still at school; and younger siblings Cathleen (9), John (7), Mary (6), Harry (4) and Graham (3).

Military Service and Death

William later enlisted and served as a Private with the 1^st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment during the First World War. In the spring of 1915, the battalion was heavily engaged in fighting around Hill 60 near Ypres, during the opening phases of the Second Battle of Ypres. On 1^st May 1915, the battalion held trenches on and around Hill 60 when German forces launched one of the earliest large-scale chlorine gas attacks of the war. The gas, combined with artillery, rifle and machine-gun fire, caused severe losses among the battalion, although the Dorsetshire men held their positions throughout the assault.

William Hammett
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
credit - findagrave

On the following day, 2^nd May 1915, companies of the battalion were relieved and withdrawn from the forward trenches, though further casualties were recorded as men continued to suffer from the effects of gas and wounds received during the previous night’s attack. It was on this date, 2^nd May 1915, that Private William Hammett was killed in action. While his exact circumstances are not recorded, the nature of the fighting, the use of gas, and the battalion’s exposed position at Hill 60 strongly suggest that his death occurred during or as a result of this period of intense combat.

William’s name is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, honouring those who fell in the Ypres Salient and have no known grave.