Soldiers of the Regiment
Sergeant William Gardner, DCM, MM
Sergeant William Gardner, DCM, MM, number 15241, 8th King’s Own.
Died of wounds on 8th March 1917 whilst serving in Mesopotamia. He was
awarded the Military Medal in the list of King’s Birthday Honours
published June 1916.
“A veteran in the King’s Own, who gained the Military Medal for bravery
in the field at Ypres in 1916, is officially reported to have died of
wounds in action in Mesopotamia. Sergeant William Gardner, 40, King’s
Own, leaves a widow and seven children residing at 1 Albert Square,
Bridge Lane, Lancaster. Having previously served in the Active Service
Company of the King’s Own Volunteers in the South African War, he again
volunteered for the front, and was attached to the 8th King’s Own. When
the battalion did such good work near Ypres in April 1916, he was to the
fore and was wounded in the same battle as Captain Hamilton. He was hit
in the shoulder, and had shown such gallantry that he was awarded the MM
at Plymouth early in September 1916. While on Depot duty in the south,
he volunteered for Mesopotamia and went there before last Christmas. A
postcard was received this week dated 2nd February 1917, saying he had
just joined his regiment and was ‘in the pink’. According to a report
from the Records Office at Preston, he died of wounds on 8th March 1917,
and it is probable that he figured in the attack on the Turks which
culminated in the capture of Baghdad.” Lancaster Guardian 27th March
1917.
Sergeant William Gardner, DCM, MM, number 15241, 8th King’s Own.
Accession Number: KO0098/10
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