| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
William was born in Beverley on September 19th 1889 and baptised at the Minster on November 3rd of that year. He was the eldest of nine children born to John Suddaby (1861-1927) and his wife, Martha, (1865-1939) (nee Bell), both of whom were from Beverley. William’s father was a solicitor’s clerk. He was brought up on Minstermoorgate, Wilbert Lane and then at Bethany Lodge on Grovehill Road.
William became a shipping clerk, possibly involved in trade on the Beck. He was married at the Minster on September 12th 1915. His new wife was locally born Althea Hammond (1895-1976) of Wednesday Market where her mother had a drapery business; her father had been a local waterman. Their first child, Wilfred, was born in early summer 1916. Ronald was born in 1921 and Kathleen in 1928.
William enlisted early in the war and joined the 13th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, the 4th Hull Pals Battalion. He was sent to Egypt in December to protect Suez Canal from the threat of the Ottoman Turks but the 13th were then switched to France in March 1916. His service records are missing but there are no press reports of injury. The 13th would have been involved in actions on the Somme in November 1916 and at Arras in May 1917. William served as a private and was awarded the War and Victory medals as well as the 1914-15 Star.
William resumed his career as a “ship’s account clerk” after returning from war. He lived at 8 Wednesday Market. He died in May 1974 and was buried at Queensgate Cemetery on May 31st 1974.
Four of William’s brothers also served in the military in the war. Arthur Suddaby (WW1 lives 145), born in 1897, served in the 5th Yorkshire Regiment. Harold Mark Suddaby (b 1892) served in the Durham Light Infantry and then the Royal Army Medical Corps. Percy Suddaby (b 1897) served in the East Yorkshires. Herbert Suddaby (b 1896) joined the East Yorkshires in early 1916 but was discharged later that year on medical grounds.
Includes information taken from census, military records, newspapers |