| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
William Walgate Dalton was born 16 Sep 1894, at Mill Lane, Beverley. He was baptised at St Mary, Beverley 9 Jan 1895 with his elder sister Mabel. He had two brothers and four sisters and was one of seven surviving children of Fred Barwick Dalton and his wife Martha, nee Walgate. His father was a clerk with the North Eastern Railway Company, then worked in the offices of a local merchant, then as a Diocesan Inspector's clerk. Latterly he was employed as a clerk in the offices of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. In 1911 William, aged 16, lived with his parents at 5 Norwood Dale, Beverley and was employed as a clerk with the North Eastern Railway Company. The Daltons were a musical family: William's grandfather, Thomas Dalton, and his father, Fred Dalton, both played the flute and were members of the Minster Drum and Fife Band and entertained at musical concerts in Beverley. Fred was bandmaster of the Beverley Boys' Brigade.
William enlisted in the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry (Lancers), a Territorial Force unit, and was later promoted to lance-corporal. He disembarked at Alexandria 10 Nov 1915 and spent a year in the desert as part of the Western Frontier Force. From March 1917 the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry fought in the Battles of Gaza, Palestine, and were relieved after the fall of Jerusalem on 9 Dec 1917. The Regiment left Egypt for France arriving there in early June 1918. Together with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry they were transferred to the Machine Gun Corps, trained on the Vickers machine gun, and formed into the 102nd Battalion Machine Gun Corps. This unit operated with various Divisions of the 1st Army for the remainder of the war ending up on 11 Nov 1918 at Curgies, near Valenciennes.
William survived the war, and received his military discharge 14 Mar 1919, returned to civilian life and renewed his employment with the North Eastern Railway Company, eventually being promoted to Station Master. William married Ruby Eugenie McLaren 1 Jun 1924 at Beverley Minster. Their daughter, Pauline Joan Dalton, was born in Beverley the following April. When the National Registration was taken in September 1939, William was working as a relief Station Master at Kirkburg, Bedale, North Yorkshire. His wife Ruby and their daughter were living in Scarborough. William Walgate Dalton, of Station House, Hunmanby, Filey, died 29 Mar 1958. He was aged 63 years. Ruby survived her husband by twenty-five years and died 19 Jun 1984 at Bridlington.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |