In Memory Of

DURRANT, WILLIAM HEINZ GILBERT

Service Details
Age:
 35
Date of Birth:
 -0001-11-30
Rank:
 Second Lieutenant
Unit:
 6th Bn.
Unit 2:
 attd. 2nd Bn. Wiltshire Regiment
Regiment:
 Dorsetshire Regiment
Date of Death:
 1915-09-26
Cause of Death:
 Killed in action, as he led his men across No Man's Land, during the largest operation of the year when the Dorsets took part in the Battle of the Loos in 1915. This battle would mark the first use of poison gas as a weapon by the British forces and it was hoped that the operation would break through the German defences. However, the attack was a costly failure and the British suffered a high number of casualties as a result of the strong German defences in area
Commemoration
Grave Reference:
 I. H. 39.
Cemetery:
 VERMELLES BRITISH CEMETERY
Localitly:
 Pas de Calais
Country:
 France
Additional Information
Decorations:
 Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Son of Henry and Frances Elizabeth Anne Durrant, of 16, Branksome Wood Rd., Bournemouth. Educated Alleyn's and lived in Bournemouth before the start of the First World War. He already had a substantial amount of military experience prior to the outbreak of war, having served in British Army during the South Africa campaign in 1899-1902. After Britain's declaration of war in August 1914, he decided to continue his service in the Army, joining the Dorset Regiment as a Second Lieutenant on the Western Front in 1915. ref. South African Roll of Honour 1914-1918