Army
Parris, William Frederick
William Frederick Parris
Rank: Private
Regiment: 3rd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
Parents: Mr Richard & Alice Parris
Address: 8 Duke Street, Silverhill
Other Info: William Parris died aged 27 on 31st October 1918. He is buried at Hastings Cemetery.
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2 COMMENTS
William Frederick Parris was born in about 1891/92 in St Leonards on Sea, Sussex. In the 1901 census he was with his family at 4 Waterloo Terrace, St Leonards [this street does not exist any more]; the entire family had been born in the town. Father Richard, 41, was a corporation labourer. There were five children.
In the 1911 census the family was at 26 Windsor Road, St Leonards, in a four-roomed house. Father Richard was a lavatory attendant for the borough council. There were three children, two brothers as labourers, with William, listed here as “Frederick”, unemployed, and marked in margin as “dead”, crossed out. His place of birth is Silverhill, which is the neighbourhood he grew up in.
He attested 11 Dec 1915, at Hastings. He was mobilised, 8 February 1916, Chichester, in the Royal Sussex Regiment, number 8868. His address was 8 Duke Street. His trade was labourer. His age was 23 years 10 months. He was posted to France in October 1916.
He does not seem to have been a very conscientious soldier, as his service papers note singing and using obscene language in town at 8.40 pm; using insubordinate language to a lance corporal; losing his boots by neglect; and being absent without cause on three occasions. The punishments varied from 96 hours detention to 7 days C.B. [confined to barracks, which involved carrying out a great deal of degrading work]. He also had to pay for the boots. All this was between May and October 1916.
He was injured when a cartridge exploded in a camp fire on the 7 March 1915 at Armentieres. His disability was “atrophy of retina”, in the right eye. A report compiled at Leicester, dated 4 April 1917, gives these scant details, and says he had been a groom before enlistment. It adds that he suffered from congenital syphilis. He was also partially deaf in both ears. The date the injury is given twice (and a third time on another form] but looks wrong, as he should have been in England at the time — is it a mistake for 1917 ? Especially as it was an “accident while firing in the trenches”, unless they meant while training. The syphilis is thought to have contributed to the accident.
He was was discharged, as “wounded”, 13 July 1917, and received a weekly pension of 5 shillings and 6 pence.
Thanks Stephen, that’s a good read. Regards, Kieron