Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Brumpton was born 1892 in Sedgefield, County Durham, the eldest son and one of seven children, 3 boys and 4 girls, born to John William Brumpton (1870) of Sedgefield and Mary Ann Waistell born 1865 in Crook. They were married in the registration district of Durham, March 1890, setting up home at New Rainton Cottages in Sedgefield where John worked as a farm hand. As the family grew they moved to Sedgefield Saw Mill Cottage, Sedgefield Station, Ferryhill and he found employment as a wood wagon man. By 1911, William now 19 years old, had moved out and was a lodger in Kirk Merrington with the Dixon family, employed as a cart-man at the local colliery.
November 10th 1914 he enlisted in Ferryhill and was assigned to the 7th East Yorkshire Regiment as Private 15046. He remained in England undergoing training at Wareham and Romsey until July 12th 1915 when the 7th received orders to move to the front. The 7th, attached to the 50th Brigade, 17th Northern Division embarked at Folkestone landing at Boulogne, July 14th and were entrained to St Omer. arriving that same afternoon, then on to Lambres where the men and horses were detrained and proceeded to Wavrans, spending the night in billets. The following day they marched to Steenvoorde in Belgium where the billets were described as, “distinctly bad”. July 22nd William was sent to the 53rd Field Ambulance at LaClayette and on to the 17th Dressing Station the following day due to a minor ailment, re-joining his unit by the 31st. The 7th Battalion remained for the duration of 1915 in the southern area of the Ypres Salient participating in the First Battle of Ypres. He again suffered illness February 21st 1916, initially being sent to the 18th General Hospital at Camiens and on to Etaples by March 3rd but was well enough to re-join his battalion, in the field, March 27th 1916, engaged in fighting south east of Ypres. By the end of June the 7th had been ordered to the Somme as part of the 17th Division and were entrenched in the area known as Quadrangle Alley held by the Germans during the Battle of Mametz. Under the orders of Lieutenant General Horne, July 7th 1916 they were ordered to attack over open ground after the prolonged bombing of Quadrangle Alley and Quadrangle Trench which however had failed to dislodge the enemy.
It was during this advance that Private 15046 William Brumpton, 7th East Yorkshire Regiment was killed in action, he was 24 years old and single, William has no known grave, his sacrifice is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme in France, pier 2 C, which commemorates the 72,195 British and South African officers and servicemen who perished on the Somme 1915 - 1918.
All monies owed to him and his awards of the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to his parents whom he had nominated as his legitimate beneficiaries. His mother Mary Ann died June 1934, his father John William Brumpton December 21st 1936.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William Brompton (sic) is remembered at Chilton on C107.01, C107.04 and C107.12 and at Sedgefield as William Brumpton on S119.03 and S119.10
