Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
The older son of Norfolk born labourer Henry Pentney and his Tyneside born wife Annie Morrison, William was born on 9th May 1885 in Worcester Street, Gateshead, and baptised at Christ Church five weeks later. The family remained living in Gateshead, but moved house several times. By 1901they were living in Hardwick Street and William was working as a grocer’s assistant; he married Henrietta Stephenson in the summer of 1908 and by 1911 they had their own house in Carr Hill Road, Gateshead which they shared with their nine-month old daughter and his widowed father and unmarried sisters Rosetta and Mary Elizabeth.
In September 1912 William arrived in Canada having sailed from Liverpool to Quebec on board the SS Tunisian, to start a new life as a grocer with his family in Simcoe, Ontario. In January 1913 before she was able to join William in Canada Henrietta died in Gateshead, and their daughter Evelyn died on Christmas Day 1915. Living alone in Hamilton, Ontario, and working as a machinist, on 17th March 1916 William travelled the five miles to Dundas to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and he became Private 785135 of the 129th (Wentworth) Battalion, assigning his pay to a friend Mrs Webb in Hamilton. Under the command of Lieut. Colonel W.E.S. Knowles the battalion embarked for England at the end of August 1916 on the SS Olympic and made their way to camp at Bramshott, Hampshire where it was absorbed into the 123rd and 124th Battalions.
28th November saw William transferred for overseas service to the 3rd Battalion and he joined them in France on 3rd December at Chamblain d’Abbe , before being sent to the divisional school for training with the rest of the draft. Rejoining the battalion in time for Christmas all the men were treated to a full dinner at a cost of $1400 to the battalion and around 40,000 cigarettes were distributed. Remaining in camp at Bajus and undergoing more training, the Battalion moved into trenches at Aix Noulette in mid-January in very icy conditions.
In the Red Cross Hospital in le Touquet at the beginning of April 1917 for flu like symptoms, William was away from his unit for a week and rejoined them at Vimy Ridge. May 1st saw the battalion involved in an engagement at Fresnoy, and Private 785135 was one of those reported as missing in action, presumed to have died on or since 3rd May 1917 in the attack on Arleux-en-Cohelle. He has no known grave.
William Morrison Pentney is remembered in Gateshead on G39.004 page 95 and G39.051
He is remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.
Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Pentney
