Arras Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Suggett was born 1896 at Meadowfield, County Durham, one of 4 children of whom only 3 survived, 2 sons and 1 daughter, born to Mark Suggett native of Whitworth, County Durham, born 1870 and his wife Elizabeth Cairus born at Norham-on-Tweed, Northumberland, whom he married in the district of Durham in 1895. Mark Suggest was a coal miner labouring below ground living and working firstly at St John’s Street then later in 1911 at 12 First Street, Heworth, Gateshead where he then worked as a horse keeper underground at Heworth Colliery. William who was now 15 years old was employed as a clerk to an estate agent.
William enlisted at Sunderland and was assigned as Private 15839 Army Cyclist Corps whose formation was authorised by Army Order 477 of 1914, dated November 7th 1914. Pay was the same as the infantry, they were armed and their primary function was reconnaissance and communications (message taking). He was later transferred as Private 57843 to the 19th Battalion King’s Liverpool Regiment attached to the 89th Brigade, 30th Division and was sent to the front in January 1916. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme the Division attacked at Montauban and between July and September attempted the capture of the village of Guillemont. After the Somme Offensive ended in November with the withdrawal of the Germans’ to the Hindenburg Line the front line was reduced to 25 miles and a second offensive began in the Arras area on April 9th 1917.
Private 57843 William Suggest was killed in action, April 17th 1917. His name is one of 34,795 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died from spring 1916 until August 7th 1918 in the Arras sector, who have no known grave, commemorated on the memorial which lies within Faubourg d”Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France. William was 21 years old and single.
His mother Elizabeth as nominated sole beneficiary received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
His younger brother George served with the Highland Light Infantry and died in Mesopotemia (Iraq) in 1919.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest in Peace.
William Suggett is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 and H92.07
