Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
William was the youngest son of Irish parents, coal miner William Thomas and his wife Margaret Kalley, who had married in the 1870s. Born in Hilda Street, Castle Eden on 20th November 1890, William was one of eight children, Daniel, Mary, James, Patrick, Peter, Ellen and Margaret, the oldest being 20 when he was born; by the time of the 1901 census the Lawlers were living in Australia Street, New Seaham and only the three youngest boys were still living with their parents.
Young William, aged 18, left home to emigrate to Canada and by the time he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in November 1915 he was living in Vinden, Manitoba and had followed in his father’s footsteps and was working as a miner. Giving his father as his next of kin, William became Private 187619 of the 90th (Winnipeg Rifles) Battalion which embarked for England on 31st May 1916 on the SS Olympic and then in July at Shorncliffe Camp in Kent, found itself absorbed by the 11th Reserve Battalion, CEF, to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field.
On 21st August 1916 William was transferred to the 78th Battalion in France and joined them in Toronto Camp at Poperinghaye, Belgium. Sentenced to seven days field punishment for insolence to an NCO in October, two days later he was transferred to the 24th Battalion and joined them at Berteaucourt. Christmas and New Year were spent in the Angres sector and in February 1917 the Battalion moved to Brigade Support at Neuville St.Vaast.
The morning of Easter Monday, 9th April 1917, saw the battalion in trenches at Vimy Ridge and it was here that William Lawler was killed in action.
Lichfield Crater was one of two mine craters which were used by the Canadian Corps Burial Officer in 1917 for the burial of bodies found on the Vimy battlefield. The crater is essentially a mass grave for men who died on 9th or 10th April 1917; the names of those buried in the crater are inscribed on panels fixed to the boundary wall.
William Lawler is remembered in Seaham on S117.20
He is also 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 Lawler
