In Vailly British Cemetery Aisne, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 10319 Private William Sables serving with the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards who died 16/09/1914.
In St. Joseph’s churchyard is a family headstone which reads:-
Of your
Charity pray for
the soul of
Mary Violet beloved wife of
William Sables
who died Aug. 9th 1917
aged 47 years
and William their son
Killed in Action in France Sept. 16th 1914
Aged 20 years
R.I.P.
Ann Morris has offered this:
This is my Uncle, William Sables. He was the first man from Birtley killed in the Great War. His photograph was displayed in the local photographer shop, draped in black for several weeks.
There is also a newspaper report stating 3 weeks after receiving the telegram stating he was dead, his mother received a letter from him written a day or so prior to him being killed. Kind regards Ann Morris.
The Chester le Street Chronicle 09/10/1914 reports:-
LOCAL HERO KILLED.
The parents of Private William Sables of 33 Carnation Street. Birtley Newtown, on Monday received an intimation from the War Office that their son was killed in action on September 14th. Sables was only twenty, and had been in the Coldstream Guards a little over a year.
On September 23rd his mother had one of the official postcards from her son stating that he was well. This was written on the 12th September. and he must have been killed two days later.
Last week a comrade of his who was in hospital wounded at Newcastle, learning Mr. and Mrs. Sables lived so close to where he was lying expressed a desire to see them. They found him very cheerful. and full of praise for their son.
He told them that in one of the charges during the retirement from Mons their informant was shot, but young Sables took charge of him and got him to a farm yard, where he had to leave him. The two saw Sir Percy Wynday (Wyndham) killed. He got on to a hay stack to see where the enemy were, and was immediately struck by shell on the arm and side of the face.
William Sables is remembered in Birtley on B127.01, B127.02 and B127.09
