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10247 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment
William Race was born in Long Melford on 15 November 1894, one of ten children of William George and Frances Race and he was baptised in November 1985 at St Catherine’s Church. His father was a farm stockman and the family lived at Stonehouses, Rodbridge, Long Melford before moving to Newton, where William was employed as a farm labourer and his father as a road labourer. The family later moved to 66 East Street in Sudbury.
William enlisted in Colchester and served with the Essex Regiment. He first served in France on 28 December 1914. The battalion formed part of 12th Brigade, 4th Division. In the spring of 1915 the battalion was in the Le Touquet sector, resting at le Bizet and Nieppe between tours in the front line. Le Touquet is a small hamlet near Frelinghein in Belgium.
William died of wounds aged 19 on 23 March 1915 and lies buried in Strand Military Cemetery, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid by his grave in April 2009.
William is also remembered on the Newton War Memorial.
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