Born 1880 – Died 2nd August 1917
2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
William Rhodes was born in 1880 at Bitteswell, near Lutterworth, Leicestershire to William and Harriet Rhodes, their youngest child and only son. William senior was a gardener and at that time was working in the gardens of the Manor House, Bitteswell. By 1891 he had returned to his wife's birthplace and was working in the gardens of Cuckfield Place, Sussex.
William became a footman. In 1901, aged 22 he was a footman for Ralph Vivian at 15 Grosvenor Square, London. By 1911 he was working for Lord and Lady Mount Stephen at their London house, 17 Carlton House Terrace as well as at Brocket Hall. He never married. In 1917 he enlisted at Bedford and joined the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment.
He was killed in action on the 2nd August 1917 aged 37. The battalion on that day was involved in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, the opening attack of the main part of the Third Battle of Ypres. Heavy rain had fallen for the previous three days on ground battered by shelling. It was a mud-bath. The results were mixed, some ground was taken, some lost and casualties were heavy on both sides.
He is remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial., panel 31 and 33, one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders.. Each night at 8 pm the traffic is stopped at the Menin Gate while members of the local Fire Brigade sound the Last Post in the roadway under the Memorial's arches.
The entry in the Bishop’s Hatfield Parish Magazine, Lemsford News for September 1917 reads:- “His friends in Lemsford will be grieved to hear that Private Rhodes, Bed Regt., is reported “Missing”. He was a valued servant of Lord and Lady Mount Stephen, who hope to hear news of him that he is still alive, even if a prisoner.'
No record of attending St John's School
| LEMSFORD WAR MEMORIAL 1914 - 1918 |
| TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR |
Commonwealth War Graves
Lest We Forget
He is remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial., panel 31 and 33, one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders.. Each night at 8 pm the traffic is stopped at the Menin Gate while members of the local Fire Brigade sound the Last Post in the roadway under the Memorial's arches.
View MemorialLemsford local History Group WW1 Records
Memories & Letters
Memories from the people of Lemsford Parish – letters from the Front and home and much, much more
Local Parish Magazine
From the Bishop's Hatfield Parish Magazine 1914 to 1918, Church- Social - War Records
Servicemen of Lemsford
War records from 98 men who went to war. We show their memories images and why we should never forget them.
5 Facts the Great War
Battles of WW1
Battle of the Somme
1 July - 13 November 1916The British suffered around 420,000 casualties, the French 195,000 and the Germans around 650,000. Only in the sense of relieving the French at Verdun can the British have claimed any measure of success.
Battle of Passchendaele
31 July - 6 November 1917Passchendaele village lay barely five miles beyond the starting point of his offensive. Having prophesied a decisive success, it had taken over three months, 325,000 Allied and 260,000 German casualties
The First Battle of Ypres, 1914
October 19 to November 22, 1914First Battle of Ypres saw the BEF sustain 7,960 killed, 29,562 wounded, and 17,873 missing, while the French incurred between 50,000 and 85,000 casualties of all types. To the north, the Belgians took 21,562 casualties