Site Home
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Great War Home
Search
Add Stories & Photos
Library
Help & FAQs
Features
Allied Army
Day by Day
RFC & RAF
Prisoners of War
War at Sea
Training for War
The Battles
Those Who Served
Hospitals
Civilian Service
Women at War
The War Effort
Central Powers Army
Central Powers Navy
Imperial Air Service
Library
World War Two
Submissions
Add Stories & Photos
Time Capsule
Information
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Our Facebook Page
Volunteering
News
Events
Contact us
Great War Books
About
233887Gnr. William Robert Kerr
British Army 238th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
from:Acton, London
My grandfather, William Kerr signed up in December 1915, much to the anger of my grandmother, who felt he should stay at home because of his three children. However, he signed up at nearly 38 and just before conscription for that age group was introduced, which meant that as a volunteer, if he was killed, his wife would receive a pension.
He arrived in France in August 1916. He served with 238 and 353 Siege Batteries. He was injured in June 1918 when a shell was dropped on his finger, he was hospitalised in Edinburgh and discharged in February 1919.
He hardly ever talked about the war but the records of 353 Siege Battery are in the National Archives, so we have been able to find out about some of his service. He did talk about being with Australians and was amazed at the way they spoke to their British commander, General Birdwood, he never got over them calling him 'Birdy' to his face! He also said that he never forgave Haig for what he saw happening to young men in the infantry at Passchendaele.
Before he died he lived with his daughter and her family in Hove. He brought with him his wartime binoculars and a hand grenade. My mother was persuaded that it wasn't safe. A friend took it out to sea, pulled the pin, tossed it out & swore that it exploded, forty years after WW1 ended! William died in 1957.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.