BORN NEWLAND, 1891. AKA ‘BERT’. SON OF ROBERT BOULTON & CAROLINE ELIZABETH ASCOUGH, OF 3, MALVERN AVENUE, ELLA STREET, HULL (WAR PENSION & HULL DAILY MAIL ADDRESS – 12.06.1016). HE LIVED WITH HIS PARENTS AND WORKED FOR CARLTON MAIN COLLIERY LTD. HIS NAME IS LISTED ON ST VINCENTS CATHOLIC CHURCH, QUEENS ROAD, HULL & ON THE HULL GRAMMAR SCHOOL MEMORIAL.
Hull Pals Memorial Post: Born in January 1891, William was the son of Robert and Caroline Ascough of 3 Malvern Avenue, Ella Street, Hull. Known as ‘Bert’ to his friends, he was a Shipping Clerk before the war, but queued outside City Hall to answer the call of King and Country on 1st September 1914 joining the newly-formed 10th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, ‘The Commercials’, 1st Hull Pals.
Leaving Devonport for Alexandria, Egypt on 8th December 1915 the Pals were charged with protecting the Suez Canal from potential attack by the Turks until the following February when they left Port Said for Marseilles and the journey north to the trenches of the Western Front.
Bert was killed in action during the 70 minute bombardment in the small hours of 4th June 1916 and is buried in Sucrerie Military Cemetery; he was 25 years old.
The bombardment was in retaliation for a raid on the German trenches which went on record as “a resounding success”.
Private Pearson wrote on living through nights like that:
“…..the band playing in East Park on a Monday evening back home, seemed a far, far cry indeed”.
