WW1 Casualty: Private 2064 William W Wycherley - Private 2064 William W Wycherley
| Unit/Regiment |
2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment |
| Date of Death |
12/09/1917 |
Age at Death |
24 |
Burial/Memorial
& Reference |
Coxyde Military Cemetery
III G 6 |
| CWGC Family Details (if shown) |
Husband of May Wycherley, of 18, Queen St., Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
There is no family inscription on Pte Wycherley's headstone
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| Census Details |
1901 Census -
John (44, a Carter for a Coal Agent) and his wife Mary (40), lived at 37, Eccleston Lane Ends with their six sons Ernest (19, a labourer at the Glass Works), John (12), William (8), Job (5), Reuben (4) and Simeon (12 months)
1911 Census - listed under the surname "Witcherley", William was aged 19 and lived with his parents and siblings at 4, Saggersons Court, Prescot. He was employed as "Carrrier On" to a Glass Bottle Blower.
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| Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations |
The birth of William Walmsley Witcherley was registered Q3/1892, Prescot, Volume 8b, Page 701 |
| Notes |
Note occasional spellings of surname as "WITCHERLEY/WITCHERLY"
Although William Wycherley had moved to Manchester, other family members remained in and around Prescot. His brother John Henry Wycherley, served with the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry and is recorded as living at Beesley Court, St Helens Road. |
| Research Ref. No. |
P306 |
Service DetailsPrivate William Wycherley was one of the men executed by his own side during the Great War. Generally, these men are titled "Shot at Dawn". This work does not cast any judgment on the men or their actions, especially Pte Wycherley. It simply reports the facts as they have been found.
Although it is not clear exactly when William joined the army, his marriage certificate to May Owen, dated 16th June 1915, shows him as serving as a Private with the Manchester Regiment. At the time he is recorded as being 22 years old with an occupation of Grocer's Assistant. His address was 1, Beesley Street, Prescot. His wife Mary was aged 25 and lived in Fallowfield, Manchester.
He went to France with the Manchester Regiment on 27th March 1915. On 26th April, his battalion were part of an attack at Wieltje which resulted in 1 officer and 15 other ranks being killed, and 11 officers and 260 other ranks wounded, one of whom appears to have been Pte Wycherley.
He was listed as "Wounded" in an extensive casualty list which appeared in the Manchester Courier on 31st May 1915.
The "Wounded" list in the Manchester Courier
Private William Wycherley had been absent on at least two occasions prior to the final case, which resulted in his execution. His initial offence, for which the punishment is not known, was to overstay his leave in the UK by seven weeks. He then deserted as his battalion, the 2nd Manchesters, was making its way to the front line. Again, the punishment is not known.
He went into action with his unit on 18th November 1916 and was afterwards posted as "Missing". He turned up in hospital on 23rd December, though the reasons for this are now known. He was given 10 days leave and told to report back to the hospital but failed to do so. He was found and arrested in Manchester on 23rd February 1917 and handed over to an escort from his battalion on 27th March.
Then on 23rd June 1917, he was detailed to carry camouflage screens to the front line. During the operation he was noted to be missing but turned up again the following morning.
On 25th June, Private Wycherley complained of feeling sick just before going over the top and he disappeared. His battalion had just recently taken over the inner sector of the Nieuport bridgehead, close to the sea. No offensive operations were planned for this sector, indeed any action was likely to be purely defensive, as the battalion had been ordered to retain the line at all costs.
He turned up at an advanced dressing station but did not have a note from his Medical Officer and so was sent back to his battalion.
Pte Wycherley was ordered to "dig in" in advance of a front line trench which could only be reached by going "over the top", just 200 yards from the enemy line. Once again, he said he was sick but was told to carry on and report as sick the following morning. However he disappeared again at this point.
Two days after going missing, William Wycherley was arrested at Etaples, where he gave false identity details, saying his name was Private Jackson. When this was found to be untrue, he claimed to be Private Greenwood, a discharged soldier. Once his true identify was uncovered, he was returned to the northern Belgian coast to face his trial.
At a Court Martial, he was charged with two counts of Absence and one of Desertion. He pleaded Not Guilty to all charges but was found Guilty on all counts. His only defence was "home troubles".
The three charges are shown above. The "Guilty" verdict is shown against all three, with the sentence of "Death" against the third. The final charge also carries the signature of Field Marshal Douglas Haig authorising the execution
Confirmation of the passing of the death sentence and note of the execution of Private William Wycherley
Pte Wycherley was executed on 12th September 1917 at Coxyde. He was 24 years old.
William Wycherley's Medal Index Card, with his name spelt incorrectly
Private Wycherley's grave at Coxyde Military Cemetery
In 2006, the government issued a blanket pardon to the 300+ men who had been executed in the Great War, including Private William Wycherley, whose pardon is shown below.
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