Gunner William Stubbins
167585 Royal Garrison Artillery
William was born in 1891 at Whitwell, Derbyshire son of Joseph Stubbins a general shop dealer and his wife Martha (nee Heppenstall) of Worksop. In 1911 the family was living at 46, Kilton Street, Worksop. William came from a large family having brothers and sisters Edith, Hannah, Harriett, Frances, Martha, Joseph, John, Francis, William, Henry, Alfred and George Harold.
On 5th December 1915 William married Hannah Grainger, a local school teacher from Westwood, Notts at Selston, St. Helen’s. They went on to have children Sybil Marguerite and Keith Alton.
In February 1916 William attested, giving his home address as Palmerston Street, Westwood. At time of attestation he gave his occupation as a coal miner/loader but later in 1917 the Army recorded his occupation as ‘with the police force’ and his height of 5’10” is noted. In March 1918 William was admitted to Norwich Hospital for 3 weeks suffering from trench fever. He was recipient of the Victory and British War Medals.
Sometime after leaving the forces, in 1932 William wrote to the Army from an address in Newton Abbott, Devon requesting information from his Army records. It is not clear whether he and his wife Hannah had become estranged as a newspaper obituary in 1959 records that Hannah had died aged 69 and was a member of the Jacksdale Council Schools staff until only 5 weeks before her death. There is nobody with the surname Stubbins recorded amongst the mourners.