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9153 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
William Pearson was born in Brundon around 1887, the son of John and Charlotte Pearson. He had an older brother James and two younger brothers Charles and John. His father was employed as an agricultural labourer and horseman, his mother as an apron skirt machinist. In 1891 the family was living at 17 Church Walk in Sudbury. By 1907 they had moved to 16 Inkerman Row.
William joined the local militia in 1905 and served with the 3rd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. On 2 August 1907 he enlisted as a regular soldier and joined the Bedfordshire Regiment (formerly 6728). His service record describes him as 5ft 2 ins in height, weighing 103lbs with a 34˝ inch chest. He had blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. In 1911 he was stationed in Bermuda as a private with 2nd Battalion at St. George.
He first served in ‘a theatre of war’ in France on 6 November 1914. The Battalion formed part of 21st Brigade, 7th Division, in early 1915 they were holding trenches in the Fleurbaix sector. In March they were sent to Laventie and on the 10th moved into assembly positions as the Brigade Reserve during the attack at Neuve Chapelle, seeing action on 12th with 206 casualties killed, missing or wounded. After the battle they were praised by Field Marshall Sir John French – ‘I know no battalion pushed forward with more gallantry than you did’.
In May the battalion took over the trenches near Indian Village at Richebourg-St. Vaast, on the afternoon of 17th they moved forward and were ordered at 7.30pm to attack trenches K4 and K5. On leaving the trenches for the assault they were met by heavy shrapnel, machine-gun and rifle fire and a number of men drowned in water-filled ditches running diagonally and parallel to the advance.
William was killed in action aged 28 on 17 May 1915 and lies buried in Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy, Pas de Calais, France. He was awarded the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid by his grave in October 2010.
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