I encountered William when researching my entry for Robert Cockburn Loraine. William died the day after Robert at the Naval Hospital in South Queensferry aged nineteen. The doctor in attendance cited “Influenzal pneumonia” as the cause of death. William rests in South Queensferry Cemetery, his grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Grave Commission headstone. He lies alongside numerous naval war casualties, I expect others succumbed to Spanish flu as well.
William was born on the 25th of February 1899 in Stanmore, Watford, Hertfordshire. I was not able to gather further information about his life. I cannot ascertain if this is the same William, however, he may have resided in a local workhouse in his early life.
Either through voluntary enlistment or conscription through the 1916 Military Service Act, William served in the Royal Navy onboard HMS St Vincent. His sister Florence was informed of his death, she is the only relative I have located.
Sources: Ancestry, ScotlandsPeople
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