No. 39857, East Surrey Regiment who died on 03 August 1918.

William was lost at sea and is remembered on the Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton and also on the Gt. Bealings memorial.

William was born in Hasketon in early 1899.  His parents were Frederick and Annie Boggis.

In 1911 he was at school.

He is recorded as living in Hasketon in both the 1901 and 1911 census, and appears to have moved to Great Bealings sometime after this.   He had brother Frederick G Boggis [B. Hasketon 1895] and Charles W Boggis [B. Hasketon 1900].

Military details.

The only military record we have of William is the medal roll index cards, which indicate he was awarded the Victory and British medals.  He would not have been eligible for overseas until 1917 because of his age. 

William was killed when the hospital ship, HMS Warilda, was torpedoed by German submarine UC-49 in the English Channel on August 3^rd 1918.  This was despite being clearly marked as a hospital ship – the German navy claimed the British were using hospital ships for military use and routinely attacked them.  Of the ships complement of over 800 people, 125 were drowned.   Presumably William had been injured sometime prior to this and was on the way back to hospital in England or possible home.