Person    | Male  Born 4/2/1898  Died 27/7/1917

Private William Henry Richter

Categories: Armed Forces, Transport

Countries: Belgium

War dead, WW1 i

Commemorated on a memorial as having died in WW1.

Private William Henry Richter

William Henry Richter was born on 4 February 1898, the son of Joseph Richter (1863-1937) and Alice Richter née Griffin (1864-1923). His birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1898 in the Marylebone registration district, London.

In the 1901 census he shown aged 3 years, living in a baker's shop at 29 Homer Row, Marylebone, with his parents and two sisters: Helena May Richter (1896-1970) and Dorothea Augusta Richter (1900-1924), together with two male journeymen bakers and a female domestic servant. His father was described as a bread & biscuit baker.

When his father completed his 1911 census return form, he was shown as aged 13 years and at school, living in a 7 roomed property at 29 Homer Row, Marylebone, with his parents, his two sisters who were also described as being at school, together with a male baker employee and a female general domestic servant. His father described himself as a baker.

On 29 May 1914 he was employed as a booking clerk by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. He was initially based at East Brixton railway station, Barrington Road, London, SW9 and was paid 10 shillings per week. This was increased to 12 shillings per week from 1 June 1915. On 13 July 1915 he was transferred to Brockley railway station, Coulgate Street, London, SE4. He was again transferred on 6 December 1915 to Denmark Hill railway station, London, SE5. On 12 February 1916 he was transferred to Balham railway station, Station Road, London, SW12.

On 1 March 1916 he enlisted as Private in the 8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), service number 374943, a Territorial Force regiment, and placed in the Army Reserve on home defence duties. He gave his address as 23 Molyneux Street, Marylebone, giving his occupation as a clerk (railway). He continued to work for the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway and on 1 June 1916 his wage was increased to 14 shillings per week.

He resigned on 23 February 1917 from the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway and was mobilised on 27 February 1917 and entered France on 31 May 1917. He was transferred to the 4th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, service number 235189, on 23 June 1917 and was posted to the regiment's15th Battalion on 24 June 1917.

He was killed in action, aged 19 years, on 27 July 1917 and his body was buried in Row B, Grave 14, in the Dragoon Camp Cemetery, Kleine Poezelstraat, 8904 Ieper, Belgium.

By 4 December 1917 his army effects totalling £2-5s-7d had been sent to his father who was also sent his £3-0s-0d war gratuity on 3 December 1919. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and these were sent to his father on 7 July 1922.

He is shown as RICHTER. W.H.  PTE.  WELSH.FUS. on the Quebec Chapel war memorial at the Church of The Annunciation, Bryanston Street, London, W1H 7AH. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Live of the First World War website and on the London WW1 Memorial website.

Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Private William Henry Richter

Commemorated ati

Marylebone Calvary war memorial

{On the front of the alter-like object:} Of your charity pray for these who g...

Read More

Other Subjects

H. T. A. Walters

H. T. A. Walters

Resident of Hendon who served and died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Jos. Clarke

Jos. Clarke

Resident of the West Ward, Hendon who served and died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
F. C. Thomas

F. C. Thomas

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
J. Pope

J. Pope

Employed at the Holloway tram garage. Served and was killed in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
King Edmund II, Ironside

King Edmund II, Ironside

King of England, also known as Edmund Ironside. Born c.990. Became king after the deaths of his two elder brothers, although at the same time, the Danish Canute was chosen as king by opposition fac...

Person, Armed Forces, Royalty

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Hilary Peters

Hilary Peters

Peters took out a lease on the derelict wharf and a house on Ballast Quay in 1963.  Here she created a communal riverside garden from which grew a landscape business, Union Wharf Nursery Garden. Pr...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Michael Martin

Michael Martin

 MP, Speaker of the House of Commons for 9 years.  Born Glasgow.  His resignation was part of the fall-out of the 2009 expenses scandal. His Wikipedia page confirms that he died after a short illn...

Person, Politics & Administration, Scotland

1 memorial
Robert Trotter

Robert Trotter

Initially we could find nothing about Trotter but shortly after publishing the Clapham trough we were contacted by Andrew Behan who told us about a Trotter fountain in Fulham with, crucially, his d...

Person, Benefactor

2 memorials
Lockerbie bench - 17 - Skabo

Lockerbie bench - 17 - Skabo

TW9, Kew Gardens

We have numbered these 17 plaques, anti-clockwise, starting from the plaque for the whole crew which faces the water. Oddly, the last two...

2 subjects commemorated