Lance Corporal William Hunter

Lance Corporal William Hunter, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.  He died of wounds in France on 1st October 1915, aged 21. He had been born in Berwick and was the son of James and Elizabeth Hunter of 31 Blakewell Road, Tweedmouth. He is buried in Houplines Communal Cemetery Extension, Armentieres, Nord, France. At that time the Battalion was in front line and support trenches near Houplines. During the period 24th September till 24th October 7 Other Ranks were killed and 19 wounded. The photograph shows the impressive Memorial raised to the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part of until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as a Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Weiltje in the Ypres Salient near to where the Division had fought its first action on 26th April 1915 only days after landing on the Continent.