In Memory of WILLIAM THOMAS TEBBUTT Private 16799 South Lancashire Regiment Who died on Saturday, 20th Febuary 1915 Age 31 Remembered with Honour

William Thomas Tebbutt was born in 1883¹, the eldest son of William Tebbutt and his wife Betsy (née Norris). Although William Tebbutt, his father, was born in Beeston, he and his wife Betsy (who was born in Harby, Leicstershire) had set up home in Chilwell where all of their children were born. William senior was employed for forty years at the Chilwell Brickyard, working there until he suffered serious injuries as a result of an accident at work, when he was buried in a clay pit when the sides caved in. By 1911, he had found light work as a winder with the Midland Shawl Company and moved, with his family, to 101 Gladstone Street, Beeston².

After leaving school, William Thomas followed his father to work as a labourer at the brickworks and was still there after the family had moved to Beeston by 1911. Before war started in 1914, however, he moved to Glazebury, near Leigh, Lancashire to live with his sister Mabel Annie's family and was working with his brother-in-law, Charles Waters as a carter. Charles and Mabel had married in 1903³. On 30 January 1915, William Thomas enlisted with the South Lancashire Regiment, stationed at Warrington. During basic training, he contracted pneumonia and died on 20 February 1915, after only 20 days service⁴.

All five sons of William and Betsy Tebbutt then living, served the "Colours"⁵. Alfred, the second son, was a regular in the Royal Marines, having served since 1908. He survived the war. John James, then a married man with an infant daughter, enlisted in February 1915. After a short time in France, he was posted to East Africa where he contracted malaria, was invalided to Durban and eventually repatriated in December 1918, Another brother, Harry Tebbutt joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1917 and died on 25 October 1918 of wounds received in action in France. Charles Tebutt, the youngest, was killed in action with the Lincolnshire Regiment on 25th January 1918. Their brother-in-law Private Charles Waters, enlisted with the South Lancashire Regiment on 15 April 1915 and died on wounds on 23 April 1918. His wife, Mabel Annie, the Tebbutt brothers' sister, returned to Beeston to look after her father. She remarried in September 1918.⁶

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Footnotes
¹He was born on 12 August 1883 and baptised at Attenborough Parish Church on 16 September 1883 (Parish Register)
²1911 Census - Beeston - Piece 1223 RD429 SD3 ED3 Schedule 299 - William is then living at 101 Gladstone Street (possibly later renumbered to 83 as this is the address given in the brothers' Army Records) with his wife and four sons, William Thomas (aged 27, a brickyard labourer), John James (19, a gardener), Harry (16, an errand boy at the Co-op) and Charles (12, at school). The couple had had seven children in their then 29 year marriage, one of whom had died. By mistake, William had listed the other children and then crossed then out - Mabel Anna (26, married), Alfred (23, in the Royal Marines and another Harry (deceased). All five living sons served in the war, three of them died.
³They married at Attenborough Parish Church on 13 April 1903. In the 1911 census, the couple are living at 442 Warrington Road, Glazebury, Lancashire. Charles was then working as a farm labourer. They had been married for 7 years and had one daughter. (Census Piece 1356 RD460 SD2 ED9 Schedule 45).
⁴His Army Service Record survives but is understandably brief. These record that he joined the South Lancashire Regiment, which is at variance to the record in the Parish Church which shows that he was with the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. No cause of death is recorded but this was ascertained during research by Ray Smedley. It is likely that a death registration in Q1/1915 for William Tebbutt, age 31. in Warrington Registration District records his death. (GRO 78c 307). There is no record of him in the Commonwealth War records
⁵Army Service Records survive for John James and Harry Tebbutt. Harry attested originally in December 1915. presumably under the terms of the Derby Scheme which provided for such early registration with call-up only if needed. John James Tebbutt (then shown as "Jim" Tebbutt) is shown as living at 93 High Road, Beeston on a next-of-kin declaration for Harry, in November 1919.
⁶She married Joseph Walsham Waite at Boston, Lincolnshire on 3 September 1918

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