On This Day 12 March 1895 William Gilbert was born. Lived at 31 Criffel Avenue
Private William Leslie Gilbert was the eldest of seven children, four of whom were boys, of a civil engineer, also named William Gilbert, and his wife, Louise; he was the only son to attend Dulwich. After spending just over three years at the College he subsequently began to work as, at first, a draughtsman, before qualifying as an engineer, and then taking up a role at the British Thomson-Houston works at Rugby.
Shortly after war broke out, in September 1914, William signed up as a member of the 23rd Battalion of the London Regiment, going overseas with them in March the following year. He was involved in the capture of German trenches at Givenchy that June, and had subsequently become one of the Brigade’s grenadiers when, on September 30th 1915, he was killed by German shell fire whilst serving near Loos.
(Dulwich College)
Private William Leslie Gilbert was the eldest of seven children, four of whom were boys, of a civil engineer, also named William Gilbert, and his wife, Louise; he was the only son to attend Dulwich. After spending just over three years at the College he subsequently began to work as, at first, a draughtsman, before qualifying as an engineer, and then taking up a role at the British Thomson-Houston works at Rugby.
Shortly after war broke out, in September 1914, William signed up as a member of the 23rd Battalion of the London Regiment, going overseas with them in March the following year. He was involved in the capture of German trenches at Givenchy that June, and had subsequently become one of the Brigade’s grenadiers when, on September 30th 1915, he was killed by German shell fire whilst serving near Loos.
(Dulwich College)
