6928 Pte William Ewart Rice, 2nd Bn Northamptonshire Regt.
Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, William initially enlisted into the Northamptonshire Regiment in early 1903 with whom he served in South Africa and the UK before returning to his civilian occupation of baker/confectioner. As a reservist at the outbreak of war, he was recalled to the colours in August 1914 and assigned to the 2nd Battalion soon after their arrival back in the UK in October 1914. After a short spell of retraining near Winchester, William was sent to France where he arrived on 6 November 1914 and soon found himself in the trenches near Neuve Chapelle in appalling weather conditions over the winter. Engaged in routine trench-holding duties, he was killed in action on 22 January 1915 and has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Le Touret memorial to the missing.
22 January 1915
Research by David O'Mara, Croonaert Research Services.
