Rifleman William Mariner

2nd Battalion The King's Royal Rifle Corps

Born: 29 May 1882.

Real Name: William Wignall - changed before enlistment

Died: 1 July 1916. KIA during an attack at Railway Triangle, south of Loos, France.

Buried: Has no known grave, name on Thiepval Memorial, France. Pier 13, Face A-13.

Enlisted: 1902.

CITATION

During a violent thunderstorm on the night of 22 May 1915, he left his trench near Cambrin, France, and crept out through the German wire entanglements till he reached the emplacement of a German machine gun which had been damaging our parapets and hindering our working parties. After climbing on the top of the German parapet he threw a bomb in under the roof of the gun emplacement and heard some groaning and the enemy running away. After about a quarter of an hour he heard some of them coming back again and climbed up on the other side of the emplacement and threw another bomb among them left-handed.