William Jesse Whitcher was born in Boscombe, Hampshire, in 1878. His parents were Reuben and Jane (née Cheater) Whitcher. In 1898, William, who was working as a woodman, married Florence Emily (née Colliss) from Stockbridge, Hampshire.
In the 1911 census, William was the head of the family, working on a farm as a hurdle maker and living in Drury Lane, Bentworth.
He enlisted into the 2nd Battalion, the Wiltshire Regiment in Brockenhurst as 31659 Private William Jesse Whitcher and served in France and Flanders. He died on Friday, 8th November 1918, aged 39. He is buried in Neidezwehren Cemetery, Germany. (Plot 3. Row E. Grave 9).
William was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in World War One.
Source: “The Remembered Ones of the Great War”, 2014, The Alton and Villages Local History Forum (with permission)
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