Pte William Bradley, 27309
Born: July 26, 1896 in Hyde, Lancashire, England
Residence: 25 Dunedin St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attestation: Sept. 18, 1914 at Valcartier, Quebec and assigned to the 48th Highlanders, 15 Battalion.
Occupation listed as tinsmith. He was single and indicated he had been in active militia service previously.
Sailed to England Oct 3, 1914.
By spring 1915 the unit was at the front near Ypres, close to St. Julien area.
The front was relatively quiet but on the nights of April 22 and 23, 1915 there were heavy raids by the Germans in the area which resulted in heavy casualties according to the 48th Highlander records. William was reported missing during these raids. The unit fell back to reserve trenches on April 25th.
William Bradley was officially listed as missing in action “in the field” on April 24, 1915.
On April 28th he was reported as a POW from battalion lists of prisoners at Mischede, Germany. This report was listed as unofficial and was retracted on January 17, 1916. A search of International Red Cross prisoner lists (a very reliable resource) does not show his name. William was then replaced on the Still Missing Lists and presumed dead. He was officially presumed dead on 17 August 1016 and his pay was stopped in July 1916 and transferred to the accounts for soldiers who have been killed in action.
Records indicate that William was never recovered and has a grave site in the unknown soldiers site at Menin Gate Memorial Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium, Panel 18-24-26-30 (source is 15th Battalion original Commonwealth Graves download).
NOK: