William Godfrey Rapley

[Guest]

We are a group of friends who visit West-Flanders (Belgium) each year. 
We do this each year around the time of the remembrance of the First World War, to find out more about what our ancestors went through   for us to live the lives we do today.

Each year we visit one of the First World War Musea or the War Cemeteries. We want to experience the imprint of the past on those places, and relive a part of that history. To say thanks to those who fought for us.

Last year it was a strange experience. On the Cemetery we saw an old lady who had found her father after all this time. She must have been about 85 years old. It must be difficult to find relatives in this manner after so many years. We were just attendees for that special moment. It took us by the throat. Tears stood in our eyes.

We usually stay at a rental house for about two days with each visit. Together we are drink some beers, cook, eat, and also have fun.

 

The St. Julien Dressing Station Cemetery is located behind this rental house. 
During one of our last visits, we saw that a man is buried there who will have sacrificed his life for us here in Europe about 100 years ago. 
This guy was named William Godfrey Rapley, son of Edwin and Lenora Dorse Rapley of Pound Hill, Worth, Crawley, and Sussex.

Our idea is to organize a Memorial this year on the 25 of September. 

 
We are looking for more information, so that we could organize a solemn remembrance on the weekend 
near the 25th of September (meaning, on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of September 2017). 
Our plan would be to visit all the battlefields where Mr. Rapley fought, and the places where he stayed during the First World War. 

Could you provide us with some pictures that may be in your possession, or other information about Mr. Rapley? 

Best regards,

 

Chris De Bruyne – WCF Stekene BELGIUM 

 

William Godfrey Rapley

He was a second Lieutenant in the Duke Of Cambridge’s own Middlesex Regiment the 1^st Battalion. As a second Lieutenant, he would have been a fighting officer in charge of a section of men ranging from 10 to 30 people.

Prior to joining the Army I know he was a student in 1911. I need a bit more time to find out what else he did before he enlisted. I do know he had an elder sister (Francis Rapley) who was 10 years older than him. His father was a Domestic Gardener. His mother Lenora passed away in 1941.

His Regiment, and probably William himself, fought at the battle of Hooge, the battle of Loos, the battle of the Somme, and the third battle of Ypres. William was probably killed between the 24/09/1917 at the battle of the Menin Road Bridge (Zonnebeke) and the 26/09/1917 at the battle of Polygon Wood (Zonnebeke). His Regiment went on to fight at the battles of the Hindenburg Line, the battle of Lays, and the final advance in Picardy.

[johnboy]

SDGW show him as attached to 1st Battalion. I assume this means at the time of his death, Therefore you probably need to do some more searching to find out where he was attached from. The battle history for the 1st battalion may not be be the same as his fighting history.

[ss002d6252]

I suspect he was #5536/ #761010 Private Rapley of the 28th London Regiment(Artist's Rifles) who entered France on 21 April 1916 and was commissioned on 06 July 1917 to the 1st Bn Middlesex  Regiment.
 

The War Gratuity of £9 net, £11 gross shows that 24 months service in the ranks before commission. This would indicate enlistment in August 1915 (due to it looking a little odd the dates were compared with Private Penny and the August 1915 date ties in nicely).

#761008 / #5530 Private Penny was commissioned 23/3/17. He had 20 months service in the ranks before commission. This would confirm the August 1915 date found for Rapley.

Craig

[Guest]

9 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

I suspect he was #5536/ #761010 Private Rapley of the 28th London Regiment(Artist's Rifles) who entered France on 21 April 1916 and was commissioned on 06 July 1917 to the 1st Bn Middlesex  Regiment.
 

The War Gratuity of £9 net, £11 gross shows that 24 months service in the ranks before commission. This would indicate enlistment in August 1915 (due to it looking a little odd the dates were compared with Private Penny and the August 1915 date ties in nicely).

#761008 / #5530 Private Penny was commissioned 23/3/17. He had 20 months service in the ranks before commission. This would confirm the August 1915 date found for Rapley.

Craig

Hi Craig, Mr. Rapley was a second Lieutenant in the Duke Of Cambridge’s own Middlesex Regiment the 1^st Battalion

11 hours ago, johnboy said:

SDGW show him as attached to 1st Battalion. I assume this means at the time of his death, Therefore you probably need to do some more searching to find out where he was attached from. The battle history for the 1st battalion may not be be the same as his fighting history.

 

11 hours ago, johnboy said:

SDGW show him as attached to 1st Battalion. I assume this means at the time of his death, Therefore you probably need to do some more searching to find out where he was attached from. The battle history for the 1st battalion may not be be the same as his fighting history.

Thanks for this information. I will searching more details.

 

[ss002d6252]

1 minute ago, Chris De Bruyne said:

Hi Craig, Mr. Rapley was a second Lieutenant in the Duke Of Cambridge’s own Middlesex Regiment the 1^st Battalion

He was, after being commissioned. He served first with the Artist's Rfiles pre-commission (it was used primarily to train men who would go on to become officers).

 

Craig

[Guest]

I'm writing from Worth Parish, St Nicholas' Church, Worth RH10 7RT where William Godfrey Rapley is commemorated on our war memorial in church (file attached). Our bellringers rung a quarter peal on Saturday 23rd September 2017 in memory of William Godfrey Rapley.

I've used this site but it doesn't give any more information:

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Sussex/Worth.html

 

Thank you !