This man was a candidate for addition to Keighley’s Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024, the centenary of the original roll of honour.
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Supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, our project submitted 103 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it’s new names took place on 9th November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.
See the list of 103 new names added in 2024 here
Private. 87th Battalion. Canadian Infantry. Service number: 3082308
Early life:
William was born in Cross Roads, Keighley on 5th November 1883. His birth was registered in the town in the last quarter of the year.
William’s parents were Samuel and Rose (Rosina) Chapman.
William married Maggie Clarke at Keighley Parish Church on 19th December 1908. St the time they were both residing at 9, Roseberry Terrace. William was 25 and a bachelor working as a blacksmith aged 25 and Maggie was a 19 year old spinster working as a drawer in textiles.
In the 1911 census William and Maggie were living at 71, Orleans Street in Keighley. They had been married for two years and had no children, William was a blacksmith forger for a textile manufacturer making looms and Maggie was a drawer for a worsted yarn manufacturer.
Emigration to America:
William and Maggie emigrated to America in 1912, travelling from Liverpool on the White Star Liner Steamship Arabic on the 8th October. William was aged 29, Maggie was aged 24. Oddly, William’s occupation is given as ‘joiner.’
War service:
William attested at Montreal for the Canadian Army on 26th February 1918, their home address was 960, Southbridge Street in Massachusetts, U.S.A. This was over 300 miles away.
William gave his occupation as a drop forger. He was medically examined the next day aged 34 years and three months old and 5 feet 2 inches tall. He weighed 118 pounds and had a 32 inch chest. He had blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion, with good physical development. He had a variocele on the left side and was medically rated A2 for service.
He was enlisted into the 1st Depot, 1st Quebec Regiment with the regimental number 3082308. His terms of service were for the duration of the war.
At the same time, William made out a will bequeathing all his personal estate to Maggie.
William embarked from Canada on H. M. Transport ship Scandinavian on 24th March 1918 and he arrived in England ten days later, on the 3rd of April.
He was taken on strength of the 23rd Canadian Reserve Battalion at Bramshott on the 4th April and would have been in training there until August when he became part of the Expeditionary Force.
Bramshott Camp was set up on the common near the village of Bramshott in Hampshire and was used by the Canadian Army in both world wars.
After completing his training, William arrived in France on 19th August 1918 and joined his unit with the 87th Battalion in the field ten days later.
An element of William’s pay was sent to Maggie, with her receiving $45 per month from April to October 1918. She also appears to have had a final payment of $10 sent to her in March 1919.
War diary entry for the end of September 1918:
The 87th Infantry Battalion was at BOURLON WOOD.
29th September:
At 4 am operation order for the advance was received. The Battalion moved forward at 7.30 am to assembly position in X.26.b. just South of the ARRAS – CAMBRAI ROAD near FARM DE LILAS. Headquarters were established in the open at X.26.b.60.70. The attack of the 12th Brigade not going as well as expected the 11th Brigade spent the day in the same location. Towards evening headquarters were taken over from the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, very close to the location given above.
At 10.15 pm the C.O. was called to Brigade for a conference with reference to the operation for the next day. On his return 11.15 pm, a Company Commanders conference was held and orders were issued for the operation. The 11th Brigade was to attack from the Railway, South of SANCOURT up to the ridge South of BLECOURT and CUVILLERS the 75th Battalion to the first objective.
The 87th Battalion was to follow the 54th Battalion and swing to the right seizing the village and bridgehead at ESWARS. The companies were ordered to move in depth. B Company leading, C Company in support, D Company on reserve, with A Company covering the left flank. The strength of the Battalion for this attack was 21 officers, 456 other ranks. Lieutenant Casey reported for duty.
30th September:
An officer from the 12th Brigade guided the Battalion up and the start was made at 3.40 a.m. Notwithstanding
the darkness of the night, the assembly position was reached without difficulty at 5.15 am. The position of assembly was in the old trench system MARCOING LINE in 23a. There was some shelling as the Battalion entered the position and one unlucky shell made casualties of all Headquarters servants, killing four and wounding two. At 5.20 am, Headquarters were established at X.17.c.0.3. The Battalion moved forward to the attack at 6.05 am. No reports were received as to the progress made by the leading Battalions and at 7.55 am Battalion Headquarters moved forward. Heavy shelling was encountered, particularly when the CAMBRAI – DOUAI ROAD was reached and headquarters were established in a trench just East of that road. There was heavy shelling and heavy machine gun fire from the direction of BLECOURT and the situation was very obscure. Units of both the 3rd and 1st Divisions having crosses over on our front. At about 9 am Major Bickersdike D.S.O. sent forward to reorganise the Battalion forward of the road. The C.O. himself reorganised the trench line immediately East of the road and the adjutant went back and organised a line of resistance South West of the DOUIA ROAD. At 12.55 pm. Major Bickersdike D.S.O. reported that the Battalion had been very badly cut up and had lost a large number of officers. One company had been organise under Lieutenant McLean M.C. consisting of about 100 men and was holding a position of the Railway Cutting while th B.S.M. and some 30 others was holding a position at the trench in 13.d. Headquarters had in the meantime been withdrawn to X.18.c.6.3. During the afternoon the Brigadier came to Battalion Headquarters and gave instructions for an attack on the following day similar to that of the 30th. The Battalion was withdrawn for reorganisation, the 54th Battalion taking over the line. At 4.30 pm orders were sent to Lieutenant McLean M.C. and by dusk all the men were assembled in the MARCOING LINE in X.17.d and 23.a. Captain Stour assisted Lieutenant McLean M.C. to reorganise the remainder of the Battalion as one Company and found it’s strength consisted of 4 officer and 124 other ranks. These were organised under great difficulty owing to the darkness and the fact that the men were very tired. Major G.P.S. Dunlop M.C. and Captain A. F. Argus returned from leave to England.
(signed) Lieutenant Colonel K. M. Perry, Officer Commanding 87th Battalion Canadian Infantry. (Canadian Grenadier Guards)
William was killed in action on 30th September, during the above attack. This was later reported in Keighley’s local newspaper.
Keighley News Saturday 30th November 1918, page 3:
LOCAL WAR CASUALTIES. KEIGHLEY AND DISTRICT.
Private William Chapman, 87th Canadian Infantry, formerly of 59, Orleans Street, Keighley, was killed in action on September 30. He enlisted at Worcester, Canada, last February and went to France in March.
William’s body was buried in grave 24 of row C in Cantimpre Canadian Cemetery at Sailly in France. He was 35 years old when he died.
Post war:
Maggie received a war gratuity of $100 on 30th July 1920. At that time, her address was 25, Crompton Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Later, Maggie must have remarried, changing her surname to Turner and she was living at 333, Bergen Street, Plainfield, New Jersey. She was later living at 972, Arlington Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.A.
A rather confusing document in William’s service records shows that his widow Maggie (now Turner) had been sent his medals and a plaque and memorial cross on 25th August 1920. but that they were returned.
William’s mother Rosina Chapman’s address was 31, Valley Road, Shipley, Yorkshire. She appears to have received a plaque and scroll plus a memorial cross but these appear to have been returned with no reason stated. The plaque was apparently despatched on 23rd June 1920 and returned on 8th February 1922. It was re-despatched on 17th February 1923. The cross was returned on 20th September 1920 and returned on 6th December the same year.
We suspect that these items were first sent to Maggie but were returned, perhaps by her, or maybe she had moved with no forwarding address, so they were sent to his mother Rosina instead but for similar reasons were returned.
His next of kin were his parents Samuel and Rose Chapman, of Shipley, Yorkshire in England; husband of Maggie Turner (formerly Chapman), of 972, Arlington Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.A.
A personal inscription was requested by Maggie for his gravestone which says, ‘He has done his duty.’
William is now named in the Supplementary Volume of the Borough of Keighley roll of honour in Keighley Library.
Information sources:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
1911 England Census
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962
Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960
Library and Archives Canada. Digitized service file – PDF format: B1631-S014
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library
Canadian Army war diaries from Library and Archives Canada.
