William Hooton

Thornton Cleveleys War Memorial 1914-1918 | Index

Bill Hooton was born in Burslem, Staffordshire on 1885 and baptised on 1 November at Holy Trinity, Sneyd. Bill was the eldest of six children of John Hooton and his wife Emily Clay who married at Hanley, Staffordshire on 3 August 1884.

William Hooton

In the Census taken on 5 April 1891 the Hooton family were recorded at 8 Vernon Square, Burslem. John Hooton was a collier. As well as Bill, there were two younger children: Prudence was born in 1887 and baptised at Holy Trinty, Sneyd on 27 November 1887; Alice was born in West Leigh, Staffordshire in 1890.

The other three children were born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire after the family moved to 8 Pump Street. James was born in 1891 and baptised on 22 March 1892 at St. Giles but sadly he died before his first birthday. Another son, also named James, was born on 3 February 1893 and baptised at St. Giles on 19 March. Finally, George was born on 28 November 1894 and baptised at St. Giles on 11 August 1895. By then his mother had died, seemingly from complications following the birth.

Soon after, John Hooton died leaving the five surviving children orphaned. The Census taken on 31 March 1901 shows that the children were split up. Bill went to live with his father's younger sister Alice and her husband Thomas Worrall in Hindley, near Wigan, and became a coal miner (working underground). Prudence went to live with her mother's younger sister Jane and her husband Samuel Welch at 12 Marshall Street, Burslem. George was adopted by William Rogers and his wife Mary Jane (nee Knight), who were next door neighbours to the Hootons in Pump Street, Newcastle. Alice and James were sent to the Newcastle under Lyme Union Workhouse in Keele Road.

Bill was still living in Hindley when he married Margaret Tingle at All Saints, Wigan on 7 November 1908. Maggie, as she was known, was born in Wigan on 14 August 1886, the eighth of nine children of George Tingle, a collier's checkweighman, and his first wife Jane Bamber who married at St. Catherine, Wigan on 27 December 1868. A son Sidney was born in Wigan on 31 March 1910 and baptised on 4 May at St. Catherine but he died very shortly after.

Bill and Maggie came to live in our area by the time the next Census was taken on 2 April 1911, making their home in Brown Street, Thornton. Bill became a chemical labourer at the United Alkali Works at Burn Naze. A daughter, May, was born on 2 May 1911.

Bill joined the 6th Battalion of the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and was sent to the Gallipoli Peninsular with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force landing on 13 June 1915. He was killed in action on 10 August. Bill was aged 29. News of his death first reached home via a letter from colleague Pte. Charles Gallagher to his wife Alice who lived at 22 Cop Lane, Fleetwood. Referring to Bill, Pte. Gallagher stated "He died doing his duty as a true British soldier. He was laid in a nice grave by his comrades the same night that he was killed. He died a few minutes after being hit."

Pte. William Hooton, 13272, 6th Battalion, Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment is remembered on the Helles Memorial Part VI, Gallipoli Peninsular, Turkey. Pte. Charles Gallagher, 13271, 6th Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, died on 30 April 1916 from disease. He is buried in Plot 20, Row D, Grave 2 at Amara War Cemetery, Iraq. The two men had consecutive service numbers implying that they enlisted together.