- William
- ANNIS
- 5251470
Private
- WW2
- Army
- Infantry
- Gloucestershire Regiment
- 8th Battalion
- None
- 15th August 1940
- Unknown
- Pershore Cemetery, Worcestershire, England, Plot Q. Grave 5411.
- Unknown
- Unknown
Son of Leonard and Elizabeth Annis, of Pershore
ANNIS William Is Named On These Memorials
Notes About The Memorial(s) Listed Above
Pershore Abbey with the information: The Worcestershire Regiment
Further Information About ANNIS William
Additional information on the memorial: Worcestershire Regiment
Appears on the Army casualties list for Worcestershire.
Private William Annis, age 23, of 9 Church Row, Pershore, serving with the Gloucestershire Regiment was buried in consecrated ground in Pershore Cemetery on 20th August 1940.
Register of Burials in War Graves in Pershore Cemetery courtesy of Pershore Town Council.
The following report appears in Berrow’s Worcester Journal, Saturday 24th August 1940:
Pershore Soldier Killed By Car
Mishap on Leaving Cinema
Pte. William Annis, of the Gloucesters, youngest and last surviving of the three sons of Mr Christopher Annis, of 9 Church Row, Pershore, and the late Mrs Annis, died in Swindon Hospital on Thursday morning from injuries sustained through being knocked down by a car as he and two comrades were leaving a picture house late the previous night. Information of the collision was sought by broadcast on Friday night, as the car was later found abandoned on the roadside. Pte. W. Annis, who was 23 years of age and single, was an employee of the Pershore Rural District Council, and was called up as a Territorial. It is a sad coincidence that his brother, Christopher Leonard Annis, of The Black Watch, was killed in a motor-cycling accident some eight years ago in Wolverhampton. The eldest son, Charles, died in Pershore Hospital from an illness at the age of 17 years. Like their father, the two younger sons were keenly interested in bell ringing, and were members of the Pershore Abbey band of ringers.
The Funeral
Private Annis was buried by the military authorities at Pershore on Wednesday afternoon, the first in the present war to be placed on the specially reserved space for members of the Forces. The Rev. Lancelot G. Bark, Vicar of Pershore, held a preliminary service at the Abbey. The family mourners were Mr Christopher Annis (father), Mrs Evelyn Witts, Pershore, Mrs Alfred Pendrey, Worcester and Mrs Winifred Dowler, Pershore, Pte. Alfred Pendrey and Corporal James Dowler and Mr L. Witts (brothers-in-law), Miss C. Witts, A.T.S., Mrs L. Witts, Pershore, Mrs F. Hall and Mr J. Hall. Among friends present was Pte. Herbert Aston, of Spetchley, who was with his comrade when the accident occurred in Cirencester. A bugler of the Gloucesters sounded the Last Post over the grave. Among the numerous wreaths was one from his regiment.