- See Walter William Seabrook’s entry on the Board of Trade’s Ancestry public tree.
- This information updates the group’s previous research published on the former DTI website (now archived by the National Archives).
- Do you have any more information about Walter William Seabrook? If so the War Memorial Research Group would love to hear from you
Name recorded on Board of Trade Memorial: W. W. Seabrook
Born: About July 1889, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England
Date of Death: 25 May 1915
Age at death: 25
Service, Regiment, Corps, etc: London Regiment (City of London Rifles)
Unit, Ship, etc: 6th (City of London) Battalion
Enlisted: London, September 1914
Rank: Rifleman (Service No: 2905)
Decorations: WW1 Service Medals (Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1915 Star)
War (and theatre): WW1 (France and Flanders)
Manner of Death: Killed in Action (KIA)
Family Details: Son of Walter and Elizabeth Seabrook, 9 Eland Road, Lavender Hill, London
Residence: Lavender Hill
Home Department: Board of Trade – Bankruptcy Department (High Court)
Civilian Rank: Personal Clerk in Official Receiver’s Department, Carey Street, Strand, London
Cemetery or Memorial: Brown’s Road Military Cemetery, Festubert (I.C.11); Board of Trade War Memorial; Chorleywood Road Cemetery, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England
Biography:
Walter was born in about July 1889 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire. He was christened on 3 November 1889. His parents were Walter Seabrook (1863-1941) and Elizabeth King (1865-1948). He had one younger brother called Frederick John Seabrook (1892-1916) who also died in WW1.
Walter appears aged 1 in the 1891 census living at High Street, Northchurch, Hertfordshire. His father is recorded working as a pork butcher. In both the 1901 and 1911 census records, Walter and his parents and brother are living at 32 Kingsley Street, Battersea, London. By this time his father is working as a grocer’s assistant. In the 1911, Walter (aged 20) is working for the Bankruptcy Department (High Court Division) as part of the Board of Trade. His brother Frederick worked for the local council.
Walter enlisted as a Rifleman in London in September 1914 with the 6th Battalion, London Regiment (known as the “Cast Iron Sixth” reportedly from the black buttons on their uniform rather than silver or brass). The battalion was a Territorial Force unit headquartered at 57a Farringdon Road, Holborn which was formed by the artist, George Cruickshank.
According to Walter’s WW1 medal card he first landed in France on 18 March 1915 as part of the 4th Brigade, 2nd London Division which was renamed as 140th Brigade, 47th Division. Walter’s unit first served in the trenches on 4 April 1916 at Givenchy. On 4 May 1915, his unit was in the line facing Festubert. The Battle of Festubert (15 to 27 May 1915) was a British offensive that formed part of a series of Allied attacks that took place from 3 May to 18 June 1915. It followed on from the Battle of Aubers Ridge. The British planned a three day 60 hour heavy artillery bombardment and aimed to capture 1000 yards of territory. It was a pincer attack and it ultimately resulted in a huge failure as a result of poor military planning and due to the pure brutality of trench warfare.
The battle itself began on 15 May 1915, but Walter’s unit were not in the front line. According to the London Memorial website, on 16 May 1915, the battalion worked for four days building trench systems to try and create a defensive flanking element. This was dangerous work and the 6th Battalion suffered many casualties. From 20 May 1915 Walter’s unit remained in the front line, with little advance and it was during this period that Walter was killed in action on 25 May 1915. On that day, 980 men were killed or wounded in shelling, but the British held their position. Walter was one of 16,648 British casualties killed as well as thousands of Canadian, French and German casualties.
He is buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Brown’s Road Military Cemetery, Festubert which now contains 1,071 WW1 burials.
Only a year later, on 1 July 1916 his younger brother, Private Frederick John Seabrook who was part of the 1st/2nd Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) was reported missing at Gommecourt on first day of the Battle of the Somme. He sadly has no known grave and was only 24 when he died. Walter’s grave mentions the personal inscription “Also in memory of Private F.J. Seabrook 1/2 London R.F. Missing at Gommecourt 1.7.16”, Frederick is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial (Pier and Face 9D and 16B).
Both brothers are also remembered on the Seabrook family gravestone in Chorleywood Road Cemetery, Rickmansworth.
Board of Trade War Memorial 