Yarm 1914

Killed in action by a German sniper on 21 Aug 1915 while on lookout duty. A local Methodist, he had been born in Yarm and was widely respected in the town. He had just retired from the 1/4th Yorks Terriers but rejoined at Northallerton in Sept 1914. He was a good marksman and was the unit sniper. On one occasion he saw a German officer with powerful glasses surveying the British lines. He took aim and shattered the glasses. Allsopp is buried at La Chapelle d’Armentieres Com Cem, Belgium – H 2
Two of his letters home were printed. In the first he reported that he had left for the trenches on the Thursday after their arrival and had remained there until last Monday when they had been allowed a short rest. He wrote that those at home could not realise what it was like – for it was terrible. They had some losses, amongst whom were some good officers and it would be a blessing if the war ended. His unit had made a good name for itself, being called “Ghurkas.” The regulars had said that the way they fought they were worse than Ghurkas. In a later letter he said that they had just come out of the trenches and got plenty of drilling to keep them fit. It was a nice place where they were billeted, about two miles from the firing line, and they just got a few shells over now and again. It had been a bit lively in the trenches and he expected to have another dust-up shortly. He felt there were a lot of young men at home who wouldn’t join, but the lads who came home would tell them what it was like out in France. “If one could see the sights of women and children they would not be backward in coming forward and trying to stop the dreadful effects of the war.” There had been one city they had had to go through week after week where before the streets had been cleared there were dead women and children armless and legless, laid in the middle of the road with dead horses. There had been no time to remove them for shells were continually bursting and thundering over them. “It was awful to see the sacrifice of many a thousand innocent lives. If any one can stay at home when they know this is done… they are cowards.” he concluded.

Yarm1914 believe that William was born in 1884 whilst his parents George aged 33 and Alice aged 32 lived in Yarm with 3 other sons George aged 9, Thomas aged 7 and March aged 3. In 1891 the family was joined by Isabella aged 5 and baby Alice. By 1901 the family had moved to the High Street in Yarm. George was a stationary engineman, George a fellmonger, March an apprentice stone mason and william an apprentice bricklayer. Thomas died in 1898. In 1904 March married Elizabeth Danby from Yarm but she died in 1907 and he returned to the family home. Isabella married John Henry Husthwaite in 1910 and moved to Carlton Terrace in Yarm. By 1911 Alice had become a servant to the Falcon family at Norman Villas, Idle Road, Bradford leaving William and March living with their parents. March married Agnes Carr in 1912 and moved to Preston.

He is remembered on the memorials in the Parish and Methodist Church in Yarm and the cenotaph in the High Street.

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Yarm 1914 Research ________________

The Yarm 1914 Commemoration Group is carrying out research on the soldiers listed. We are finding where they lived in Yarm and will represent the findings in a wall of poppies presentation. More details will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and this web site. If you have any information please contact us. Left click on the picture below.