Wiliams | Frank
Biography
Frank W. Williams (Service No. 5054046) was killed in action on 14 October, 1944 in the vicinity of Overloon. He was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment and aged 31. He was initially buried at Cemetery De Kleffen, Overloon and re-interred on 15 October 1946 in Grave I. B. 12. at the CWGC Cemetery in Overloon. His grave is inscribed “A loving thought true and tender just to show that I remember”.
Frank’s military career
An online source suggests that Frank enlisted into the North Staffordshire Regiment and transferred into the Lincolnshire Regiment but the exact source of this information isn’t known or the date on which it occurred.
If this is correct, it is likely that he was initially in the 6th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment. It was a Territorial battalion which trained in the UK for many years until it landed in Normandy in June 1944 as part of Operation Overlord where they fought in the Battle for Caen and gained an excellent reputation during Operation Charnwood and the Second Battle of the Odon. However, it had been in France for less than two months when, in August 1944, along with other infantry units of the 59th Division, it was broken up to supply replacements to other British units, due to a severe shortage of infantry replacements throughout the Army at the time. This is possibly when Frank transferred into the Lincolnshire Regiment.
The 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment had also taken part in the D-Day landings and was then engaged throughout the Normandy Campaign, taking part in Operation Charnwood, Operation Goodwood and throughout the rest of the Northwest Europe Campaign until Victory in Europe Day in May 1945.
Following the failure to take the bridge at Arnhem in Operation Market Garden in late September 1944, the Allied Forces were left in a very precarious narrow salient through the Netherlands. It was the aim of Operation Aintree to widen this salient by heading south from Nijmegen to take Overloon and then Venray before finally eliminating a German bridgehead on the River Maas near Venlo.
On 9 October 1944 the Battalion found itself in Haps, just south of Nijmegen. They were ordered to move south to St Anthonis on 11 October, but this was postponed to the following day due to bad weather. The move was completed on 12 October and they then moved slightly further west the next day, though with one man killed and 3 wounded.
On the 14 October, the day on which Frank died, the plan was for B Company to be guided through a wood held by the Royal Ulster Rifles to its front edge from where they would carry out a recce to check if a stream was passable and if the north eastern corner of a wood to the south was held by the enemy. However, the guides were late and the move through the wood was slower than expected, so the recce did not take place. At 7.30am the Company began to advance south out of the wood. However, before the Company had advanced 100 yds the enemy opened fire from a track about another 100 yds ahead. The advance continued but came under such heavy fire with so many casualties that the Company Commander issued an order to retreat back to the Royal Ulster Rifles’ position. By this point one Lieutenant and 34 other ranks had been killed or wounded. Following a recce by the Company Commanders, it was decided to launch an attack at 1530 hours with D and A companies in the lead. The enemy had been seen moving in the area of the stream in front of the wood. It was thought that the enemy holding the Battalion objective were probably a Company strong. Immediately the attacking force came into the open they were subjected to intense artillery and mortar fire but they pressed steadily on to reach their objective. During this action the Battalion suffered very heavy casualties including four officers killed and another four wounded.
A total of 27 men of the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment who died that day are buried alongside each other at Overloon, including Frank Williams.
Stoke-On-Trent
It will be seen that Frank and his family were from Stoke-On-Trent and many of them worked in its key industries at the time.
The City is really a federation of six towns: Stoke, Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall, Longton and Fenton. It is often referred to as The Potteries as it is the home of a world famous pottery industry with many famous names in pottery including Wedgewood, Spode, Royal Doulton, Minton and Dudson among others. It was already a centre for coal mining and the local abundance of coal and clay suitable for earthenware production led to the early development of the local pottery industry. The construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal (completed in 1777) enabled the import of china clay from Cornwall together with other materials and facilitated the production of creamware and bone china leading to a great expansion of the industry. The iron and steel industries occupied important roles in the development of the city, especially in the valley at Goldendale and Shelton below the hill towns of Tunstall, Burslem and Hanley. Shelton Steel Works and the coal mining operations were heavily involved in the World War II industrial effort. Production of steel at Shelton ended in 1978. Coal is no longer mined there and the Pottery industry has suffered from strong international competition.
Frank’s birth family
Frank was the son of Joseph Henry Williams and Priscilla Ridgway and was born on 12 August, 1913.
His father, Joseph, was born on 2 October 1880 in Stoke-on-Trent to John Williams and Sarah Ann Williams (nee Baker). John was a coal miner. The family were living in Smith Street which is in the Longton area of Stoke-On-Trent and Joseph was baptised at Christ Church, Fenton, the adjacent area of the City.
His mother, Priscilla Ridgway, was born in 1882 in Stoke-On-Trent to William Ridgway and Elizabeth Edwards who had married in 1872 in Northampton. In 1891 the family were living in the curiously named Pigs Face, 7, Canal Side, Stoke upon Trent. William was working as a Potter’s Labourer.
Joseph Henry Williams married Priscilla Ridgway in 1907 in Stoke-On-Trent. They had children as follows: John William 1908, George 1911, Frank 12/8/1913, Florence Elizabeth 2/11/1915, Albert 16/12/1918, Joseph H 11/12/1920.
In 1911 they were living at 166 Shelton New Road, Cliff Vale, Stoke on Trent in the household of Priscilla’s widowed father, William Ridgway. William was aged 57 and a Potter’s Labourer. With them was their first child, John, and two of Priscilla’s brothers, William aged 22, who was a Potter’s Placer, and John aged 13 who was an Errand Boy.
By 1921 Joseph and Priscilla were in their own household at 50, Russell Street, Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent. Joseph was now working as a Boiler Stoker at Twyford Ltd., Sanitary Ware Manufacturer of Newcastle Road, Cliff Vale, Hanley. All their children, including Frank, were with them.
Priscilla Williams died in the Spring of 1939 while Joseph died just a few months later. Joseph’s death was reported in the Staffordshire Sentinel of 6 July 1939 as follows:
“On July 4th Joseph Henry beloved husband of the late Priscilla Williams of 50 Russell Street Shelton aged 58 years. Service in Shelton Church Sat 2pm Interment Hanley Cemetery.”
In September 1939 Florence, Albert and Joseph (Jnr) were still living at 50 Russell Street. Florence was working as a Domestic Servant, Albert as a Potter’s Dipper and Joseph (Jnr) as a Steelworks Labourer.
Frank’s marriage
Meanwhile, Frank Williams had married Alice Colley in Stoke-On-Trent in 1937.
By 1939 they were living at 53 Aynsley Road which is in the Shelton area of Stoke-On-Trent. Both were employed in the Pottery trade. Frank was described as a Potter’s Ghost Placer and Alice as a Potter’s dipper’s assistant. Apparently, Frank’s job was one of the most dangerous jobs in the pottery industry. He was one of the men who would place the saggars in the bottle ovens and then go back in when they were still hot and take the fired potter out of the kiln.
They do not appear to have had any children.
At the time of Frank’s death in 1944, his wife is described as Alice Williams of Meir, Stoke on Trent, suggesting she had moved from Shelton by then.
Frank’s Wife’s Family
Alice Colley was born on 5 May 1913 in Stoke-On-Trent to Enoch Colley and Emma (nee Grattage). In 1911, Emma Grattage (born on 8 March 1889) was living as a boarder in the house of Enoch Colley (born 18 October 1889) at 42, Albert Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. With her was Annie Grattage, born in 1910 and described as Enoch’s daughter. Enoch was described as a Potter’s Flat Presser and Emma as a Potter’s Transferrer. All three were born in Longton.
It seems that Enoch and Emma had a total of 17 children between 1910 and 1936. Annie was later known as Annie Colley vs Grattage. The children were: Annie 1910, Emma 1911, Alice 1913, John 1914, Doris 1917, Elizabeth E 1918, Enoch 1919, Florence 1921, Lawrence 1922, Irene 1924, Cyril 1925, Douglas 1926, Roy 1930, Dennis 1931, Ivy 1932, Margaret Joan 1934, Kenneth 1936. All were born in Longton.
In 1921, Enoch and Emma were shown as married and living at 4, Hope Street, Longton. Their first 8 children were with them. It was shown as a 4 roomed house. Enoch was shown as a General Labourer at Copehurst Marl Works at Lightwood Chase – but was out of work.
By September 1939, Enoch and Emma were living at 78 Leason Road, Stoke-On-Trent. Enoch was described as a Labourer and Slipmaker. The six oldest children and also Florence and Irene were no longer at home. Nine children in total seemed to still be present. Enoch (Jnr), Lawrence and Cyril were all working as Haulage Hands below ground in the coal mining industry.
Emma Colley died in 1945 aged 56. She seems to have been well loved by her family. On 16th December 1946 three separate items were found in the In Memoriam section of the Evening Sentinel. Her husband, Enoch’s, item said “Memories of my loving wife. I lost my life’s companion, a life linked with my own; no-one knows the bitter loss, as I wander all alone. Husband Enoch.” Various children and partners used equally sentimental phrases.
Emma’s death will have left Enoch with five children under 15, with the youngest being just 9. He himself died in 1962 in Stoke-On-Trent aged 72.
Alice Williams’ Second Marriage
Alice Williams therefore lost her husband in 1944 followed by her mother the following year.
In 1946 she married for a second time, again in Stoke-On-Trent. Her husband was William Henry Clay.
William (born 30 September 1911 in Fenton) had also been married before. He had married Violet Budworth (born 22 July 1908 in Fenton) in 1936 in Stoke-On-Trent. In 1939 they were living at 77 Sutherland Road, Longton. William was a Colliery Hewer. With them was one unnamed child. This would be Terrence W Clay who had been born in early 1938 in Stoke-On-Trent. Violet Clay died in 1943 in Stoke-On-Trent.
When Alice Williams married Willliam Clay in 1946 she will therefore have become step mother to 8 year old Terence Clay.
In 1947, William and Alice had a child of their own: Janet M Clay, again born in Stoke-on-Trent.
William Henry Clay died in 1979 in Stoke-On-Tent. The Staffordshire Sentinel announced it on 19 October, 1979:
“Clay – On Oct 14th at 15 North Walk, Meir, William Henry, aged 68 years, the dearly beloved husband of Alice Clay, the very dear dad of Margaret, Janet and Terence, the dear father-in-law of George, John and Cynthia, and the devoted granddad of Geoffrey and Kevin”
It was clear that William and Alice acted as parents to Terence and Janet Clay – but who was Margaret? It seems that this was Alice’s Sister, Margaret Joan Colley who was born in 1934. It may be that at some point, after the death of Alice and Margaret’s mother in 1945, Alice and William took Margaret in and looked after her. Alice was 23 years older than her sister.
Alice Clay herself died in 1997 in Stoke-On-Trent.
