Died: Saturday 1 July 1916, aged 20.
at Lochnagar Crater, Battle of the Somme. [The first day of the Battle of the Somme**]
- Lest We Forget -
** "Of the 750 Cambridgeshire men of the 11th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment who climbed out of their trenches at 7.30am on that 1st July, no less than 691 were killed or wounded on that awful day...."
"Out of the 110,000 British soldiers approaching through No Man’s Land towards the German trenches, some 60,000 were killed or wounded that day alone - the single heaviest day of casualties in British military history."
Lance Corporal William Wayman
William Wayman was the eldest son of Walter and Annie Elizabeth Wayman of New Wimpole,
Cambridgeshire.
Born: May 1896, New Wimpole, Cambridgeshire.
Baptised: 24 May 1896, St Andrew's Parish Church, Wimpole.
Enlisted: At Cambridge on the 8th September 1914.
Regiment: 11th Battalion,
Suffolk Regiment, a service battalion known as the 'Cambs/Suffolks' or the 'Cambridge Pals'.
Theatre of War: France and Flanders.
Died: Saturday 1 July 1916, aged 20.
How died: Killed in Action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme by the Lochnagar Crater near La Boisselle, France. (See description below)
Where Buried: No known grave.
Commemorated: Pier and Face
1C and 2A on the Thiepval Memorial in France.
William was the oldest son of Walter and Annie Elizabeth Wayman (née Hurst) of New Wimpole,
Cambridgeshire. In this c1911 image, William is standing in the back row,
second
from left. This photograph was taken at the side of the Wayman's house in
New Wimpole (now No 68 Cambridge Road, Wimpole).
Photograph courtesy of Brenda and Michael Skinner (2002).
1911 Census(Wayman Family, 2 April 1911)
Walter Wayman, b1875
Head
M
M
Horse Keeper on Farm, aged 36
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Elizabeth Annie Wayman, b1873
Wife
F
M
Aged 38
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
William Wayman, b1896
Son
M
Farm Labourer, aged 14
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
George Wayman, 1898
Son
M
School, aged 12
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Walter Wayman, b1900
Son
M
School, aged 10
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Albert Wayman, b1902
Son
M
School, aged 8
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Agnes Hannah Wayman, b1905
Daughter
F
School, aged 6
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Mabel Annie Wayman, b1907
Daughter
F
Aged 4
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Ethel Mary Wayman, b1908
Daughter
F
Aged 2
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Commemorative Postcard 1916 "Herts and Cambs Reporter, October th 1916"
"Lance Corporal William Wayman, of the Suffolk Regiment, eldest son of Mr and Mrs W Wayman of Wimpole, was killed in action on July 1st. Lance Corporal Wayman (aged 20 years), was one of the first of the Wimpole lads to respond to the call, and with his chum Private Frank Skinner joined on the 8th September, 1914. He went out to the Front on January 8th, 1916, and was killed on July 1st, the same day as his chum Private Skinner. Before the war he was employed by Mr Anthony, of Thornbury Hill Farm, Wimpole. He came home for short leave on June 12th, 1916, returning on June 18th."
Lance Corporal William Wayman
"Lance Corporal William Wayman was a member of the 11th Suffolks, which was a service battalion known as the 'Cambs/Suffolks' or the 'Cambridge Pals'. At the outbreak of the war, men of the County enlisting for Infantry were sent to the Suffolk Regiment Depot at Bury St Edmunds.
Battle of the Somme - July 1916
"The plan was for the British forces to attack on a fourteen-mile front after an intense week-long artillery bombardment of the German positions. Over 1.6 million shells were fired, 70 for every one metre of front, the idea being to decimate the German Front Line. Two minutes before zero-hour, 19 mines were exploded under the German lines. Whistles sounded and the troops went over the top at 7.30am. They advanced in lines at a slow, steady pace across No Man's Land towards then German front line."
Objective 9 – La Boisselle and Lochnagar – The Somme
"Lance Corporal William Wayman and the 11th Suffolks were assigned Objective 9, an attack on the village of La Boisselle. The village of La Boisselle was of huge strategic importance as it would open up the road to Bapaume.
"Rather than try a head-on attack at the village, the Allies decided to attack either side. As part of this offensive they set off two huge mines, one near the road at the side of the village (18,000 kg) and one at Lochnagar, the biggest mine set off that day (28,000 kg). As the shelling stopped the mines were blown at 7.28am. At 7.30am the soldiers went over the top.
"Three battalions, including the 11th Suffolks, attacked the eastern lip of Lochnagar crater and the east side of 'Sausage Valley'. William Wayman and The Suffolks were in the second line of trenches directly opposite Lochnagar Crater.
"The Suffolks advanced under intense enemy machine gun fire from the rear of La Boisselle village and from two German strong points (known by the allies as 'Sausage Redoubt' and 'Scots Redoubt'). The Suffolk infantry pushed on to the German Lines trying to fight their way into 'Sausage Redoubt', only to be met by flame throwers as they reached the German parapet.
"The remaining Suffolks merged with the 27th Tyneside Irish on their right and managed to attack and seize 'Scots Redoubt', which was a major achievement given the events of the day.
"The casualties at La Boisselle on the 1st July were the highest casualty rate of the day with over 6,380 officers and men either killed or wounded. Of these 2,267 were dead, among them William Wayman. Eighty-five per cent of the 1927 soldiers who died on this battlefield are 'unknown soldiers' and have no known grave."
Lance Corporal William Wayman
Commemorated on Pier and Face
1C and 2A.
Thiepval Memorial, Picardy, France
On the high ground overlooking the Ancre River in France, where some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place, stands the Thiepval Memorial. Towering over 45 metres in height, it dominates the landscape for miles around. It is the largest Commonwealth memorial to the missing in the world.
The memorial commemorates more than 72,000 men of British and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave, the majority of whom died during the Somme offensive of 1916.
