33549 Pte William Henry Spice, 1st East Surrey Regiment

William Spice and Richard Deane, both with Chailey connections, died this day in 1917. This is William Spice's story.

William Henry Spice does not appear in Chailey’s parish magazine but Soldiers Died in The Great War notes that he was born in “Chailey, Kent”. This is certainly an error and in all probability he was not born in Chailey. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Debt of Honour Register notes that he was the “Son of Mrs. W. Spice, of Gasometer House, Broadstairs, Kent.”

Soldiers Died notes that he was living in Broadstairs, Kent and enlisted at Canterbury and records him as 33549 Private William Henry Spice of the 1st East Surrey Regiment. He was killed in action in France and Flanders on 18th July 1917 aged 19 and is commemorated on bay six of the Arras Memorial, France.