Cram, William Anderson

Rank

Private, 5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles.
Service Number

136591
Born

18th August 1891 at North Queensferry
Parents

William and Helen Cram (nee Bett), Beamer Cottage, North Queensferry
Date of death

1st October 1916 (Aged 25)
Grave

Has no known grave
Other Memorials

Inverkeithing Memorial.
Vimy Memorial, France.
Scottish National War Memorial (Edinburgh Castle.)


Other Information

Emigrated to Canada in 1913 and worked as a Labourer. Enlisted: at Toronto, 25th November 1915.

He was 5ft 6in tall with blue eyes and brown hair.
Census 1901 at West Sands, North Queensferry, William Cram (9) born North Queensferry, scholar, son of William (45) mason and Helen. There were also his four sisters.
Census 1911 there is a Cram family, William (56) born North Queensferry, mason and Helen (50) and daughters at Main Street, Davidson’s Buildings.

William Cram was born in North Queensferry on the 18th August 1891.
William had immigrated to Canada prior to the war and his attestation papers show that he was working as a Labourer when he enlisted on the 25th November 1915. His address was 44 Fenning Street, in Toronto.

In October 1916 his battalion was in the Battle of the Somme. The battalion was part of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade which had Regina Trench as its objective on Sunday 1st October 1916.

The Canadian Corps had been attacking in this sector since 15th September and would ultimately take 24,000 casualties during this phase of the battle.

William served in A Company, which was the leading company to attack Regina Trench – Zero hour being 03:15.
The war diary records that the company suffered many casualties during the advance from machine gun and rifle fire. William was one of his battalion’s 224 casualties. They did, however, capture the German first line trench which was described as “Pretty well blown in”.

Cram memoria
W.A Cram on Vimy Memorial
Cram newspaper cutting
Toronto Star report

Sources

Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Scottish National War Memorial (Edinburgh Castle.)
Scottish War Memorials Project.
Census 1901, 1911.
www.canadiangreatwarproject.com
Mairi Davies (Great-grandniece)
Alex Morris


Here dead we lie, Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land, From which we sprung.

Life, to be sure, Is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is, And we were young.

[Here Dead We Lie, A.E. Housman]

When You Go Home,
Tell Them Of Us And Say,

For Your Tomorrow,
We gave our Today

[Kohima, attributed to John Maxwell Edmonds]
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