ADDITIONAL FAMILY INFORMATION - William's elder brother Bombardier Thomas Twycross (6622) of the Royal Field Artillery (Glasgow Battalion) was wounded and in Hospital in France at the time of his death. His Grandfather Thomas Twycross was a veteran of the Crimean War (1854-1855) and the Indian Mutiny (1857). A huge thank you to William's nephew James Twycross for additional family information. The "Deal" Battalion were part of the Royal Marine Brigade, Royal Naval Division. They joined the Brigade on the 31/08/1914, left on the 12/03/1915, re-joined on the 30/05/1915, amalgamated and left for 1st Brigade on the 02/08/1915. On the 11/03/1915 the "Portsmouth" Battalion arrived at Lemnos from England onboard the "Gloucester Castle" and the "Deal" Battalion arrived onboard the "Alnwick Castle". On the 29th April "Deal" and "Nelson" Battalions together with Brigade Headquarters land at Anzac cove in the evening and move up through Shrapnel Gully to the forward defences. From Private Joseph Clements of the Machine Gun Section, "Deal" Battalion - "As the summer went on water points were organised and we used to take it in turn to fetch it back in a bucket. One day while I was out the Turks opened up on our Reserve Trench and finally they dropped a shell on my Machine Gun Post killing my number 2 Jock Twycross and wounded 4 or 5 nearby. That could easily have been me. I was sorry to lose him because we had shared a lot together but then that is War". A huge thank you to David Lawson for family information and letters and photos regarding William. See photos for David's story of researching this brave young man. William was a member and Sergeant in the St. John's Episcopal Church Lads Brigade for 5 years winning the long service medal and is listed on the St. John's Church Roll of Honour (see photos). William's chum, James Wotherspoon from Gartsherrie wrote a poem on the 1st Anniversary of William's death. William is also remembered at the Family Plot in New Monkland Cemetery (see photos). See Newspaper clippings for a mention of William's elder brother Thomas, for a poem written by William's Coatbridge friend and comrade Private James Wotherspoon in memory of him and for Mr Ronald S H Colts' reference to William in his sermon. William's name on the Helles Memorial kindly donated by Mick McCann at the British War Graves website who supply photos FREE OF CHARGE
here. See photos for William's Newspaper clippings x 6, his listing in the De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914-1919, his Naval Casualties Death Records 1914-1919, his Navy Service Register of Deaths 1915-1916, his Naval Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Helles Memorial Panel List and the Royal Marine Light Infantry Cap Badge. Also see photos for William's letter to his mother on the 10/09/1914 x 4, another photo of William, a card from the Royal Marine Light Infantry remembering this brave man, the 1911 Census Record and William's Pension Records x 2.
