This man is a candidate for addition to Keighley's Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024, the centenary of the original roll of honour.
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Supported by the National Lottery's Heritage Fund, our project intends to submit about 120 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it's new names is planned for November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.

Private, 1st Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers). Service number 7516 and 203690. Previously 2nd Battalion, service number 6314.

Early life:

Thomas Green and Sarah Green née Brown were married at St. John's Church in Keighley on 27th June 1877.
In the 1891 census they were living at 11, Pickles Street in Keighley. Thomas was a joiner aged 36. Sarah was a year older and running the home. They had two boarders, George Brown a 31 year old iron moulder; and Mary A. Brown, a 26 year old worsted reeder.
William Foster Green was born on 4th July 1891 and baptised on 6th September that year, at St John's Church, Ingrow.
In the 1901 census, Thomas was still employed as a joiner and they were all still living at 11, Pickles Street. William was aged 9 years and at school, the nearest one to Pickles Street being Ingrow Council School.
In 1903 tragedy struck the family when Thomas died aged 49, leaving 50 year old Sarah on her own to look after William, who would have been about eleven years of age at the time.
She remarried in 1904, to Jabez Chatterton at Skipton and the marriage was registered at Skipton in the third quarter of the year.
In the 1911 census they were living at Highgate in Crosshills and William was 19 and a packer for a textile machine making company which we are reasonably sure was Prince Smith and Son Ltd. Jabez was a mason's labourer in the building trade and the census records they'd been married for six years. William was a well known sportsman and a prominent member of the Glusburn Football Club and the Glusburn Institute Cricket Club. He was still living at Glusburn at the outbreak of war.

War service:

Some time later sees William marrying Ellen Kime at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on William Street in Woolwich in London on the 24th September 1916. He's 25 and a Private in the Royal Fusiliers with (mechanic) beneath this, suggesting that was his civilian trade prior to enlisting. Ellen was 24 and a spinster and they were already living together at 21/23 Elizabeth Street, North Woolwich.

There are no Army service records for William but the newspaper account after his death states he was employed by the Woolwich Arsenal when he enlisted with the 2nd London Regiment, service no. 6314, at East Ham in London. He was later transferred the 1st Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) with service number 7516 and he entered France with this number on 26th September 1916. His service number changed to 203690 and this was likely to be when the Army re-ordered the service numbers in 1917. William was killed in action as 203690 on 9th April 1917, still serving with the 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.

WO-95-2207-2_03 17th Infantry Brigade, 24th Division. Diary entries for early April 1917:

4th. Ablain St. Nazaire.
Relieved 7th Northamptons in Brigade Support to 73rd I.B. "A" Company in Dug-out Lane and Ablain. "B" Company Maistre Line & Ablain. "C" Company Ablain Lane & Lorrette Support. "D" Trench North East of Sugar Refinery. Relief complete at 11.30 pm. Casualties: Killed: Other ranks - 1. Battalion Headquarters in Ablain St. Nazaire.
5th.
Good deal of artillery activity on both sides. Enemy sent a large number of 5-9's into Ablain and vicinity searching for our heavy batteries which are very numerous South of Lorette Spur. Casualties, wounded: Other Ranks - 1.
6th. 200 men with proportion of officers and Ncos found for carrying parties for front line etc. Still a lot of artillery activity on both sides. Boche put up heavy barrage of gas & shrapnel shells in SOUCHEZ Valley as usual, Boche was searching for batteries near Ablain.
Casualties, killed Other ranks - 1. Wounded other ranks - 3. 2nd Lieutenant W. B. A. Pickup to 17th Light Trench Mortar for attachment.
7th. Usual number of working parties. Preparatory bombardments of various parts of enemy line, goes on day and night. Not too heavy though. Enemy retaliates and endeavours to knock out our batteries, with little success.
Casualties, wounded other ranks - 3. Reinforcement, other ranks - 14.
8th. Carrying parties of 5 officers and 200 other ranks. "D" Company who are situated in trenches near one of our 18 pounder batteries, had several dug-outs crumped in from enemy retaliation, several men were buried by a direct hit on one of their dug-outs, these men were badly knocked about. "D" move into Bajolle Line. Casualties, killed: Other ranks - 4. Missing (believed killed) Other ranks - 1. Wounded - Other Ranks - 3.
9th. 5.30 am:
Our barrage opens on enemy line, and attack on Vimy Ridge by Canadian Corps commenced. Terrific bombardment by our guns for about 40 minutes. Very little retaliation from the enemy. Desultory shelling went on throughout day, little damage being done to Brigade Support lines and batteries around Ablain.
All objectives reported gained by Canadian Corps who have penetrated to 3rd line of enemy positions. 2076 prisoners taken and over 100 machine guns. Corps on right of Canadians also attacked succesfully and report of 200 prisoners.
Large amount of movement reported behind enemy lines, counter attack expected, by Prussian Guards who are reported to be at DOUAI. Later unofficial reports states 10,000 prisoners have been camptured in operations on 1st & 3rd Army fronts with 16 guns and hundreds of machine guns. Quiet night. no enemy attacks took place. Weather very cold. Casualties wounded: Other ranks - 1.
10th:
Carrying parties for ammunition to front line. Good deal of snow has fallen. Casualties, killed: Other ranks - 1. Wounded: Other ranks - 1.

Please note:

The pattern of deaths does not match the Commonwealth War Graves Commission record. For the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers, the CWGC record has 7 men killed on the 7th April, no men killed on the 8th April and 14 men killed on the 9th and none after that period. According to the Battalion war diary, nobody from this battalion was killed on the 9th.
Perhaps there was a simple delay in reporting and he was one of the men killed on the 8th when the dug-out was hit, killing four men. Adding to this the man who was killed on the 10th plus some of those reported missing in this period turning out to be dead, and some of the wounded died of their wounds at this time whilst away being treated with their deaths not being reported in the 1st Battalion war diary. This is further complicated when their graves were obliterated in later fighting and many of their graves were lost, resulting in the men's names being added to memorial panels in London Cemetery.

West Yorkshire Pioneer, 11th May 1917. GLUSBURN:

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Chatterton have received information regarding the death of Private. Foster Green, of the London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers. Private Green resided at Glusburn at the outbreak of war, with his mother, Mrs. J. Chatterton. He was very well-known, being a prominent member of the Glusburn Football Club and the Glusburn Institute Cricket Club. Prior to leaving the district he was employed at Messrs. Prince Smith and Son, Keighley, and at the time of joining the forces he was employed at the Woolwich Arsenal and resided in London.

William was buried at Wancourt Road Cemetery. This cemetery along with three others, was destroyed in later battles and the precise positions of the graves were lost. William's name is on one of four memorial panels at London Cemetery, Neuville-Vitass and this panel is named: Wancourt Road Cemetery. Memorial No. 2, Panel 3. The personal inscription from Ellen was: 'He Died Nobly Doing His Duty.'

Post war:

Ellen received William's outstanding Army pay on £4 19s 2d on 11th August 1917. She also received a war gratuity of £3 10s on 24th October 1919.
She would also have received his personal effects and service medals which were the British War Medal and Victory Medal and also the bronze memorial plaque and memorial scroll inscribed with his name. These usually arrived in early 1920.

In 1921, Ellen appears to have married Thomas Duffy with their marriage registered at Woolwich in London in the third quarter of the year.

She was living at 27, Charter Street in Gillingham, Kent when she completed the next of kin report form as Mrs. E. Duffy after the war.

The pension record cards indicate that a dependants pension was paid to Mrs. Sarah Chatterton (William's mother) who was living at 21, Elizabeth Street, North Woolwich in London. This suggests she was living with or next door to Ellen at the time who was living at 23, Elizabeth Street. The pension amount appears to be for 20 shillings and was paid from 10th July 1923 and ending on 28th July 1924.

William is named on local war memorials at Crosshills and Kildwick.

Information sources:

West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
1891 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
West Yorkshire, Non-Conformist Records, 1646-1985
1901 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
1911 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
London, England, Non-conformist Registers, 1694-1931
West Yorkshire Pioneer
Craven's Part in the Great War
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
National Library of Scotland mapping service
National Archives British Army war diaries