William Green

William Green was born in Hatton on 18th August 1890, the son of Emma Green, who was also born in the village.

In 1891, seven-month old William was living at Factory Yard in Hatton with his mother and his siblings Thomas (11) and Annie (4). His mother was a charwoman.

Ten years later he was still living with his mother and sister Annie in Factory Yard. Thomas had left home by now and Emma was continuing to work as a charwoman.

By the age of 20, in 1911, William and the family were in Factory Yard and he was working as a domestic gardener. Subsequently he worked at Bank Quay Station in Warrington. He was a member of St. Luke’s choir in Hatton and played football for Walton Club in the Warrington and District League. He also enjoyed playing billiards.

The Daresbury Roll of Honour in 1915 records him as having enlisted to fight in the Great War. He was one of the first men in the village to volunteer, joining the Rifle Brigade as a private/rifleman with the service number 5543. William served in the 10th, 2nd, 3rd and 11th Battalions. The Warrington Guardian (dated 8th December 1917) showed him as having been wounded, but it was not clear how or in which theatre of war. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in the Great War.

William appeared on the Hatton electoral roll for 1918 and early 1919 as an absent voter, but by the summer of 1919 he had returned to Hatton and married Caroline Gertrude Davies (born Runcorn) at Daresbury church on 26th June of that year. Their sons William Leslie and Thomas Stanley were born in 1920 and 1923, followed by George Alan, Constance A. and John Reginald in 1927, 1928 and 1933 respectively. The family continued to reside at Factory Yard.

The 1939 Register showed William and his family residing at Factory Yard. His sister Annie was also living with them. William was a process worker for a soap powder manufacturer, William Leslie was a precision file and tool grinder and Thomas Stanley was a file etcher. The company of Stubbs, making files, was located in Warrington. There were also three younger children at home.

William Green died on 16th February 1971, Caroline having passed away in 1960. He was 80 years of age.