Private W. H. Dear Service number D/28682 
Regiment Sussex Yeomanry 2nd/1st
Date of birth 20th June 1900
Date of death 16th December 1918
Age at death 18 years
His Story
DEAR, Henry William. 1900-1918 Boyle, Ireland
Born on 29th June 1900 at 106 Hare Street, Bethnal Green to Charles Dear and his wife Eliza Rebecca nee Hogan and baptised at Christ Church, Spitalfields later the same year on 7th September.
In 1911 the family were living at 26 Cudworth Street, Bethnal Green. The parents had been married 12 years and had had 8 children although one had died before the census was taken on 2nd April 1911. However they have included the name of their dead child, Frederick aged 3 months on the form revealing he was a twin with his 3 month old brother Thomas.
William Henry joined the Sussex Yeomanry as Private D/28682. His unit, the 2nd/1st Sussex Yeomanry became the 5th Cyclist Brigade in July 1916 but by November had amalgamated with the 21st Surrey Yeomanry to form the 8th (Surrey and Sussex) Yeomanry Regiment. Early in 1917 the Regiment resumed their original identity but remained in the 3rd Cyclist Brigade and had been sent to Ireland and it is there that 18 year old William died on 16th December 1918 . He had had pneumonia for 10 days and influenza and his death was registered on 17th December by Corporal Revington, who was present at the death at Boyle, Co. Roscommon.