PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS WILLIAM HENRY STONE:148368
Royal Navy HMS Excellent
William was born in West Allington in January 1874. He was the eldest of six children born to William and Susan Stone and was their only son, followed by daughters, Lily, twins Emma and Florence, Primrose and Kate. Primrose died when she was fourteen.
William’s father – William senior – was employed as a fireman ‘to a factory engine.‘ He worked in a Iron Foundry, which, based on the location of the family home, was probably the Foundry at Grove Works, West Road.
William disappears off the records at the time of the 1901 census. The rest of this family were still at West Allington, but the sixteen-year-old William was not there. Later records show him as a member of the Royal Navy, so it would be reasonable to suspect that William had left home and ‘joined up.’ He did return to Bridport however, marrying Matilda Farr at the end of 1895 and they made their married home at 6 Bedford Place, just off Barrack Street .
His career in the Navy went well and by 1917 William had been promoted to Petty Officer, 1st Class, stationed at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth. This was a shore establishment sited on Whale Island and was the home of the Naval Gunnery School. By this time William was an experienced officer and he may have been involved in the training of new recruits.
He died here in 1917, aged 42. Not on active service, but from ‘disease’.
His body was brought back to Bridport under the care of his widow Matilda and William was interred at Bridport Cemetery.
The inscription on his headstone reads
‘THY WILL BE DONE’