William
Robert
Nelson
Killed In Action
14 July 1917
“The Death Penny”
William was born in Belfast to his Liverpudlian father James, and mother Margaret Jane Flynn from Magheragall in Lisburn. The couple had 8 children, but James was widowed in 1900 when his wife died.
In 1901, the 8 siblings are listed as living with their 85 year old grandmother and uncle in Duncairn Gardens. The eldest sibling Margaret is listed as head of family.
James found a new wife Sara McCullough who he married in 1902 and William had a new stepmother.
William also found a wife, marrying Margaret in 1908, and the couple ca be found living in Dublin in 1911. This may be why some records list him as a Dublin born casualty of the war. However, his birth certificate shows that he was born in Dock Street, Belfast in 1881.
By the time war broke out, the couple were living in Seaview Street, Belfast.
William enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and he was 38 years old, when he was killed in action on 14 July 1917. He is remembered at Ypres Town Cemetery.