Have You a Tiger In Your Family?

Rank : Lieutenant

Unit : 3rd Bn

Biography :

A native of Bristol and educated at Clifton College, William Yalland was commissioned 2Lt in 3rd Bn The Leicestershire Regiment on 24.12.1910. He was member of Clifton RFC 1910-11. Transferred to The Gloucestershire Regiment on 3.12.1912, and while serving in its 1st Bn he was Killed in Action 23.10.1914 at Langemarke, Flanders. Commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Brother of Major R R Yalland DSO of the Regiment.

From the Gloucester Cricket Club:

Bristol born William Stanley Yalland was one of the many local club cricketers given an opportunity to try their hand with the County XI. Born on 27th June 1889, Yalland was a good sportsman playing Rugby for the Clifton Club and cricket for the Downend Club as a teenager. On the back of good performances for an eleven put together by G.L. Jessop to play a team captained by Sammy Woods - which included the wonderfully named Indians Prince Kumar Hitendra Singh Narayan and Manek Palon Bajana - in which he “made a wonderfully fine catch and batted with great promise,” Yalland was selected to play against Somerset in the Bank Holiday match at Bristol in August 1913. In a rain affected match he batted once and scored just one run. Of his performance, the Western Daily Press commented that it was “hard to see upon what ground he was given preference in the team to Huggins who was left out at a late hour.” Possibly the fact that with Yalland being an amateur, there would be one less professional to pay might have had a bearing.

Prior to this he had joined the Army and in February 1912 he had gained a commission with the 3rd Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment (“The Tigers”); he was transferred in 1914 to the Gloucestershire Regiment. The ‘Gloucesters’ were one of the early regiments to be sent to France and they were involved in what became known as the First Battle of Ypres. One of the platoons under the command of Yalland was ordered to re-take trenches that had previously been lost to the Germans which they did, but at the cost of a number of lives; one of whom was Yalland who died on 23rd October 1914.

A private soldier in the regiment wrote home that “One of our platoons under the command of Lieutenant Yalland was caught while going across to take up a position by the enemy’s cross-fire from machine-guns. The officer commanding and a large number of the men were killed. Colonel Lovett afterwards told us that this platoon had acted very bravely and was a credit to the regiment.”

A fellow officer later wrote to Thomas Yalland, William’s father, that “He died very gallantly. The platoon at considerable loss drove the Germans back …. It saved the situation as [they] would undoubtedly have broken through the line.”

Date of Birth : 27.6.1889

Place of Birth : Fishponds, Bristol

Date of Death : 23.10.1914

Place of Death : Langemarke, Flanders

Period of Service : 1910-15

Conflicts : WW1

Places Served : Flanders