Private William Thomas Seales
2353 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment
Died 8th July 1915, aged 36
Lived at 21 Thompson Street, Padiham
Enlisted in Burnley
Buried in East Mudros Military Cemetery, Greece (plot II. A. 3).
Burnley Express 17/07/1915 - 24/07/1915

TERRITORIAL DANGEROUSLY ILL DISQUIETING TELEGRAM FOR PADIHAM WIFE (Burnley Express 17th July 1915)

On Monday evening Mrs Seales, of 21 Thompson Street, Padiham, received the following telegram from the Record Office at Preston:- “Regret to inform you No. 2353 Private William Thomas Seales, 5th East Lancashire Regiment, is dangerously ill, Alexandria, July 6th.” This was the first intimation Mrs Seales had received that her husband was really ill, though he had written previously to say that he had rheumatism, making light of it. He had never suffered from anything of this nature before leaving England. Private Seales is 36 years of age, and was employed at Higham Colliery. He joined the Territorial’s only the week before he set sail with them for Egypt, and had not been in the Army before. The friends of Mrs. Seales hope that before long she will receive news that her husband is making speedy progress toward recovery.

DIED FROM DISEASE NEWS OF PADIHAM TERRITORIAL (Burnley Express 24th July 1915)

The sad News was received by Mrs Seales, of 21 Thompson Street, Padiham, from the War Office on Wednesday that her husband, Private W. T. Seales (2353), 5th East Lancashire Territorial's, had died of Disease in hospital at Alexandria. The previous week, as previously reported in the ‘Express’, Mrs Seales received a telegram from the Record Office.

(Newspaper extracts courtesy of his Great-Grandaughter Julie Seales)