Remembrance - The Yorkshire Regiment, First World War Lieutenant William Percy ORDE-POWLETT Close window to return to main page

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Lieutenant William Percy ORDE-POWLETT.

4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment. Son of Hon. A. and Mrs. Orde-Powlett, now 5th Baron Bolton and Lady Bolton, of Bolton Hall, Leyburn, Yorks. Killed on 17 May 1915. Aged 21.
Commemorated Panel 33, YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL.

A painting of William Percy Orde-Powlett, made in 1915, is held by the Green Howards Museum. Select the image above for a view of this painting.

The following biographical information is taken from Robert Coulson's Biographies of Yorkshire Regiment Officers in the First World War;-
"William Orde-Powlett was born on April 7th 1894.
He was educated at Eton from 1908 to 1913 followed by Trinity College at Cambridge where his main interests were science and biology.
He joined the 4th Battalion as a 2nd Lieutenant in September of 1914 and arrived with the battalion at Boulogne on April 18th 1915.
They were sent straight up to the Ypres Salient and on April 24th were involved in the Battle of St Julien suffering heavy losses at Fortuin.
From May 9th to the 12th 2nd Lt Orde-Powlett and his men were in reserve trenches at Brandhoek and on May 15th went back into the line attached to a cavalry brigade on the railway embankment outside Ypres.
2nd Lt William Percy Orde-Powlett was killed in action close to Bellewaarde Lake on May 17th 1915 at the age of 21.
2nd Lt Orde-Powlett was the eldest son of William George Algar Orde-Powlett MP, now the 5th Baron Bolton and Lady Bolton of Wensley Hall near Leyburn in Yorkshire."

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