2nd Lieutenant William Ranald Ware MCCARTHY
3rd Battalion Border Regiment attached to the 12th (Yeomanry) Battalion Norfolk Regiment

Date of birth: 31st August 1898
Date of death: 2nd November 1917

Killed in action aged 19
Buried at Gaza War Cemetery Plot XXIV Row A Grave 8
He was born at Ichang in China on the 31st of August 1898 the only child of Engineer Lieutenant William McCarthy RN, instructor at the Royal Naval College Osborne, of Woodside Cottage, New Barn Road, Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from May 1910 and at the King's School Canterbury from May 1912 to July 1914, during which time he played for the second teams at both cricket and rugby. He also spent two years with the Officer Training Corps and was a good athlete.

When war was declared in August 1914, instead of returning to school he enlisted as a Private in the Grenadier Guards, despite being only sixteen years old. After eight months in the ranks he was recommended for a commission by the Colonel of the Reserve Battalion.

On the 2nd of May 1915 he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion Border Regiment and after spending a year training in the UK during 1916, he was attached to the Norfolk Regiment and sent to Egypt.

He saw action at El Arish 23rd/24th December 1916, Rafa 9th of January 1917, Wadi Guzzeh and the First Battle of Gaza 26th to the 27th of March.

On the night of the 30th/31st of October 1917 the 12th Norfolks moved forward for an attack on the Turkish positions the following day. They had to cross the rock strewn Wadi Saba and then get into Wadi Sussex, all of which they managed to do without alerting the Turks despite the noise they made doing the manoeuvre. At daybreak the first wave of the attack moved forward and quickly encountered heavy shellfire. The first objective was quickly taken and they wheeled left to move against their next objective a position known as Z5. This they also took along with a few prisoners but the bulk of the Turks had abandoned their positions leaving a few snipers and machine guns behind to harass the British troops. The position was taken by midday and consolidated.

It was two days before the Norfolks continued the advance by which time William McCarthy had been killed leading his men to the attack.

His Colonel wrote:-

"He was killed at the head of men leading them into action at the capture of Gaza. Since he has been under my command I have always considered him to be a very promising officer and always ready to volunteer for any specially hazardous work in the field. Both officers and men deeply regret his loss."
 

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