William Claude Haines (Burton-Haynes)

Pioneer William Claude Burton-Haynes (128212) of M Coy of the 3rd Special Battalion of the Royal Engineers died on 23 October 1916. He is buried at Dranoutre Military Cemetery.

He was the eldest son of Elizabeth Burton-Haynes of 23 Cedars Road and the late William Burton-Haynes. According to the genealogical research of his ancestor, Kathryn Lewis, his birth was registered in Eastbourne district in December 1896. However, the 1901 Census reveals that by the time William was four years of age the family had moved to 3 Lancaster Villas, Kingston Road, Hampton Wick. The family had moved to 17 Warwick Road by the time of the 1911 Census when William (now aged 14) is recorded as working as an “Office Boy (Engineers)”.

Pioneer William Claude Burton- Haynes (his name is apparently misspelt as “Burton-
Haines” on the Memorial) was, according to his obituary in The Surrey Comet dated [ ] 1916 the eldest son of Mrs Burton-Haynes, well known in the area for her work at the Baptist mission, of Inverin, Cedars Road, Hampton Wick. Pioneer Burton-Haynes was unfortunately a victim of “friendly fire”- having been accidentally shot through the head by a child whilst Burton-Haynes was in his billet in Belgium.