Lives of the First World War

known 9th October 1914

It is with deep regret that we record the death of Major William Henry Abell of the 4th Middlesex Regiment, husband of Mrs. Abell, of Leamington. Major Abell's marriage to Miss Lilian Hassall, second daughter of Mr. J. Wright Hassall, took place nine years ago, and when the gallant officer left Devonport for the Front, early in August, Mrs. Abell returned to Leamington with her children, a girl and a boy aged eight and five years respectively. It will be remembered that in our issue of the 11th ult. we stated that Major Abell had been wounded while serving with the Expeditionary Force; but last Friday the sad news that he had been killed in action at Obourg, near Mons (presumably on August 23rd) was conveyed to Mrs. Abell in a letter from the War Office. Major Abell was the second son of the late Mr. Martin Abell, of Norton Hall, Worcester, a gentleman whose connection with Lloyds Bank made him well-known in our own locality, and he was related to Mr. Martin Abell, of Long Itchington. He was born on September 20th, 1873, and from the Militia was transferred to the Middlesex Regiment on December 9th 1896. He was gazetted lieutenant on October 9th, 1899 on the outbreak of the South African War - through which he served - and was promoted captain on December 15th, 1900, attaining the rank of major on September 28th, 1912. He received the Queen's Medal for services in the South African War, and was at St. Helena when the Boer prisoners were quartered there. From September 1907, to March 1910, he was Territorial Adjutant, and at the last military training he was on the umpires' staff.

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