Sergeant William Robert Worth
William Robert Worth was born on 7 April 1889 at Wimbledon, Surrey, the third of seven children of registration clerk Edward James Worth and his wife Mary Anne (nee Spong). Educated at the Licensed Victuallers School in Lambeth, London, by 1911 he was living with his parents and four brothers at 15 Montagu Road, Wimbledon, and working as a licensed victualler manager.
It appears that on the outbreak of war he was living in Ireland with his younger brother Harold Francis Worth, and working as a hotel manager. On 19 February 1915 they enlisted in the North Irish Horse at Antrim – William was issued regimental number 1452.
The brothers embarked for France on 17 November 1915 with F Squadron.
On 9 February 1917 Worth was attached to the Machine Gun Corps (Heavy Branch) – the predecessor to the Tank Corps – as a fitter. He was transferred to that regiment on 23 March (backdated to 10 February) (No.77167), thus becoming the fifth rank-and-file North Irish Horseman to join a tank regiment.
On 26 October 1918 Worth was promoted to sergeant. He returned to the UK on 23 May 1919 and was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 21 June.
After the war he returned to England and to his work as a licensed victualler manager. On 30 March 1925 he married widow Elsie Gertrude Grinham (nee Randle) at Thornton Heath, Surrey. He died at his home, 2 Grove Road, Richmond, Surrey, on 26 June 1960.
In addition to Harold, at least one other of Worth's five brothers served in the war – German Bertram Worth served briefly in the Middlesex Regiment, and later in the Royal Irish Rifles.