William Henry Gladwin (known as Bill) was born in Malmesbury in 1883, the eldest of three children. His father died when Bill was a child and his mother married two years later. Her second husband was Albert Lea and they went on to have a further six children.
Bill was well known for playing his accordion, even taking it with him to the trenches of the First World War. One of the family stories is that along with entertaining his fellow soldiers, the German soldiers could also be heard singing along to his accordion.
Bill never married or had children, but was much loved by his large family, close to brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, which makes the circumstance of his burial so surprising and still the cause of a deep family sadness to this day.
Bill was struck by a bus and killed after coming out of Bright Street Club in Gorse Hill on February 19, 1954. His burial took place a few days later, attended by members of his family.
Bill was buried in a public grave. This burial is when a person has insufficient funds to pay for the cost of the funeral and the expense is met by the local authority.
Bill’s surviving family members still find the circumstances of his burial upsetting and surprising and have numerous questions that sadly remain unanswered. They wonder why the large extended family didn’t club together to cover the cost.
Bill left a will in which his effects were valued at £32 14s 9d.
Many thanks to Mandy who told this story on one of our cemetery walks.
Radnor Street Cemetery 