WILLIAM BISHOP HOOPER 1882-1916

William Bishop Hooper was the second of four children of Robert and Joanna (nee Bishop) Hooper. William was born in Shapwick in 1882.
His siblings were
– Edith M. born about 1881 in Shapwick
– Emmaline born about 1887 in Shapwick
– George Good born 8 September 1889.
Robert was born in Huntspill and Joanna in North Cadbury. They were married in 1879 and at the time of William’s birth the family were living in Shapwick where Robert was an ‘agricultural labourer’.
There is no record of William attending Ashcott School but the Admissions Log did not start until 1896 by which time William would have left education. He entered domestic service and in 1901 can be found as a ‘boy of all works – domestic’ working for a retired Bengal civil servant and his family in Weston-Super-Mare.
Fifteen years later on 8 December 1916, William, serving with the 2nd/4th Battalion,Somerset Light Infantry, died of disease in the military town of Dinapore, Bengal, India. He was 28 years old.
Although William was buried in the Dinapore No. 3 Cemetery, this along with many other military cemeteries in India could not be guaranteed to be cared for in perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Commission, therefore, erected the Madras 1914-1918 Memorial bearing more than 1000 names in the Madras War Cemetery in Chennai. William is commemorated on the Face 10 of the Memorial.
William was awarded the British War Medal.
Attachments – Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate
– Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Details

References – 1891 and 1901 Censuses
– World War 1 Medal Cards

 

GEORGE GOOD HOOPER

William’s younger brother George Good Hooper who served with the Somerset Light Infantry died one year later in France.
Details of George’s army service are recorded separately.
Cemetery Details
Cemetery: MADRAS 1914-1918 WAR MEMORIAL, CHENNAI
Country: India
Locality: unspecified
Visiting Information: The memorial stands in Madras War Cemetery. The cemetery is open daily, including Sundays (excluding public holidays) between 08:00am and 18:00pm. Outside of these times, access can be gained via two other gates which are always open as they lead to the resident manager’s living quarters within the cemetery.
Location Information: Madras War Cemetery is about 5 kilometres from the airport and 14 kilometres from the central railway station. The GST Road (Great Southern Trunk Road) leads from the airport past Trident Hotel to Kathipara roundabout. The way is via Mount Poonamall Road, passing at the foot of St. Thomas Mount. The cemetery can easily be located on the right hand side of the road 1 kilometre from St. Thomas Mount. From Madras Central Railway Station the route is up Mount Road (Anna Salai) and over the bridge which crosses the River Cooun. The route passes St. Mary’s Cemetery on Pallawan Road and is via LIC building (Life Insurance Corporation Building) situated on Mount Road, which leads to Anna Flyover and to Kathipara Junction.
Historical Information: The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL is situated at the rear of the cemetery. It bears the names of more than 1,000 servicemen who died during the First World War who lie in many civil and cantonment cemeteries* in various parts of India where it is not possible to maintain their graves in perpetuity. The memorial stands in MADRAS WAR CEMETERY which was created to receive Second World War graves from many civil and cantonment cemeteries in the south and east of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. The cemetery contains 856 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. * Agra Cantonment; Aligarh Civil; Allahabad New Cantonment; Arogyavaram Pothapole Union Mission Sanitorium; Bangalore Cantoment (Kulpully); Bangalore (Hosur Road); Bantra, Howrah; Bareilly; Barkacha Military Grave; Barrackpore New; Bellary Military; Benares Cantonment; Bettiah; Bezwada Eurpean; Bolarum Cavalry Barracks, Secunderbad; Calcutta (Entally); Calcutta (Lower Circular Road); Calicut New Beach; Cannanore General; Cawnpore Cantonment New; Chakrata; Chaubattia; Chikmagalur; Cuddapah European; Dehra Dun; Dinapore No 3; Dum Dum New; Fatehgarh Cantonment Open; Fyzabad Cantonment; Gaya New; Jamalpur Railway; Jhajha; Jhansi Cantonment; Kailana, Chakrata; Kala Khan, Naini Tal; Kataphar New, Jalapahar; Kharagpur; Kohima; Kotwa Military Grave; Kydganj New, Allahabad; Landour General; Lebong Cantonment; Lucknow Cantonment Military; Madras (Kilpauk); Madras (St
Andrew’s); Madras (St George’s) Cathedral; Madras (St Patrick’s); Madras Wesleyan; Madura R.C.; Malappuram (Christ Church); Mussoorie General; Muttra; Narayan Guda Hyderbad Government; Ootacamund (St Thomas); Poonamallee; Port Blair; Puri; Purna R.C.; Raichur Railway; Ramandrug; Rangamati; Rhanikhet New; Roorkee; Sadiya; Saharanpur; St Thomas’s Mount Church; Secunderbad; Secunderbad European R.C.; Shahjahanpur Cantontoment; Sillong; Tirurangadi; Trimulgherry Cantonment; Wellington Garrison.
No. of Identified Casualties: 1035
This figure includes Foreign and Non-World War graves in CWGC care

Casualty Details

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Name:	HOOPER
	WILLIAM BISHOP
Nationality:	United Kingdom
Rank:	Private
Regiment/Service:	Somerset Light Infantry
Unit Text:	2nd/4th Bn.
Age:	34
Date of Death:	08/12/1916
Service No:	5145
Additional information:	Son of Robert and Joanna Hooper, of 13, Branksome Avenue, Bath Rd., Bridgwater, Somerset. Buried in Dinapore No. 3 Cemetery.
Casualty Type:	Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:	Face 10.
Memorial:	MADRAS 1914-1918 WAR MEMORIAL, CHENNAI