Private William Thomas Staite was born in St Peters, Cheltenham on 4th January 1882, youngest son of George and Maria Staite of 36 Queen Street, Cheltenham. He had been a regular soldier in the Royal Marine Light Infantry (R.M.L.I.), having seen ten years service prior to the outbreak of war, when he re-enlisted and went to Antwerp with the Royal Marine Brigade in October 1914. He was amongst those of the Brigade cut off in the city by the German advance and rather than surrender to German forces, crossed into Holland where he was interned. He made his escape from internment and returned to England from where he was sent with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to Gallipoli in 1915. After serving there for some months he fell ill and was evacuated to the island of West Mudros where he died of pneumonia in an Australian field hospital on 25th November. He is buried in Portianos Military Cemetery, Mudros.
