William John Edward Peacock was born on 18 February 1914 at 7 Little Essex Street, Shoreditch according to his birth certificate, the son of William John Edward Peacock and Catherine Peacock née McCarthy (1878-1945), On 19 March 1914 he was baptised at St Columba's Church, Haggerston. The baptismal register confirms that they were still residing at 7 Little Essex Street and that his father was a dock labourer.
Electoral registers from 1933 to 1939 show his mother listed at 58 Westmoreland Place, Hoxton and upon turning 21 years in 1935 he too is shown on these registers until 1939 at the same address.
In the 3rd quarter of 1939 he married Clara Alice Tower (1909-1944) in the Islington registration district and in the 1939 England and Wales Register they are listed at 33 Elmore Street, Islington. His occupation was given as a factory stoker whilst his wife was a rubber toy buffer. They later moved to 16 Hollingsworth Street, London, N7.
He died, aged 30 years, on 26 December 1944, as a result of enemy action when a V2 rocket exploded in Mackenzie Road, Holloway, at 9.26pm, killing 73 people. He was at the time in the Prince of Wales public house with his wife and members of her family. Those killed included his wife, his mother-in-law Louisa Tower née Lilley (1872-1944), his sister-in-law Maud Violet Hopwood née Tower (1900-1944), his brother-in-law Frank John Hopwood (1898-1944), his nephews Frank John Hopwood (junior) (1922-1944), George L. Hopwood (1922-1944) and his niece Joyce Violet Hopwood (1926-1944). They had been celebrating the engagement of his nephew Frank John Hopwood, a Royal Marine, service number CH/X 107961 serving on HMS Quebec, to Emy Neighbour. They were all buried together in a communal grave of thirteen people in Grave 17535Z on 6 January 1945 in the Islington and St Pancras Cemetery, 278 High Rd, London N2 9AG.
He is also commemorated in the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour 1939-1945 located just outside the St George's Chapel at the west end of Westminster Abbey.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
