CWGC thanks the Thiepval Database Project for this story. It summarises information held at the Thiepval Visitor Centre.
Douglas was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on 19th January 1895, one of the seven children of Edward St. John Theobald (an ironmonger) and Ellen Constance Theobald.
He enlisted at Norwich and went to France on 25th July 1915.
Douglas died on 19th July 1916, aged 21, during an attack on Delville Wood during the Battle of the Somme. The 8th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment (53rd Brigade, 18th Division) participated in a major attack to recapture Delville Wood from German forces, after the 1st South African Brigade was decimated holding the wood. The battalion successfully cleared their objective and held their positions under heavy bombardment until relieved on the night of 22–23 July. The action at Delville Wood was incredibly costly for the battalion, resulting in 293 casualties.
Among those casualties was Private, 13128, Douglas Theobald, 8th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment who has no known grave and is commemorated on Pier and face 1C of the Thiepval Memorial to The Missing on The Somme in France.
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