See also
Frank Leslie John Wakefield
Name:
Frank Leslie John Wakefield1
Sex:
Male
Father:
Mother:
1899, Register Entry for Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield
1914-1918, WWI Medal Card for Frank L J Wakefield
Birth:
5 Jan 1899
Address: 24 St Gabriel Street
As he was baptised only a month after he was born it is assumed that he was born at the address given in the Baptismal Register.
Baptism:
1 Feb 1899 (age 0)
St Mary's Church4
Address: Newington, London
His parents would have been present but who else is not known. It is surprising to see that Frank was baptised as his parents were married in the Bristol Register Office on 28 Aug 1879.
Census (living with parents):
31 Mar 1901 (age 2)
1901 Census - living with parents
Sister's marriage:
12 May 1907 (age 8)
Marriage of sister Amy to John Wallace
Census (living with mother):
2 Apr 1911 (age 12)
1911 Census. Living with mother
Military Service:
frm 2 Dec 1916 to 20 Dec 1918 (age 17-19)
His medal card shows that he was awarded the Victory and British medals which meant that he served in an operational theatre. He was not awarded the 1914/15 Star which indicates that he enlisted after 31 December 1915. He was also awarded the Silver War Badge (SWB) which was issued to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness. His great niece Pat Ward (née Wallace) heard that he had been struck across the mouth with a rifle butt but was not sure whether this was during hand-to-hand fighting or after being captured. His SWB entry shows that he was wounded but does not give details of his wounds. It also gives the date of his enlistment and discharge.
The SWB which was a sterling silver lapel badge was intended to be worn in civilian clothes. It had been the practice of some women to present white feathers to apparently able-bodied young men who were not wearing the King's uniform. The badge was to be worn on the right breast while in civilian dress, it was forbidden to wear on a military uniform. The badge bears the royal cipher of GRI (for Georgius Rex Imperator; George, King and Emperor) and around the rim "For King and Empire; Services Rendered". Each badge was uniquely numbered on the reverse. The War Office made it known that they would not replace Silver War Badges if they went missing, however if one was handed into a police station then it would be returned to the War Office. If the original recipient could be traced at his or her discharge address then the badge would be returned. The whereabouts of Frank's medals and badge is not known.
Census (living with mother):
19 Jun 1921 (age 22)
1921 Census. Living with mother
Register (living with brother):
29 Sep 1939 (age 40)
1939 Register - Living with brother Albert7
Death:
3 Dec 1941 (age 42)
Cause: drowning
An open verdict on his death was returned by Mr W. E. J. Major Coroner for the City of Plymouth after an inquest held on 19 December 1941, remarking that there was no evidence to show whether it was an accident or a case of suicide. However, his family always thought that it was suicide because he suffered from bouts of depression and he was buried in unconsecrated ground.
After his death his wife Dora seems to have moved away from Plymouth and lost contact with the Wakefield family as she did not attend, or send a floral tribute to, her sister-in-law's (Amy Waring's) funeral on 24 September 1956. She never remarried and died in the Forest of Dean in 1969.
Burial:
1941
Devon13
The location of the grave is unknown but would not have been in consecrated ground as he committed suicide which probably accounts for the rather anonymous inscription which reads "To our Frank from all who loved him". Whether there was any form of service at the committal is unknown but it would almost certainly have been attended by his wife Dora, his daughter Barbara, and any of his siblings who were living in the Plymouth area at the time.
Daughter: Barbara M. Wakefield, 1933, age 1
Spouse:
Children:
Marriage:
1925 (age 25-26)
Islington, London14
Register Entry for Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield, (1 Feb 1899). Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield (505)ForenameFrank Leslie John WakefieldFather's NameHenry James WakefieldMother's NameEliza Emily Wakefield. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: Registers.
General Register Office, Civil Registration Index (England & Wales) for Birth of Frank Leslie J. Wakefield, (Period, Jan-Mar 1899). Custom Id: Births St Saviour, Southwark Vol. 1c, Page 180; Cit. Date: Q4 1925. General Register Office. Call Number: Births.
Register Entry for Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield, (1 Feb 1899). Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield (505)CountyLondonPlaceNewingtonDate of Birth5 Jan 1899ForenameLeslie John WakefieldFather's NameHenry James WakefieldMother's NameEliza Emily WakefieldAbode24 St Gabriel Street. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: Registers.
Ibid. Baptism of Frank Leslie John Wakefield (505)CountyLondonPlaceNewingtonChurchSt MaryDenominationC of EDate of Baptism1 Feb 1899ForenameLeslie John WakefieldFather's NameHenry James WakefieldMother's NameEliza Emily WakefieldAbode24 St Gabriel StreetPerformed byG. W. Morrison. London Metropolitan Archives. Call Number: Registers.
Army, WWI Medal Card for Frank L. J. Wakefield, (On request to the National Archives). Cit. Date: from 1914 to 1918. National Archives. Call Number: Medal Cards.
War Office, Silver War Badge for Frank L. J. Wakefield, (Ancestry website). Custom Id: B71487; Cit. Date: 4 January 1919. National Archives.
1939 Register: Albert Wakefield, 29 September 1939, National Archives.
Death certificate of Frank Leslie John Wakefield, 3 December 1941, Pat Ward.
General Register Office, Civil Registration Index (England & Wales) for Death of Frank L.J. Wakefield, (Ancestry website). Custom Id: Deaths 1941 Q4 Plymouth Vol. 5b, Page 582; Cit. Date: Q4 1941. General Register Office. Call Number: Deaths.
News item in Western Morning News, Page 3 Column 7, Plymouth, 20 December 1941, British Newspaper Library.
News item in Western Times, Page 2 Column 4, Plymouth, 24 December 1941, British Newspaper Library.
Funeral Director, Floral Tributes - Sacred to the Memory of Amy Winifred Waring. Floral tributes at Amy Waring's funeral on 24 Sep 1956 in Plymouth. Cit. Date: 24 September 1956. Madeline Blackham.
Monumental Inscription for Burial of Frank Wakefield, Family Info: Frank Wakefield. The inscription reads "To our Frank from all who loved him". Pat Ward.
General Register Office, Civil Registration Index (England & Wales) for Marriage of Frank L. J. Wakefield and Dora K. Johnson, (Period, Oct-Dec 1925). Custom Id: Marriages Islington Vol. 1b, Page 583; Cit. Date: Q4 1925. General Register Office. Call Number: Marriages.