Address: 2 Brunswick Place

His baptismal record gives his date of birth and the place his parents were living.

Address: Clifton, Bristol

His parents would have been present but who else is not known.

He probably started work as soon as he could leave school at the age of 14 in 1894 and continued until he enlisted in the Grenadier Guards

The first 2 years of his active service were spent at home - the 1901 Census indicated that at least part of this was at the New Windsor Barracks in Berkshire. (Was he employed on guard duties at Windsor Castle? His service record does not give this sort of detail.)

The final year was spent in South Africa where he fought in the South Africa Campaign (Boer War) and was awarded the South Africa Medal and two clasps - Cape Colony and South Africa 1902. He was not wounded.

He was awarded a penny a day good conduct pay after 2 years service.

Address: Victoria Barracks

His service in the reserves did not count towards an army pension.

Oral family history says that one of the Wakefield brothers emigated to America presmably with his wife and any children which they may have had. As William is the only brother for which an unambiguous death registration could not be found he is the most likely candidate especially as a no record for either of them could be found in the 1911 Census. However, a search of the passenger lists could not find any record of their departure to North America or the Empire. One promising lead for a W H Wakefeld departing on18 May 1907 on board the Celtic turned out to be a Walter Harold Wakefieled on examination of the Ellis Island record. (The Ellis Island record is mistranscribed as Walker Harold Wakefield but the existence of a Walker Harold Wakefield whose birth was registered in Cirencester in the second quarter of 1880 was confirmed.)

Another possibility was a Mr and Mrs W Wakefield with 3 children under 12 - a boy and two girls with the initials H and M who sailed for Halifax, Canada on 8 April 1909 on board the Tunisian. However it has not been possible to confirm the children's birth registration in a district (e.g. Islington) which related to the parents.

There is a record of a William Henry Wakefield arriving at Southhampton from New York on 19 March 1912 but he was by himself.

So whether William emigrated - with or without his wife - remains in question. The other possibilibility that William and Fanny emigrated, she died abroad (her death registration could not be found) and he returned alone is remotely possible but thought to be unlikely.

As far as can be ascertained he was not recalled, neither did he volunteer, for service in WWI.

On the assumption that he either did not emigrate or emigrated and returned a search of the death indexes produced the above two possible records for William H. Wakefield.

1. The quarter ending March 1929 age 52, i.e. born 1877, in Islington, Greater London.

2. The quarter ending June 1963 age 83, i.e. born 1880, in Bristol, Gloucestershire.

As William was born in 1880 the Bristol registration is the more accurate with respect to age. However, he was married in Islington and from his service record was known to be living there on 1 Oct 1903. In the 1911 Census he, his wife Fanny and daughter Lilian were still living in Islington. Also, the fact that he did not attend his sister Amy's funeral in 1956 (or send any flowers) favours the first entry.

Fanny Matilda Leggett (1861-aft1911)

Lilian Charlotte Wakefield (1901- )

Address: Battle Bridge, Kings Cross, Middlesex

James was the bride's brother; the relationship of Robert Green to the couple is unknown but he was probably a friend.

There is a degree of mystery surrounding the marriage. Firstly the William's age is given as 23 and his occupation as Grocer's Assistant. However, he had enlisted in the Grenadier Guards in March 1900 and both his baptismal record, birth registration and Army record indicate that he would have been 20 at the time of his marriage. This would immediately raise the suspicion that the marriage record and the Army record were for different William Wakefields. However, the two records are firmly linked by the factors set out below.

The marriage register entry gives his name as William Henry Benjamin Wakefield, his father's name as Henry James Wakefield and his father's occupation as hairdresser. The Army record gives his name as William Henry Wakefield and shows that he was married on 16 December 1900 to Amy Matilda Leggett (spinster) at All Saints Church, Battle Bridge, Kings Cross by the Rev. A. Wardroper; the witnesses were J Leggett and R Green. In addition it gives his next-of-kin as his father Wm. H. Wakefield and mother Eliza of 51 St George Road, Hotwells, Bristol, and names his brothers as Walter Sidney and Albert Fredrick (Albert was Albert Nathaniel). Presumably those details were provided on enlistment in March 1900 but why they were not subsequently amended to show his wife Amy as his next-of-kin is not known.

There is another anomaly. In the 1901 Census when William was stationed at the New Windsor Barracks he is shown as single. In the same Census Fanny is shown as married and living with her parents in Islington. Her age given in the Census enabled her birth registration to be traced which shows that she was actually 38 at the time of her marriage rather that 32 as shown in the marriage register. In other words she was 18 years older than William!

The final linkage is that the clasps for his South African medal were sent to 23 Huntington Street which is the same address as both William and Amy gave when they were married and where Fanny was living with her parents at the time of the 1901 Census.

The only conclusion is that William lied about his age and occupation as he was not 21 and soldiers were supposed to obtain permission to marry and that he delayed reporting his marriage until he was over 21. Why her name is shown as Amy Matilda Leggett rather than Fanny Matilda Leggett is not known although Amy and Fanny sound similar and it may have been a recording error if a verbal report had been made.

Address: 53 Alexander Road Upper Holloway N

The household consisted of William, his wife Fanny and their daughter Lillian (age 9). They lived in three rooms and shared the house with another family of 3 who also occupied 3 rooms and a pensioner who had 1 room.