Name
William Alfred Wade
1883
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/05/1919
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
876501
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (HEATH LANE) CEMETERY
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial
Pre War
William Wade was born in 1883 in St John's. Ipswich, Suffolk, the son of William and Elizabeth Wade (nee Lovick) and one of 9 children.
On the 1891 Census he was listed with his mother and sister Ethel at the home of his maternal grandparents, John and Mary Ann Durrant (nee Lovick), in Comister Lane, Ixworth, Suffolk.
By the 1901 Census he was listed with his paternal grandparents, William and Caroline Wade, at 173 Cauldwell Hall Road, Ipswich, where William and his grandfather were working as Blacksmiths. His younger sisters Ethel and Annie were also living there.
In July 1902 he enlisted with the Rifle Brigade (Reg. no. 615) in Ipswich for a period of three years and was sent to Gosport, Hants for basic training and then posted to the 1st Battalion. however, on 8 June 1903 he was discharged as "being medically unfit for further service". This was probably due to consumption (tuberculosis) for which he then received treatment for more than a year.
He returned to live with his grandparents in 1911 living at 28 Coronation Road, Ipswich and working as a Blacksmith. His grandfather William was then a retired Blacksmith and his sister Ethel was also living there.
On 18 March 1912 he enlisted again, this time into the Territorial Force of Royal Field Artillery and gave his occupation as Shoeing Smith. He was initially posted to the 3rd East Anglian (Howitzer) Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery as a Shoeing Smith and took part in the Annual Training on Salisbury Plain in Summer 1912.
At the outbreak of war he was mobilised and came to Hemel Hempstead, where some of the Royal Field Artillery were posted. It was here he met Nellie Mead, who he married on 27 July 1915 at Hemel Hempstead.
Nellie had a daughter Grace Ellen who had been born in 1911 and William had a son William Walter, born in 1907. They later had a son together Leslie George, born in 1916 and they lived at Nellie's parents' home at 17 Paradise, Hemel Hempstead.
Wartime Service
As a soldier in the Territorial Force at the outbreak of war, he was mobilised and came to Hemel Hempstead, where some of the Royal Field Artillery were posted. William was promoted to Corporal in January 1915, followed by Lance Sergeant in May 1915 but was reverted to Corporal on 11 November 1915 because of drunkenness and neglect of duty. He served in France from 17 November 1915, but the following month he was injured in an accident which caused a wound to his right hip and resulted in him walking with a "peculiar limp" and he suffered from rheumatism in the field on 16 February 1916.
The 3rd Brigade. RFA were posted to Egypt at the end of February 1916 and arrived on 1 March, but were ordered home after 18 days. Although this was end of his 4 years' service, he was retained, and transferred to the 355th Brigade, RFA, on his return to England. In August the following year he was admitted to hospital in Colchester with respiratory problems. Medical reports record increased frequency of coughing, chest pain and breathing difficulties and he was diagnosed with 'Tubercule of Lungs' (Tuberculosis). His mother, uncle and brother had died from the same disease, and although possibly hereditary, it was deemed to have been aggravated by his military service. He was therefore, discharged from the army on 20 December 1917 as being "physically unfit" and received a Silver War Badge.
His condition worsened and he died from tuberculosis on 31 May 1919. He received a funeral with full military honours and is buried in Heath Lane Cemetery, Hemel Hempstead.
Additional Information
Although he had been discharged from service as unfit, his widow was initially awarded a pension of £1 9s 7d for herself and the children, which rose to £2 10s 2d from 3.9.19. (N.B. During his army service he had three reg. nos. 635, 3339 & 876501) He is not listed in the CWGC database.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
www.hemelheroes.com., www.dacorumheritage,org,uk., www.hemelatwar.org.
