Name
Frederick Alfred Winfield
07/04/1886
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
22/08/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4758
East Surrey Regiment
9th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 6B and 6C.
France
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing on the Somme, France.
UK & Other Memorials
St Matthew’s Church Memorial, Oxhey, Oxhey, Herts, War Memorial, Watford Borough Roll of Honour
Pre War
Frederick Alfred Winfield, born on 7th April 1886, in Watford, Herts, was the son of Alfred Winfield, an outfitter’s assistant, and Sarah Jane Winfield, (nee Adams).
His parents married in 27 December 1885 when they were both twenty at St John the Baptist Kentish Town and they had two sons, but Alfred died 1888 in Watford aged 22, and was buried 5 August in Vicarage Road Cemetery, Watford.
Frederick and his younger brother, William, moved with their mother to Sutton Road, Watford, who worked as a charlady until she married William Thomas Woolhead, in 1899, in the Watford, District, he was employed as a carpenter’s labourer.
He died 1941 in Watford aged 81, and was buried 29 March in North Watford Cemetery; Sarah died 1955 in Watford aged 89, and was buried 6 April, also in North Watford Cemetery.
Frederick attended Watford Beechen Grove Infants School to Dec 1892, then Watford Beechen Board School, from 16 January 1894 to 7 February 1896; finally Callowland Board School, Watford, from 10 February 1896 to 29 July 1898, and Watford Callowland Board School, Sept 1896, leaving in July 1899.
On the 1891 Census, aged 4 he lived in Watford, with his widowed mother and one sibling. By 1901, Frederick 14, and William 12, were living at 9 Stanmore Road, Watford with their mother, stepfather and stepsister, Kathleen Woolhead 1, Frederick was working as a Gardeners Labourer.
Frederick left home to earn his living and in 1911 had lodgings at ‘The Bothy’, Stowlangtoft Gardens, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, where he was employed as an under gardener.
Early in 1914 he returned to Watford to marry Florence Franklin and his friend, Isaac Sproat, was a witness at the wedding on 14 June. In the same way Frederick acted a witness at Isaac’s marriage early in 1914. Frederick and Florence had one child Frederick Walter Winfield.
Florence never remarried, she died 4 October 1960 in Watford aged 74, and was buried 7 October in Vicarage Road Cemetery.
Wartime Service
Frederick
enlisted in Watford, Herts, as Private 4758 in the East Surrey Regiment. He
served in France and Flanders and died of wounds on 22 August 1916, aged 30.
He was entitled to the Victory and British War
medals.
Additional Information
Florence was awarded a Widows Pension of 15/- a week for herself and her son. The value of his effects were £4-2s-1d, Pay Owing and £9, War Gratuity which went to his Widow Florence. There is an In Memoriam for Frederick in the West Herts and Watford Observer dated 25 August 1917. Has a entry in the National Roll of the Great War. Isaac Sproat served in the Royal Engineers, as a Lance Corporal with the service number WR/266488, he died in France two years after Frederick on 16th November 1918.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Dianne Payne - www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk, Jonty Wild, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
