7254 William James Rolfe - York and Lancaster Regiment

Born on the 12th June 1885, William James was the fifth of eight children born to Sarah and Henry Rolfe in the small village of Wickham in Berkshire.

William's baptism certificate

By the age of fifteen William was working as a cattleman on a local farm but a couple of years later had changed his employment to that of carpenter, possibly working for his father who was by that time a self-employed wood sawyer. 

He started his military career in the militia, serving as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps; five months later at the age of seventeen he enlisted in the regular army, following his older brother Alf into the York and Lancaster Regiment. 


William trained as a signaller and served in that capacity during his ten years in India with the 1st battalion of the Yorks and Lancs.

William Rolfe - military telegraphist certificate

After 10 years with the regiment's 1st battalion he returned to the UK not long after the outbreak of WW1. Other than a short spell in France during 1915 William spent the war in England joining the regiment's 3rd and reserve battalion in July 1917 as it's signalling sergeant.

William Rolfe - Signalling Sergeant and Instructor 3rd Battalion Yorks and Lancs

Another short spell in France from the 5th November 1918 until 18th January 1919 was followed by three years in England and 3 years in Solingen, Germany.

William Rolfe arrowed with regiment in Solingen, Germany

  The rest of his service was spent both in England and Germany. William retired from the army in 1927 after 24 years service.

William Rolfe back row middle

William joined JW Cameron and Co. and managed the Roker Hotel on the seafront at Roker in the 1930's and 40's.  He retired to Ashbrooke in Sunderland where he died at home on the 11th of September 1950.

Sunderland Echo Tuesday Sept 12, 1950

Mabel Alice Rolfe

Mabel Alice was born in Wickham on the 13th September 1899 and was the youngest of the Rolfe family. She started at Welford and Wickham Primary School in September 1901 and left in July 1904. Her short time at the local school tends to suggest that the family moved to Farnborough in the summer of 1904.


Nothing more is known about Mabel other than she married Douglas Thomson at St Marks Church, South Farnborough in 1919 and died in Victoria, Australia aged 75.

Marriage Entry for Douglas and Mabel

Alfred (Alf) Rolfe - York and Lancaster Regiment

Alfred Thomas (Alf) was born in Wickham in 1876 and served in the York and Lancaster Regiment, the same regiment as his brother William. 

Before joining the army, and certainly by age 14, Alf was working as a sawyer of timber like his father. After leaving the army he ran a tobacco and sweet shop in Southsea. He married someone called Emily Rose and they had no children. Alf's mother Sarah (nee Bailey) lived with them and died after falling down the stairs.

Alf Rolfe - Yorks and Lancs Regiment

From the National Probate Calendar we know that Alf and Rose lived at 70 Bradford Road in Southsea and that Alf died on the 13th of December 1960 in St Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth.

Julia (Jude) Rolfe

Julia was born in Wickham in 1888 and nothing is known about her until 1918 when she marries Alfred Colmer, a veteran of the first world war, in Hartley Wintney registration district (as Farnborough came under Hartley Wintney I'm sure that the marriage took place in Farnborough where the family appear to have lived). 


In December 1925 Julia arrived in Southampton from South Africa, where she and her husband  were living. Accompanying Julia to England were her sister Flossie and young nephew Maurice. They had obviously come to visit the family. Early the following year the Colmers emigrated to the United States from Cape Town, living for a while in North Hillside Avenue in Chatham, New Jersey. It wasn't long before they travelled, yet again, to visit Flossie in South Africa calling in at London on their way back. They arrived in the UK on the 4th August aboard the SS Dunluce Castle and by the 28th August they were boarding the RMS Mauretania for their journey back to the United States. 

RMS Mauretania

I've no idea how enjoyable their trip on the Mauretania was but they were not welcomed with open arms on their arrival in New York. They were detained by the Immigrant Inspector as "aliens held for special inquiry". The reason for detention appeared to be that they were considered "LPC" or those who were likely to be a burden on the public purse - LPC standing for Likely Public Charge and "PH" which appears to denote a physical handicap. They were two of the luckier ones and after only 30 minutes of interrogation they were allowed entry in to "the land of the free"!

By 1930 they were renting a house in Livingston, New Jersey where Alfred worked as a carpenter and joiner in the building trade. That year they decided to return to the UK on board the Mauretania and gave their intended address as 6 Alhambra Road, Southsea.


By the 1940's they were living in St John's Wood in London.

Edith Florence (Flossie, Flo) Rolfe

Flossie Rolfe was born in Wickham on the 6th January 1880. Nothing is known of her life until she marries Harry Maurice Mitchell probably in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Flossie had 3 sons all born in Cape Town, the youngest of whom was Harry Maurice Mitchell. After being deserted by her husband Flossie brought up her three sons on her own.

Flossie Rolfe

On the 21st December 1925 she and her youngest son arrive in Southampton on board the SS Kildonan Castle. Travelling with her is her sister Julia and they gave their proposed address in the UK as : 1 West View, Farnboro' Road, South Farnboro'.  It's impossible to even guess at how long Flossie's visit lasted but she had returned to South Africa before August 1926 as that is the month Julia returns again from Cape Town having visited her sister.


Fortunately there will be more information to add to this posting as Flossie's granddaughter, Heloise, will be able to give some additional information on her grandmother.