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.

12623 Henry Stephen Rolfe - Royal Army Medical Corps

Henry Stephen (Harry) was born on the 18th June 1881 and started school in July 1884; the school register shows him as 'Harry' so I assume this was the name by which he was known at home. According to the school register he left Welford and Wickham Primary School in May 1896. 

By October 1899 Harry was working as a schoolteacher and already serving in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment when he enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Harry's army papers show he was 5ft 2½in tall, had grey eyes and light brown hair, a scar on the bridge of his nose and another on the back of his neck and right jaw and was a Unitarian. I'm sure the British Army had no idea how useful their papers would be to family historians! He signed up initially for 7 years but obviously army life suited him and he extended his service.

Harry left the UK for South Africa and the Boer War on the 21st January 1900, returning to England in July 1901. During his time in South Africa he was posted to 6 General Hospital, Naanpoort where he worked for a year and a half including 29 days when he himself was hospitalized with enteric fever. He then spent the remaining years leading up to WW1 serving both in England and Mauritius. On the 23 June 1909, whilst in Mauritius, he married Sarah Violet Mary Brush in St Clement Church  and his first two children Philip Henry and Eileen Muriel were born in Curepipe in the district of Plaines Wilhems. His third child, Mabel Dorothy, was born in Portsmouth on the family's return to the UK. 


At the outbreak of the first world war Harry embarked with the British Expeditionary Force for France and served on the western front until May 1918. In April 1915 he was promoted to Sergeant Major and transferred to number 3 Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul a few miles from Ypres. Here he served as quartermaster and was promoted to honorary lieutenant. It was during this time that Harry was mentioned in dispatches - The London Gazette Second Supplement 2 January 1917.  
                                                        

Entry from Harry's army papers

There is  a very interesting account of life at the clearing station taken from Edith Appleton's diaries here 

Harry returned to England in May 1918 and was discharged after 18 years service.

Henry Stephen Rolfe RAMC

His life after the army is not so well documented and perhaps it will not be possible to uncover too much more about his life. We know that at some point Harry returned to Mauritius as, in 1935, he returned from the island to set up home back in the UK. He and two of his children sailed from Durban on the SS Garth Castle. 

SS Garth Castle

SS Garth Castle was commissioned as a hospital ship for the duration of WW1, which is obviously when this photo was taken. Photo thanks to Martin Edwards  www.roll-of-honour.com

The Garth Castle passenger manifest shows Harry as returning after living in Mauritius to set up permanent home in England. He gives his proposed address as 17 Kent Road, Southsea, Hants and his occupation as Civil Servant.

Extract from Garth Castle passenger manifest

 Was the address he gave that of his brother Alf or was it his own house? Where were his wife and younger daughter? Had they travelled back to the UK earlier? Family memories also suggest that Harry was a bandmaster in Mauritius and that his son Philip died at a fairly young age.  Plenty of questions to be answered and lots of research still to do!
I have found the marriage for Eileen M Rolfe to Frederick H Grattan in Portsmouth in 1935 and what could well be the birth of a child to Eileen and Frederick, a Roma Grattan was born in the Newcastle are in 1938.

Harry died on the 11th of October 1963 at Highlands Hospital, Southgate, London. At the time of his death his address was 61 Brecknock Road, Southgate, London N7. 

Extract from National Probate Register

19591 Philip Lewis Rolfe - Royal Army Medical Corps

 Philip Lewis (Phil) was born on 25 November 1890 in Wickham, Berks and started at Welford and Wickham Primary School on the 8th March 1894, leaving in the October of 1902. 

On the 1st October 1904 as a 14 year old schoolboy Phillip joined the RAMC militia signing up for 6 years. On 10th March 1905 Phillip enlisted in the RAMC Corps where he rose to the rank of sergeant by February 1918.  The RAMC Journal has the following entry:

Promotions. 
The following promotions to complete War Establishment will take effect 

from the dates specified :— 

To be Serjeants. 
Dated February 25, 1918.-19591 Cpl. P. L. Rolfe.

(September, 1918. Vol.XXXL 3 Journal Royal Army Medical Corps) 

In 1935 Phil married Harriet Hansen in Portsmouth. I have not been able to find anything about Harriet as yet.

At the end of September 1939 a national register was taken in Britain to help coordinate the war effort. Phil is registered at the Hants Female Orphanage, Kings Park Road, Southampton and his occupation is shown as male nurse. I really am not sure whether the orphanage was being used for some other purpose but the only 5 residents were Phillip a male nurse, a sanitary inspector for Southampton, a hall porter, a canteen steward and a commercial traveller, all male. The establishment does not sound as if it is still in use as a female orphanage! All five men are ARP Medical Services so I imagine that they are posted at the orphanage on ARP night duty.

By 1947 Phil appears on the Royal College Of Nursing register as an assistant nurse, he has moved to Bath by then as his address is shown as 9 London Place, Walcot, Bath.

Philip Lewis died in Bath on the 2nd of September 1972 and was cremated on the 7th of that month. Unfortunately no photographs of Phil have been found as yet.

Agnes May Rolfe

Agnes May, born 1877 in Wickham, Berkshire to Henry and Sarah Rolfe. By the age of 13 she was working as a kitchen maid whilst living at home but by 1901 had moved to work as a cook for a bank manager in Lavender Hill, London.

In 1904 Agnes set sail for a new life in the United States, she arrived in New York on 13 November aboard the SS New York, a 560 foot long Scottish built passenger steamer which plied her trade between Southampton and New York.

SS New York

The ship's passenger manifest shows Agnes had $50, described her occupation as servant and gave her final destination as New York. She declared that she was going to join an aunt, Mrs Fiske, 393 West End Avenue, New York. Was Mrs Fiske really her aunt? Or was it common practice for those emigrating to give the name and address of some friendly soul who was willing to act as a point of contact? I noted that the young woman before Agnes on the passenger list had named a Mrs Agnew at the same address as Mrs Fiske as her contact. Were these women in fact their prospective employers?

What became of Agnes? There is one family photograph which may be Agnes with her daughter - but who knows?

Is this Agnes and her daughter?

The Family

As I'm more interested, at the moment, with finding out what happened to my grandfather's brothers and sisters than with going back further and further in time I'll start with a run-down of the family.


Henry Rolfe was born in Shalbourne, Berkshire and married Sarah Bailey on 22 January 1876 in the church of St Lawrence, Hungerford.
They had at least eight children:

1. Alfred b. 1876
2. Agnes May b. 1877
3. *Edith Florence (Flossie) b. 6 Jan 1880
4. *Henry Stephen (Harry) b. 1881
5. *William James b. 12 June 1885
6. Julia b. 1888
7. Philip Lewis (Phil) b. 1891
8. Mabel Alice b. 1899

*Those with an asterisk next to their name I know have descendants alive today. 

Sarah Rolfe, nee Bailey, mother of Alfred, Agnes, Flossie, Harry, William, Julia, Phil and Mabel.

The Rolfe family on the 1891 census are living in four rooms in a house in Wickham village in Berkshire:

Henry Rolfe	Head	35	Sawyer of Timber	Berks Wickham
Sarah	Wife	34		Hungerford
Alfred	Son	14	Sawyer of Timber	Hungerford
Agnes	Dau	13	Kitchen Maid	Wickham
Florence	Dau	11	Scholar	Wickham
Henry	Son	9	Scholar	Wickham
William	Son	5	Scholar	Wickham
Julia	Dau	2	Scholar (stet)	Wickham
Philip	Son	4mo		Wickham

Only Mabel who wasn't born until 1899 is missing from the 1891 census.

I think by 1911 the family had moved to Farnborough in Hampshire but won't know for certain until I can look at the census details.

Now it just remains to be seen if I can find out what happened to them all, where they lived, what they did, if they had any children and are there any unknown relatives somewhere waiting to be discovered? 
At the moment I'm working on the theory that after Henry's death Sarah married a Thomas Shersby in 1926. I know she married again (but I haven't been given a name) and died after a fall down the stairs at her son Alf's home in 1939 in Southsea, Portsmouth.