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

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.