William Stephen Weller 1872-1918

[Phil Weller]

I have found out some interesting details about William Stephen Weller, born 1872 in High Wycombe.

In the 1891 census, he was living in Temple Street, High Wycombe, and was an apprentice carpenter.

In the 1901 census, he was an orderly at the Dover Military Hospital.

In the 1911 census, he was in Bristol, a carpenter and joiner.

He died on 21 July 1818 at Wool Military Hospital, Dorset (Bovington Camp), and was buried in Wool, Dorset.

The Army record of disposal of his effects shows he was in 318 Works Company, Labour Corps, Service Number 174296.

The Ancestry.com record of soldiers who died in WW1 says he was formerly regimental number 3063, Somerset Light Infantry. This is puzzling as this number would have been issued in 1890-91.

After his death, his money was shared between his siblings Hubert T, Cecil, Mrs Ethel B Langley, Kate D, Mrs Elsie R White, Hilda A, Victor, and his stepmother Emma Jane (my grandmother).

I have not been able to find out when he joined up, whether he went overseas, and why he was at the hospital. He may have been wounded on active service, or may have been an orderly or worker at the hospital.

If you have any further information, I would like to hear it.

[Malcolm Weller]

Hi Phil,

 

Thanks for doing the research and sharing all your findings. I have added them to the web site;

http://www.weller.org.uk/cgi-bin/FamilyTree/ShowFamily.pl?PersonID=252  (sorry it is so slow. I need to move it to a new server, when I have time).

Would you be taking over as the family genealogist ;-?

If you have any more information to add to the web site then please let me know.

 

Cheers,

Mal.

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[Phil Weller]

More information on William Stephen Weller:

Enlisted in the army, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in 1893, the same year his mother died, giving his age as 18 instead of 21.

Served in India and Burma 1895 to 1902.

Served in South Africa in 1902.

Returned to England and joined the Reserves 1902 to 1905.

The entry in the 1901 census is a different William Weller, also born in the Wycombe district in 1872, who joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1894.

In the 1911 census, William Stephen Weller is single, and staying in the Salvation Army hostel in Bristol.

When conscription was introduced in 1916, he was over the maximum age limit of 41, but this was increased to 51 in 1918, and he became eligible.

Curiously, a transcription of his gravestone at http://www.opcdorset.org/WoolFiles/WoolMilitaryGraves.htm gives his serial number as 52130 Devonshire Regiment.

A bit of a mystery there!

[Malcolm Weller]

Hi Phil,

 

Thanks for the update.

Why would William give his age as 18 instead of 21?

There are 39 Williams with 25 of them WELLERs on our web site so it can be easy to mix them. Two others were born in 1809. Is the other William WELLER born 1872 related to our tree?

Could there have been 2 W Wellers who both died on 21-Jul-1918, the other being 52130 Private W Weller of Devonshire Regiment?

I have added your new information to his web page. Can you let me know if I have made any mistakes?

 

Thanks for doing all this work and gifting it to the tree :-)

Cheers,

Mal.

 

From: weller...@googlegroups.com [mailto:weller...@googlegroups.com]

Sent: 06 December 2015 15:12
To: Weller Family <weller...@googlegroups.com>

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[Guy Weller]

There is, as far as I recall, a whole tranche of Wellers based in Kent who are an unrelated family group. Or if they do tie in it is from several generations earlier. Unless someone else has found the missing link since I last looked!

 

If this William Stephen joined the East Kent regimen, perhaps he was of the Kent family of Wellers?

 

Guy Weller

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[Phil Weller]

Hi Malcolm,

I don't know why William Stephen would give his age as 18, but the other William Weller, from Great Hampden, born in 1872, also gave his age as 18 when he joined the Royal Fusiliers.

From the amount of War Gratuity that his family received, I have worked out that he must have enlisted in Nov/Dec 1914, but did not serve overseas.

His death certificate describes him as "Private, Home Service Labour Corps, Carpenter" and cause of death "(1) Broncho pneumonia (2) Cardiac failure".

Regards,

Phil

[Phil Weller]

I went to see William's grave in Dorset this week and took this photo. At some time he must have transferred from the Somerset Light Infantry to the Devonshire Regiment, and then been seconded to the Labour Corps. As a carpenter, his skills would have been valuable as Bovington Camp expanded to accommodate all the soldiers being trained on tanks.

On Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 1:18:14 PM UTC, Phil Weller wrote:

[Malcolm Weller]

Thanks Phil,

 

I have added the photo to his page; http://www.weller.org.uk/cgi-bin/FamilyTree/ShowFamily.pl?PersonID=252

It has been interesting to see how you have collected his history to make him a more real person of the past rather than just a name.

 

Thank you,

Malcolm.

 

 

From: 'Phil Weller' via Weller Family [mailto:weller...@googlegroups.com]
Sent: 17 November 2016 21:35
To: Weller Family <weller...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: William Stephen Weller 1872-1918

 

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