Great x3 Uncle Walter Charles Wright

My Great x3 Uncle Walter (1861 - 1940) was a printer compositor, father of nine, and an elder brother of my Great Great Grandfather Francis 'Frank' George Wright (1868 - 1939).

Walter. c 1900

Walter was born on 12th October 1861 in Exeter, Devon to William Wright (about 40), a man of many occupations but at the time of Henry' birth a mason's labourer, and Sarah Wright (nee Emberry) (about 32), a housewife and later an outdoor servant and laundress.

Walter was baptised on 3rd November 1861 in St Mary Major, Exeter.

Walter was the fifth of eight children (six sons and two daughters):

• Thomas William  1849 - 1931  (82)
• Henry John  1851 - 1915  (63)
• Frederick Emberry  1854 - 1913  (59)
• Ellen  1857 - 1948  (91)
• Walter Charles  1861 - 1940  (78)
• Alfred Frank  1864 -
• Francis 'Frank' George  1868 - 1939  (70)
• Bessie T  1870 -

Walter grew up in Prospect Place off Rack Street, in the West Quarter of Exeter.

1871 Census: 

On 24th June 1880, when Walter was eighteen, his father William passed away, aged fifty-nine, at the family home. His mother would find work as an servant to support her family.

1881 Census:

In Apr/May/Jun 1883, Walter (22), a printer compositor, married Eliza Holman (23), in Exeter.

Walter and Eliza had nine children:

• Walter Henry Thomas  1883 
• Beatrice Maud(e)  1885
• Ethel  1887 - 1889  (2 years old) 
• Arthur Horace  1889 - 1889  (3 months old)
• Edith Mary  1890  
• Francis Arthur  1893  
• Albert Henry  1894 - 1894  (3 weeks old)  
• Leonard Stanley  1897 - 1918  (21 years old)
• Reginald George  1899

Sadly, three of their children passed away in infancy. 

Firstly, Arthur passed away, aged three months. He was buried on 22nd August 1889 in St Mary Major, Exeter. Then, Ethel passed aged aged two. She was buried on 10th September 1889 in St Mary Major, Exeter. Arthur and Ethel passed away within a few weeks of each other - did they pass away from the same illness? 

Five years later in 1894, Albert passed away at only three weeks. He was buried on 8th August 1894 in St Mary Major, Exeter.

1891 Census:

Photograph of Sarah in old age (centre) with most of her adult children, c 1900

Standing left to right: Alfred, Walter, Frank and Frederick

Sitting left to right: Thomas, Sarah and either Ellen or Thomas' wife Mary

1901 Census:

In the summer of 1906, Walter's nine-year-old son Leonard, along with brothers Percy and George Taylor, were charged with stealing plums from the garden of Peter Slader in Archibald Street. They were spotted, chased and threw the fruit away as they ran. Their parents - the Taylors father, as well as Walter - were ordered to pay £5 each, and bound over to be responsible for the boys good behavior for six months. It may well have been Walter who expressed that 'the school authorities gave the children to much holiday'.

From the Western Times of 24th August 1906:

1911 Census:

Walter's wife Eliza

Walter's eldest daughter Beatrice

All four of Walter and Eliza's surviving sons served in the First World War...

On 4th September 1914, just over one month after the start of the First World War, Walter and Eliza's nineth child and youngest son Reginald (244530), aged only fifteen, enlisted as a private, in the 3rd Battalion of the King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment (its primary role was to train and supply infantrymen for active service with the regular and service battalions, which were fighting overseas). 

On 6th October 1915, aged sixteen (though giving his age as nineteen), he joined the Wessex Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps - they were mounted support troops and stayed in the UK for the war. However, Reginald did serve in France for nearly three months near the end of the war, from 19th August 1918 to 2nd November 1918. He served again at 'home' (UK) from 3rd November until his demobilisation on 19th February 1919. He survived the war.

Reginald was 5'7''. His not being short may have meant he looked a few years old than his actual age. 

On 13th November 1915, Walter and Eliza's sixth child, Francis (209197), aged twenty-two, enlisted in the navy as a mechanic. Although in the navy, he did service in land operations. Francis was 5'4'', had dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. His character was given as 'very good', and he rose from air mechanic to leading mechanic. In June 1917, he was reported missing and then a prisoner of war in Giessen, Germany. He was repatriated from Germany on 14th December 1918. On 7th May 1919, he joined the RAF reserve. After the war, he lived in Southampton and worked as a marine engineer for the Fairey Aviation Company. His son Raymond would follow in his footsteps as a marine engineer. 

Walter and Eliza's eldest child, Walter (3859, later 324460) served in the Royal Guernsey Engineer Militia - he did not serve overseas. He was discharged on 17th December 1916. On 2nd January 1917, aged thirty-three, her enlisted as a sapper in 166th Field Company, the Royal Engineers. He was a skilled rivetter. Serving in France, he was appointed acting lance corporal on 23rd April 1917 and promoted to corporal on 28th August 1917. He survived the war. He had been a gas fitter before the war, and worked as a gas manager after the war. He was 5' 4 1/2''.

Interesting Walter junior was living on Cecil Road (No 3) in St Thomas, Exeter, at the time of the 1911 Census. Over a hundred years later, in the early 2020's, my boyfriend would also live on Cecil Road.

On 24th April 1918, Walter and Eliza's eighth child, Leonard (62347), was killed in action, aged twenty-one. He was a private in the 2nd Battalion, the Devonshire Regiment. He is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, France. In 1920, his married sister Beatrice would name her next born son, Leonard Stanley, after her brother.

1921 Census:

Come the 1939 Census, Walter's wife Eliza is recorded as blind. 

1939 Census: 

In Jan/Feb/Mar 1940, Walter passed away, aged seventy-eight, in Exeter.

In Apr/May/Jun 1946, Walter's widow Eliza passed away, aged eight-six, in Exeter.