Leonard Thomas Wakefield

Leonard Thomas Wakefield was born in 1896 at Normanton, Derbyshire and was the son of the late Thomas Wakefield a Colour Sergeant serving with the Sherwood Foresters and Elizabeth Wakefield, née Parker of 31, Balderton Gate, Newark. He was baptised on 9th November 1896 at Normanton and shows his father Thomas was living at the barracks at Normanton. His father Thomas was born in 1859 at Sheffield and his mother Elizabeth Parker was born in 1871 at Newark, they were married in 1893 at Nottingham and went on to have 7 children, sadly one was to die in infancy r early childhood, their surviving children were , Olive b1895 Derbyshire, Leonard b1896 Derby, Joseph b1900 Billingham, Lancashire. Edward b1904 Balderton, Bernard b1906 Balderton and Joyce b1910 Newark. In the 1911 census the family were living at 33 Balderton Gate, Newark and are shown as Thomas 52 yrs a collecting agent, he is living with this wife Elizabeth 40 yrs and their children, Leonard 15 yrs, Joseph 11 yrs, Edward 7 yrs, Bernard 5 yrs and Joyce 1 yr.

Corporal Leonard Thomas Wakefield enlisted at Newark and served with the 15th battalion, Sherwood Foresters Regiment. He was killed in action on 19th August 1917 aged 21 yrs, he has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.

His father was also served in the Army during the Great War he was a Colour Sergeant in the Sherwood Forests , he died on 7th January 1916 at Newark aged 55 yrs and is buried in Newark Cemetery. Article published 29th August 1917 in the Newark Advertiser :- Son of the late Colour-Sgt. T. Wakefield and Elizabeth Wakefield, 31 Baldertongate, Newark. As a boy he attended the Mount School and afterwards worked for Mrs Bishop, The Elms. Born at Normanton Barracks, while his father was in the army and he joined the band when he was only 15 years of age. He was home last March and went to France in the same month. Killed during an attack on a German trench. His name is recorded on his father’s headstone in Newark cemetery.