Alfred Richard Waite (1895-1917)

Alfred Richard Waite was a casualty of WW1 when he died in 1917. "Luckily" for his parents, he wasn't an unknown soldier in a foreign field, nor was his end left hanging in the air, with no body to bury and no gravestone marking his life.

Alfred was an Acting Corporal in the Royal Flying Corps, having enlisted in January 1916, he went out to France to fly airplanes.  It was in April 1917 when he had a flying accident, having only been in France a few weeks.

There's a website where a lot of the records of the Royal Flying Corps have been transcribed and brought together: http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc and Alfred gets a mention in there as the casualty records have been transcribed, as well as accident reports.

Poor Alfred wasn't gunning down foreign invaders over France, he was simply taking off from his base. He wasn't even the pilot, the pilot was Lt HD Hardman, who came out of the accident OK.  The accident was on 8 April 1917.

The accident was described as "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome on t/o for circuits. ".  t/o is take off; and "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome which removed u/c and completely wrecked on t/o for circuits" - u/c here is undercarriage.  So, in short, they were taking off at the aerodrome when the undercarriage of the plane hit some bushes and was ripped away from the plane, the plane then crashed.  The plane had to be struck off after the accident as it was such a wreck.

Alfred had broken his back and qualified for a disability pension (Source: Findmypast)

After spending time in French hospitals, he was repatriated to a London Hospital, before being transferred to Kettering Hospital by August 1917.  Alfred died at Kettering General Hospital on 6 October 1917.  This gave his family the opportunity of burying his body - and doing that locally.  Alfred is buried in Woodford churchyard in Northamptonshire, on the West side of the churchyard.  The War Grave Photographic Project have a photo of his grave: Gravestone of Corporal Alfred Richard Waite - their description is "Died of injuries received in France. 6th October 1917. Age 22. Son of Charles T. H. and Eliza Jane Waite of 7 St. Dunstan Rd. Leicester". The address of Alfred's parents is often given in some reports as "Woodwell Villa.” Woodford.

Alfred's parents continued to live at 7 St Dunstan Road, for the rest of their lives, his mother died in 1938 and his father in 1952.  Alfred was the eldest child of Charles & Eliza Jane.  He had six siblings: Edith, Ruby, Elizabeth Mary, Charles Haley, Raymond H and Georgina B.  With Raymond being born in 1913 and little Georgina B born in 1915, they never got to know their big brother as they were only 4 and 2 when he died.

How is Alfred Related to Me?
Alfred is on my tree through his mother's line.  Eliza Jane Stokes married Charles Thomas Haley Waite.  Eliza Jane Stokes was the daughter of Alfred Finedon Stokes.
Alfred's great-grandparents were my great-great-great-great-grandparents.

Alfred's cousin, Alfred William Blow, was also killed in WW1 in 1917.  Their mothers were sisters. His cousin's family had no burial, Alfred William Blow's just a name on a memorial at Ypres Menin Gate.

Alfred's Timeline:
1895: birth registered in the Grantham, Lincolnshire, registration district, (Source: LDS).
1901 Census: at St Dunstan Road, Leicester, with parents and new born sister Ruby. (Source: LDS)
1911 Census: at the Brickyard, Woodford, Thrapston, Northamptonshire.  Alfred is an apprentice and is described as Electrical Engineer learner. (Source: LDS)
1916: Enlisted in January (Source: Newspaper piece on accident). Service number 19560, 100th Squadron. (Source: Various)
1917: 8 April, in flying accident (Source: Newspaper piece)
1917: 6 October, died in Hospital, buried at Woodford, Northamptonshire (Source: Various)

Memorials to Alfred Richard Waite: 

• Alfred's actual grave is in Woodford churchyard, containing his remains. 
• Alfred's name is on the Woodford War Memorial, Woodford, Northamptonshire. This is located on Woodford Village Green. His name is on the East face, Alfred R Waite. Postcode NN14 4HB
• There is a second War memorial in Woodford, in the churchyard. On this one he is AR Waite. Postcode  NN14 4EX

As there are many places called Woodford that might turn up for people not understanding English geography, I've given the postcodes of the two war memorials above - put those into Google Maps and it'll show you where it is.  This Woodford is Woodford, near Thrapston, Northamptonshire.

Related Family Trees Online:

• Website: http://thesignsofthetimes.com.au/51/136623.htm - the Waite family tree. 

Every time there's a marriage, a tree joins another!