Photo: James Pasby
Deal/1690(S) Private RMLI
Wilfred Atkinson
Royal Naval Division
19th December 1917 Age 24
Also his Father
Thomas Atkinson
15th March 1921 Age 65
Son of Thomas and Isabella Alice Atkinson, of 17, Park View, Whickham.
Jacky Cooper has provided the following:
Wilfred was the son of Thomas Atkinson and Isabella Alice Lightfoot, who were married towards the end of 1883 in Newcastle. Thomas was a stonemason, and had two sons and two daughters by the time Wilfred was born in the spring of 1894, when the family lived at Edith Cottages in Whickham.
By the time of the 1911 census the family had moved to Park View, Whickham and 17-year-old Wilfred was working as a farm labourer and milk boy. Wilfred joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and was issued with service number Z/1158 as an Ordinary Seaman. When he enlisted on 9 November 1914 he was still living at Park view, and gave his religion as Church of England. He wasn’t able to swim, and had been working as a cartman. Wilfred stood a little over 5’ 5” tall, had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He gave his date of birth as 11 March 1894 though some military records state it to be 11 April 1894.
A little over a month later on 11 December Wilfred was transferred to the Royal Marines for duty in the transport section and was given his new service number S/1690. By 1 March 1915 Wilfred was a part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He embarked at Alexandria for Cape Helles on 17 August. Within a few weeks, on 20 October, he was admitted to hospital Cape Helles where he was diagnosed with Enteric Fever (commonly called Typhoid). Many servicemen became sick as a result of insanitary conditions: typhoid, dysentry and diarrhoea were all common. Wilfred must have shown little sign of improvement as on 26 December 1915 he was invalided back to England.
After further treatment and recuperation Wilfred joined the Divisional Train Reserves at Blandford on 14 March 1916 to continue his service in England.
On 12 November 1917 Wilfred was admitted to hospital in Blandford suffering from nephritis, and was later moved to the Military Hospital in Wareham, where he died at 7.15am on 19 December aged 23.
For his service to his country Wilfred was entitled to the 1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These would have been sent to his father as next of kin.
Isabella paid for the inscription on Wilfred’s headstone in St Mary’s churchyard; ‘Also Thomas Atkinson father of the above died 15 March 1921 age 65’
Wilfred Atkinson is remembered in Whickham on W86.01, W86.03 and W86.05
