First World War in Headington & Marston
Roll of Honour of Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry

William SMITH (1889–1918)

Some of this information is repeated from the last entry for William’s brother Harry Smith

William Smith was born in Headington Quarry in 1892, the son of Wisdom Smith junior (born at Brailes in Warwickshire in 1854) and Harriet Tolley (born in Headington and baptised at St Andrew’s Church on 14 May 1854).

His parents were married on 30 October 1875 at Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry (both signing the register with a cross). They had the following children:

• Charles Ernest Smith (born in Headington Quarry and privately baptised at age of 7 weeks on 8 February 1879, died aged three months, buried at Holy Trinity churchyard on 2 April 1879)
• Charles Frederick Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 25 December 1881)
• Samuel Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 22 May 1884)
• Harriet Ellen Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 31 July 1887)
• William Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church there on 29 September 1889)
• Harry Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church there on 24 April 1892)
• Ernest James Smith (born in Headington Quarry and baptised at Holy Trinity Church there on 24 February 1895).

The birth of William’s father, Wisdom Smith junior, does not appear to have been registered, but his place of birth is given as Brailes in Warwickshire when he was baptised at Charlton-on-Otmoor on 24 December 1854. His parents came from a Romany family, and at Wisdom junior’s baptism William’s grandfather Wisdom Smith senior was described as a camp-travelling chair-seat flagger. In 1857, a few years after the birth of William’s father, his grandfather and his common-law wife Priscilla settled in Headington Quarry, where they eventually married in 1860, after having about ten children together. William’s father Wisdom Smith junior grew up in Quarry, and joined the army, serving in the 4th Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry for eight years. By the time of his marriage he was engaged in more typical Romany work: he was described as a “chairmender” at the baptism of his first child in 1879.

By the time of the 1881 census William’s father was a bricklayer’s labourer (working for Mr Goodgame) and his wife was a laundress, and they were then living alone at South View in Quarry, their first baby having died. On 21 December the next year William’s father committed himself to another four years in the army, signing his name with a cross.

By 1886 William’s father  was back in Quarry and the 1891 census shows him again working as a bricklayer’s labourer. He and his wife now had four children: Samuel (7), Charles (9), Harriet (4), and William himself (1). William’s maternal grandmother, Mrs Ellen Tolley, was also living with them. On 4 June 1890 Harry’s father rejoined the army for the militia only.

William’s two younger siblings, Harry and Ernest, were born in 1892 and 1895 respectively.

William’s father was dismissed permanently from the milita as unfit for service on 7 May 1894, and he died at the age of 40 in 1896. His death was registered in the Headington district in the second quarter of that year, but no one called Wisdom Smith was buried in either of the Headington churchyards or in Headington Cemetery.

The 1901 census shows William’s mother Harriet as a widow, working for someone else as a washerwoman and living in Stiles Alley in Quarry with her six surviving children. Charles (19) and Samuel (17) were working as brickmerchant’s labourers; Harriet (14) doubtless helped her mother; and William (11), Harry (9), and Ernest (6) were at school,

Ten years later in 1911, Harriet (57), who was still a laundry worker, was living in Quarry High Street with her three youngest sons: William (21) and Harry (19) were now builder’s labourers, and Ernest (16) was a carter. Charles (29), Samuel (26) and Harriet (24) were married.

♥ On 14 November 1917 William Smith married Florence Mary Phipps of 8 Bath Square at St Clement’s Church: he was described in the register as a Private in the Royal Engineers. They were married for less than a year, and do not appear to have had any children.

In the First World War William Smith was a driver in the 105th Field Company of the Royal Engineers (Service No. 90915). He died of wounds in France aged 29 on 3 November 1918.

He was buried in the Busigny Communal Cemetery extension (II.A.23), and is listed on the stone plaque in the porch of Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry.

William Smith’s brother Harry Smith was also killed in the First World War and is listed straight after his brother on the Quarry plaque. Three of his second cousins were also killed in the war: John Tolley of Quarry and George Tolley and his cousin Arthur Tolley of St Andrew’s parish. They were all descended from Samuel Tolley, who married Sarah Turner at St Andrew’s Church on 12 October 1812.

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Postscript

William’s mother

• Mrs Harriet Smith died at the age of 68 at Hill House (a home for the elderly at Sandhills) and was buried at Holy Trinity churchyard on 28 November 1923.

William’s widow

• Mrs Florence Mary Smith remained at the home of her father, the labourer Dennis Phipps, at 8 Bath Square, St Clements.

William’s siblings

• Charles Frederick Smith (born 1881) married Emily Louisa Matthews in the Headington registration district in the second quarter of 1910. At the time of the 1911 census they were staying with Emily’s mother and brother at Cromwell Castle, Old Marston. The birth of their daughter Gwendoline W. Smith was registered in that district in the third quarter of 1911.
• Samuel Smith (born 1884) married Eliza Webb in the Headington registration district in the fourth quarter of 1907. At the time of the 1911 census they were living at Green Edge Lane with their first two children. They had nine children baptised at Holy Trinity Church: Thomas William Smith (born 10 June 1908, bapt. 26 July 1908); Vina Smith (born 23 February 1910, bapt. 29 May 1910); Muriel Smith (born 16 January 1912, bapt. 7 April 1912); Mabel Charlotte Smith (born 5 January 1914, bapt. 31 May 1914); Ernest Smith (born 4 May 1916, bapt. 30 July 1916); Harriett May Smith (born 12 May 1919, bapt. 15 June 1919); Basil Smith (born 23 February 1925, bapt. 3 May 1925); Sheila Barbara Smith (born 10 April 1928, bapt. 20 May 1928); Harry Smith (born 4 January 1923, bapt. 4 March 1923).
• Harriet Ellen Smith (born 1887) married Jesse Hooper in the Headington registration district in the first quarter of 1908, and at the time of the 1911 census they were living in Quarry High Street with their first three children, but by 1923 they had moved to 23 Pitts Road. They had eleven children baptised at Holy Trinity Church: Winifred May Hooper (born 4 November 1908, bapt. 27 December 1908); Charles Thomas Edward Hooper (born 22 November 1909, bapt. 30 January 1910; Stanley Francis Hooper (born 17 March 1912, bapt. 26 May 1912; Thomas William Hooper (born 15 August 1913, bapt. 26 October 1913); William James Hooper (born 10 August 1915, bapt. 31 October 1915); Jesse Hooper (born 24 March 1918, bapt. 19 May 1918); Frederick Harry Hooper (born 10 June 1919, bapt. 17 August 1919); Frank John Hooper (born 14 May 1921, bapt. 10 July 1921); Betty Annie Hooper (born 26 January 1923, bapt. 1 April 1923); Jean Edith Hooper (born 23 September 1924, bapt. 18 January 1925); and Eric Norman Hooper (bapt. 10 November 1926).
• Harry Smith (born 1892) also died in the First World War: see separate entry