Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of George Summerfield, a stone quarry worker, born 31st August 1867 in Huncote, Leicestershire and his wife Annie Ophelia Summerfield (nee Wain, married on the 30th April 1894 in All Saint’s Church, Narborough, Leicestershire), born 8th August 1872 in Markfield, Leicestershire. Wilfrid was born in 1895 in Huncote and was baptised on the 21st April 1895 in All Saint’s Church, Narborough, his siblings were, Leonard, born 26th August 1896 and Winifred, born 16th August 1899, both his siblings were born in Huncote, in March 1901 the family home was at The Grocer’s Shop and Post Office, Huncote. In April 1911 Wilfrid was employed as a brickyard labourer and was residing in the family home at 7, George Eliot Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, together with his father, a stone quarry sett maker, his mother and siblings, Leonard, a grocer’s errand boy, Winifred, a schoolgirl and Doris Mabel, a schoolgirl, born 20th June 1901 in Huncote. In 1939 Wilfrid’s father was residing in the family home at 231, College Street, Nuneaton, together with his mother and siblings, Winifred a tennis ball manufacturer’s worker and Doris, a hosiery trade splice cutter, his father died aged 79 in September 1946 in Nuneaton and his mother died aged 88 in March 1961 in Nottingham.
Wilfrid’s Army enlistment documents do not survive, all that is known of his military service is that he enlisted into the The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), being allotted the service number 13397, and was posted as a Rifleman to the 10th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and with this unit he first entered the theatre of war in France on the 11th July 1915, attaining the rank of Lance Corporal. He suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh and was admitted to the Derbyshire Hospital, Derby on the 3rd October 1915. He was awarded the 1914-15 STAR, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
The War Diary records: 14-27 May-16 – A counter attack was arranged for the 14/15th to drive the enemy out. Cooperation by heavies and field guns was provided. But the actuality did not much succeed in cowing the enemy. Instead it found him very lively and the result was that the attack cost us much and obtained little result. The Battalion at this time were carrying bombs. For all our work on the two nights and especially for our work on the 11th we were congratulated by the Brigadier.
In these few days we had lost a good many men and several officers and when the line was extended further to the right with the arrival of the new Battalions from the 9th Division we were not sorry to find ourselves in anew part of the line slightly more peaceful from that we had left. We were now South of the HULLUCH Road and work here was quite of the usual trench nature. We had a good few unlucky casualties in wiring including Captain GLEGG but apart from them there was nothing to report till we came out of the trenches altogether on the 27th May.
After the fateful 27th January we were not too sanguine of any other 27th as we went out rumours of enemy activity did not completely leave us happy about the prospects of the rest in store for us. And so it happened. Hardly had we got back to BETHUNE and into billets and enjoyed a quiet rest for one night then on the second, special precautions against a move having been taken, then we moved. And we got away just within two and a half hours allotted to us. Two of our Companies were resting at NOYELLES and two in BETHUNE. The Companies at NOYELLES moved to the keeps at VERMELLES and the two in BETHUNE to NOYELLES. No sooner there than the latter were moved to the village line which they reoccupied as dawn broke. Headquarters at CLARKES KEEP.