Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Farley Baum a stone quarry worker, born in the January quarter of 1860 in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire (son of Joseph Baum, 1823-1900 and Eliza Perry, 1823-1907) and his wife Rebecca Baum (nee Westley, married on the 23rd February 1886 in St. Peter’s Church, Mountsorrel), born 1865 in Mountsorrel (daughter of George Wesley). Wilford was born in the April quarter of 1891 in Mountsorrel, he had one sibling, Alfred, a stone quarry sett maker, born in the July quarter of 1886 in Mountsorrel, in March 1901 the family home was at 3, Quorn Road, Mountsorrel. In April 1911 Wilford was employed as a blacksmith’s striker and was residing in the family home at 3, Quorn Road, Mountsorrel, together with his father, a stone quarry cutter and his mother. His older brother Alfred fell in action on the 3rd August 1916.
FAMILY NOTE: Wilford’s father was officially registered at birth with the Christian name spelling of Farley, but afterwards he appears to have adopted the spelling of Firley and Furley.
Wilford’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested in Mountsorrel, date not known.
Joined. At Leicester, date not known.
Posted. To Leicestershire Regiment. Private. Date not known.
Allotted the Regimental Service number 2301.
Posted. To 1/5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment (Territorial Force). “C” Company. Pte. Date not known.
First entered the theatre of war in France with the 1/5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment on the 28th February 1915.
Landed. Le Havre. 28th February 1915.
Promoted. Lance Corporal, date not known.
Promoted. Corporal, date not known.
Under the Army Council Instruction of 1917 that promulgated a new numbering system for all Territorial Force units, he was allotted the service number 240497.
Died of wounds. Accidental gas poisoning on the 21st June 1917.
Buried in Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, France. Headstone inscription. “GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.”
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In the event of his death, Wilford nominated his father, Firley as his sole legatee.
The War Diary records: 21 Jun-17 - RED MILL. Accidental gassing of “C” Company by ROYAL ENGINEERS, cylinders of gas fell in our line. Casualties 3 officers and 91 other ranks of whom 22 died.
The following is an account of the accident that befell the 1/5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment taken from the book “THE FIFTH LEICESTERSHIRE” by Captain J. D. Hills, M.C., Croix de Guerre.
At dusk on the 21st we received a message, and at once warned all ranks, the Special Brigade R.E. were going to carry out a gas bombardment on the mine buildings of Fosse 3. Projectors would be fired by a Company operating with the Canadian Corps, from whose front the buildings could be best attacked. The wind was satisfactory, and the buildings were at least 150 yards away from our nearest trenches, so there seemed no need of any special precautions. “C” Company, occupying Boot and Brick trenches, heard the familiar explosion as the projectors went off, and waited to hear them fall in the buildings. Instead, they fell in our trenches, several hundred of them; in a few seconds, and before any warning could be shouted, the trenches were full of phosgene, the deadliest of all gasses. Officers and men working hard to rouse those resting, and, in particular, 2nd Lieut. Banwell taking no heed for his own safety, went everywhere, rousing, rescuing and helping the badly gassed. But it was too late, and all through the night and next morning casualties were being carried out to Lievin and down the line. 2nd Lieut’s. Cragg and Macbeth both went to England, and, almost the last to leave the slag heap, 2nd Lieut. Banwell. His great strength had enabled him to survive longer than the others, but no constitution could stand all that phosgene, and during the morning he suddenly fainted, and had to be carried down. By the time he reached Lievin he was almost dead, and the Doctors held out no hope of his recovery. However, fed on oxygen and champagne he lasted a week, and then, to everybody’s surprise, began to recover. The greatest surprise of all was when this marvellous man refused to go to England, but preferred to remain in Hospital in France until fit enough to re-join his own Battalion. With the exception of Capt. Moore, who was fortunately on leave at the time, “C” Company was wiped out and temporarily ceased to exist. Twenty-four died from the poison, and in all sixty-two others of the Company went to Hospital. Most of these found their way to England, though one or two, such as Serjt. Needham and L/Cpl. Tookey, both fighting men, preferred to remain and return to us. “D” Company also had their losses, and Serjeant Sullivan and nine others were gassed, ten others wounded. The rest of the Battalion escaped untouched. The following night the 8th Sherwood Foresters came into the line, and we went back to Marqueffles Farm.
On Saturday June 30th 1917, The Leicester Mail published the following article under the heading. “DEATH OF MOUNTSORREL MEN.” – Sergt. E. Foulds (24), M.M., of the Leicester’s, has died on service from the effects of gas poisoning. His widowed mother lives in Water Lane, Mountsorrel. Pte. Wilfred Baum, of the Leicester’s, has died from gas poisoning. His parents, of Granite Cottage, Mountsorrel, have lost both their sons on the war.