Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Thomas Lee, a farmer, born in the January quarter of 1857 in Messingham, Lincolnshire and baptised as Thomas Wakefield Lee on the 22nd February 1857 in Holy Trinity Church, Messingham (son of William Lee, 1817 and Martha Wakefield, 1828) and his wife Edith Emily Lee (nee Matthews, married on the 31st July 1880 in St. Andrew’s Church, Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire), born in the April quarter of 1858 in Kirton in Lindsey (daughter of William Matthews, 1824 and Mary, born 1824). William Matthews was born on the 8th February 1890 in Messingham, his siblings were, Emily Mabel, a schoolgirl, born in the July quarter of 1881, Ethel Mary, a schoolgirl, born in the October quarter of 1883, Frances Matthews, a schoolgirl, born in the April quarter of 1884 and Elizabeth, a schoolgirl, born in the January quarter of 1888, all his siblings were born in Messingham, in April 1891 the family home was at Hollywood Farm, Butterwick Road, Messingham.
In April 1901 William was residing in the family home at Hollywood, Messingham, together with his father, a farmer, his mother and siblings, Emily, an assistant house keeper, Frances, a pupil teacher, Margaret Annie, a schoolgirl, born in the April quarter of 1886 in Messingham, Elizabeth, a schoolgirl, Charles Thomas, born in the January quarter of 1893 and Arthur Wakefield, born in the January quarter of 1901, the latter two siblings were both born in Messingham.
In April 1911 William was absent from the family home at Hollywood, Messingham, residing there was his father, a farmer, his mother and siblings, Elizabeth, Charles, assisting on the farm, Arthur and Ralph Owen, born in the January quarter of 1907 in Messingham, meanwhile William was employed as a farmer and was residing at Wytchley Warren Farm, Edith Weston, Rutland, together with his visiting sister, Ethel, an education student.
He was educated at Thorne Grammar School and moved to a farm at Wytchley Warren in April 1907. After enlistment he embarked for France on the 28th March 1915, taking part in the second Battle of Ypres, when the Leicestershire Yeomanry, with other dismounted cavalry regiments took over the lines just in time to meet the brunt of what was the most severe attack of all. It was here, north of the Ypres – Menin Road, that this division was exposed for fourteen hours to a perfectly hellish fire, which blew to pieces the trenches in front and the shelters behind and, although suffering severely, they hung on to the trenches, hurled back the enemy advance, and actually advanced and attacked with the bayonet. He met his death at Aire-sur-la-Lys when he suffered a serious leg wound from a rifle grenade, the limb was amputated and he died from septic poisoning.
William’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 and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire into the Regular Army. 12/14.
Joined. At Place and date not known.
Posted. To Leicestershire Yeomanry. Date not known.
Allotted the Regimental Service number 2676.
Posted. To 1/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry. Pte. Date not known.
First entered the theatre of war in France. 1/4/15.
Died of wounds on the 9/3/16.
Buried in Aire Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Headstone inscription. “He gave himself Freely.”
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In the event of his death, William nominated his father, Thomas as his sole legatee.
On Friday 17th, March 1916, The Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury published the following article on page 6, under the heading. – EDITH WESTON. – WOUNDED SOLDIERS. – While carrying from the trenches a mortally wounded comrade, Trooper W. Lee, of Wytchley Warren Farm, who belongs to the Leicestershire Yeomanry, received serious wounds in the right leg from a shell, and amputation of the limb was necessary.
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