Born: 1858, Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland
Died: 19 February 1919, Eccleshill
Buried: Holy Trinity, Idle
Address: Fagley House, Eccleshill
Parents: George & Sarah, nee Rice
Spouse: Jane Amelia Sophia, nee Gray
Siblings: 14
Occupation: Soldier
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Captain
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: Eccleshill, Park and St Luke’s
Children: Annie Elizabeth, Arthur David, Nora, William
Regiment: Royal Field Artillery
William Rice Hayes
William Rice Hayes was born in
1858 in Cahir, County Tipperary,
Ireland, the son of George Hayes
and Sarah Rice.
Both parents were from
Northampton but George was a
long-serving soldier in the Royal
Artillery so the family moved
around a great deal and their 15
children were born in a number of
places.
William followed his father into the
Royal Artillery, enlisting c1877
when he was 19 years of age and as
he has not been found on the 1881
census it is likely that his unit was
serving in India.
On the 9th of March 1886 in
Cawnpore, Bengal, India he
married Jane Amelia Sophia Gray
the daughter of David Gray. Jane
had been born in 1865 in St John’s
Wood, London and William is
shown as a Sergeant in the Royal
Artillery. Their eldest child, Annie
Elizabeth was born in Cawnpore in
1887.
By 1891 William and his family
had returned to England and were
living at 28 Brompton Road,
Portsea and two more children had
been born, Arthur David in 1889 in
England and Nora in 1890 in
Ireland. Arthur David died in 1897.
On the1891 census William is
shown as a Master Gunner.
Another child, William Rice, was
born in Freshwater, Isle of Wight in
1898 and as the family do not
appear on the 1901
census it is likely that
William was again
serving abroad.
In 1911 William and his
family were living at
Seaforth, West Derby,
Lancashire. William is
now serving as a
Lieutenant and
Quartermaster at the
Royal Field Artillery
No. 3 Depot.
Nothing is known about
William’s War Service but he
retired on a pension as Captain
William Rice Hayes, Quartermaster
of the Yorkshire Field Artillery
Depot at Bradford after 40 years of
service. He died on the 19th of
February 1919 aged 60
years. In his Will his
address is shown as
Fagley Villa, Eccleshill,
Bradford.
He left his effects of
£353.9.8d to his wife
Jane who received this
amount on the 10th of
May 1919. Army
records show his wife’s
address as “Bait Bitah”,
Sea Lane, East Preston,
Littlehampton, Sussex.
William is buried in Holy Trinity
Churchyard, Idle.
.
Researched and written by Jean
Britteon, to whom many thanks
