Born: 1888, Bradford
Died: 29 August 1920, Eccleshill
Buried: Bradford
Address: 21 Norman Drive, Eccleshill
Parents: Walter and Anne, nee Carver
Spouse:
Siblings: Annie, Florence, Laura
Occupation: Shoddy sample man, wool warehouse
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Bombardier
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: St Luke’s Eccleshill
Children:
Regiment: Royal Field Artillery
Oswald Carver Wade
Oswald Carver Wade was born in
1888, the son of Walter and Ann,
nee Carver.
Ann died in 1894 aged 48 years
and by1911 the family had moved
to from their home at 1 Forster
Place, Bradford to 21 Norman
Drive, Eccleshill and at 22 years of
age Oswald was working as a
shoddy sample man in a wool
warehouse.
He enlisted on the 26th October
1915 in the 3/2nd West Riding
Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery
as Private 3607.
This brigade was a third line
reinforcement for the 2/2nd West
Riding Brigade. Initially raised in
Bradford it never served overseas
as it was a reserve for the first two
brigades.
Third line recruits often went into
existing units and Oswald
eventually became Bombardier
781494 in the Royal Field Artillery.
His unit served in Macedonia
throughout 1916/17/18 and on the
9th July 1918 Oswald was admitted
to hospital suffering from diarrhoea
before being discharged on the
10th.
His records show that he had two
years and four months service and
had been in the field for one year
and seven months as part of the
81st Battalion of the Small Arms
Unit.
Oswald died on the 29th of August
1920 in Bradford when he was 32
years of age. It is quite possible
that he had continued to suffer from
bouts of dysentery contracted in
Macedonia although he may have
been wounded in action during the
Battle of Monastir-Doiron in the
Balkans in September 1918.
Mention of his passing is recorded
in the Eccleshill Parish Magazine
for October 1920 under the heading
In Memoriam.
“Oswald Wade, one of our
sidesmen before the war and
retained on the list through the
period of his service and through
his long illness.
Oswald passed to rest on August
29th. All through that long and
trying illness his faith was strong
and his courage high. Now he has
been called to the higher service
and the sympathy of the Christian
brotherhood is extended to those
who, with human hearts, mourn the
loss of a true Christian man”.
In his will which was probated in
London on the 2nd October 1920
Oscar left his effects of £645.10.5d
to Norman Franklin Broxholme, an
administration assistant at the Air
Ministry. He does not appear to
have received a War Gratuity.
Researched and written by Jean
Britteon, to whom many thanks