WAR MEMORIALS IN THE PARISH OF NORTHOP
The villages of Northop, Northop Hall and Sychdyn (Soughton)
The villages of Northop, Northop Hall and Sychdyn (Soughton)
Name William Bromwell Driver
Regiment Royal Welsh Fusiliers also Welsh Regiment
Service Rank and Number Private 5793 (RWF) and Private 60984 (WR)
Military Cemetery/Memorial Soissons Memorial
Ref No. of Grave or Memorial
Country of Cemetery/Memorial France
Medals Awarded British War Medal 1914 - 1920 Victory Medal 1914-1919
Date and Circumstances of Death About 28th May 1918 Killed in Action in France aged 21
Biographical Details Known
William Bromwell's early family life was sad and difficult.
His father was William Anthony Driver a man who had been born in Rochdale but had settled with his parents and large family of brothers and sisters in Wrexham. William Anthony Driver met and married a Sychdyn girl in 1893. She was Sarah Elizabeth Wakely, the daughter of Robert and Patience Wakely who lived in Garden Cottages Sychdyn. (These are houses situated on the right hand side of the main road as you go from Sychdyn to Northop and were the homes provided for gardeners on the Bankes's Estate of Soughton Hall.) Sarah's father Robert was head gardener for the Bankes family.
William and Sarah lived in Wrexham in Holt Road. The first three children Edith, William Bromwell and Elizabeth were born. The fourth child's birth (Eva Sarah), on 27th December 1898, resulted in tragedy. Sarah Elizabeth died 9 days after Eva was born leaving a motherless family of four which included a new baby. William Anthony Driver had to take some tough decisions.
The 1901 census tells us how he had dealt with his situation. The young family had been split up. William Bromwell was living with his Wakely grandparents in Garden Cottages, Sychdyn. He was by then 4 years old. Edith who was then 6 had gone to live with an Aunt and Uncle, Hannah and Henry Wakely at Tai Cochion, Sychdyn.
Widower, William Anthony Driver aged 30 was living with his parents in Wrexham, helping to run their fish and chip shop in 1901. One of the members of the large family is a 2 year old Eva. So far, Elizabeth has not been located on the 1901 census.
Members of the family have told us that soon afterwards, William Anthony Driver emigrated to the United States, taking with him Eva and Elizabeth. They went to Los Angeles where William Anthony remarried. The other two children, William Bromwell and Edith were left behind in North Wales with their Wakely relatives.
As a young woman, Edith worked at Sychdyn Co op. She went on to marry a local man and raised a family in Sychdyn. She had at one time, her own shop in London Road, Sychdyn.
William Bromwell remained in Sychdyn with his grandparents until he joined the army, went to France and was killed when he was 21. How sad is that? I wonder how long it took the news to reach his father and sisters in America?
We were given an article by a member of the family 'Fond Memories of a Soughton childhood'. It was written by Margaret Wiltshire a relative of this family. (Her grandfather, Robert T Wakely was the brother of Sarah Elizabeth Driver). Unfortunately we have no idea when it was written or in which publication it appeared. We reproduce it in full here, and hope that some members of the Driver /Wakely family see it. She did not not mention in the article, her Great Aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Driver nee Wakely or her mother's cousin Private William Bromwell Driver but she paints a wonderful picture of Sychdyn in the years before The Great War.
Regiment Royal Welsh Fusiliers also Welsh Regiment
Service Rank and Number Private 5793 (RWF) and Private 60984 (WR)
Military Cemetery/Memorial Soissons Memorial
Ref No. of Grave or Memorial
Country of Cemetery/Memorial France
Medals Awarded British War Medal 1914 - 1920 Victory Medal 1914-1919
Date and Circumstances of Death About 28th May 1918 Killed in Action in France aged 21
Biographical Details Known
William Bromwell's early family life was sad and difficult.
His father was William Anthony Driver a man who had been born in Rochdale but had settled with his parents and large family of brothers and sisters in Wrexham. William Anthony Driver met and married a Sychdyn girl in 1893. She was Sarah Elizabeth Wakely, the daughter of Robert and Patience Wakely who lived in Garden Cottages Sychdyn. (These are houses situated on the right hand side of the main road as you go from Sychdyn to Northop and were the homes provided for gardeners on the Bankes's Estate of Soughton Hall.) Sarah's father Robert was head gardener for the Bankes family.
William and Sarah lived in Wrexham in Holt Road. The first three children Edith, William Bromwell and Elizabeth were born. The fourth child's birth (Eva Sarah), on 27th December 1898, resulted in tragedy. Sarah Elizabeth died 9 days after Eva was born leaving a motherless family of four which included a new baby. William Anthony Driver had to take some tough decisions.
The 1901 census tells us how he had dealt with his situation. The young family had been split up. William Bromwell was living with his Wakely grandparents in Garden Cottages, Sychdyn. He was by then 4 years old. Edith who was then 6 had gone to live with an Aunt and Uncle, Hannah and Henry Wakely at Tai Cochion, Sychdyn.
Widower, William Anthony Driver aged 30 was living with his parents in Wrexham, helping to run their fish and chip shop in 1901. One of the members of the large family is a 2 year old Eva. So far, Elizabeth has not been located on the 1901 census.
Members of the family have told us that soon afterwards, William Anthony Driver emigrated to the United States, taking with him Eva and Elizabeth. They went to Los Angeles where William Anthony remarried. The other two children, William Bromwell and Edith were left behind in North Wales with their Wakely relatives.
As a young woman, Edith worked at Sychdyn Co op. She went on to marry a local man and raised a family in Sychdyn. She had at one time, her own shop in London Road, Sychdyn.
William Bromwell remained in Sychdyn with his grandparents until he joined the army, went to France and was killed when he was 21. How sad is that? I wonder how long it took the news to reach his father and sisters in America?
We were given an article by a member of the family 'Fond Memories of a Soughton childhood'. It was written by Margaret Wiltshire a relative of this family. (Her grandfather, Robert T Wakely was the brother of Sarah Elizabeth Driver). Unfortunately we have no idea when it was written or in which publication it appeared. We reproduce it in full here, and hope that some members of the Driver /Wakely family see it. She did not not mention in the article, her Great Aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Driver nee Wakely or her mother's cousin Private William Bromwell Driver but she paints a wonderful picture of Sychdyn in the years before The Great War.
Below is a better quality version of the same photograph. Robert Wakely and his wife Patience
(in the white apron), the grandparents of William B Driver who brought him up in this house, Garden Cottage, after his mother died.
The older lady stooped is Patience's mother.
(in the white apron), the grandparents of William B Driver who brought him up in this house, Garden Cottage, after his mother died.
The older lady stooped is Patience's mother.
Many thanks to family members Bill Wakely and Glyn Blackwell for help with this item.
Northop Parish Magazine
September 1918
'Roll of Honour
....other anxious parents in the Parish who are eagerly expecting to hear from their missing sons. We are sorry to hear that Ben Jones East Northop, Willie Piercy, Soughton and Willie Driver The Gardens are still unreported. They were all on the Western Front when they disappeared. We sincerely hope they will soon be heard of and that they are fairing pretty well amongst others who are prisoners of war.'
September 1918
'Roll of Honour
....other anxious parents in the Parish who are eagerly expecting to hear from their missing sons. We are sorry to hear that Ben Jones East Northop, Willie Piercy, Soughton and Willie Driver The Gardens are still unreported. They were all on the Western Front when they disappeared. We sincerely hope they will soon be heard of and that they are fairing pretty well amongst others who are prisoners of war.'