William Frank Littleproud
Rank: Private
Lifetime: 1886-1916
Reference: G13446
Wooden memorial board in All Saints’ Church, New Haw, on which William Frank Littleproud was commemorated
Private William Frank Littleproud (G13446) of the 11th Battalion of The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) died of his wounds on 7 October 1916. He is buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery.
Littleproud was a local family. An earlier William Littleproud was the proprietor of The Grove Tap beerhouse (now Navigator House) at 60 High Street in 1878). I would like to thank Howard Slatter for the use of the results of his genealogical research.
William Frank Littleproud was born in 1886 in Hampton Wick where he was baptised on 4 April 1886 at St John the Baptist Church. His parents were George William Littleproud (1863-1926) and Hannah Maria Cox (1865-1928). At the time of the 1891 Census, William lived on Gravel Pit Hill at 4 Gravel Pit Cottages (71 High Street), Hampton Wick. Ten years later he is recorded as living nearby on the High Street, working as a stable boy. His father was a groom (although, by the time of the 1911 Census, he had become a “Motor Bus Washer”).
By 1911, William’s parents were living with his maternal grandparents, James and Susan Cox, at 67 High Street. However, William himself was by then living at 7 School House Lane, Teddington. He had married Alice Edwin on 10 May 1905 at St John the Baptist Church. By 1911, they had four children: Florence (5); Willie (4); Wellie (2) and Sidney (6 months). By that time, William was employed as a lamp lighter for the Hampton Court Gas Works
Subsequently, William and Alice moved out of the Hampton Wick/Teddington area, as according to his entry in UK Soldiers who Died in the Great War, he gave his place of residence as Addlestone when he enlisted. In 1919 his wife is registered on the electoral rolls of New Haw, near Addlestone as living at 10 King’s Road. He was, therefore, commemorated on three local war memorials: the war memorial at All Saints Parish Church, Church Road, Addlestone; the war memorial at All Saints Parish Church, Woodham Lane, New Haw and on the memorial gates at Addlestone’s Victory Park, Chertsey Road, Addlestone.
We are very grateful for Jim Knight’s kind assistance with supplying details of Private Littleproud’s association with the Addlestone area and also for his clarification on his inclusion on the various local memorials.
