Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

B. Company, 9th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.

Details of his death appear across a range of British newspapers:

Yorkshire Evening Post 17th July 1916 "Lieutenant Wilfred E. Waud, Northumberland Fusiliers, who died in action on July 7th, was 40 years old, and unmarried. He was on the staff of the Yorkshire Penny Bank (Central Office), and joined the Leeds University O.T.C. soon after the outbreak of war, and he wen tot he front early this year. Mr Waud lived in St. Michael's Terrace, He, Headingley, and was a Freemason and a member of the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club."

His portrait image credited to Rosemont appeared in this article and the same piece appeared the next day in the Leeds Mercury 18th July, 1916.

The Chelmsford Chronicle 28th July, 1916 provides a little more context. "Mrs. E. Moat, Mill House, Battlesbridge, has been informed that her brother, Lieut. W.A. Waud, Northumberland Fus., was killed in action on July 7, while leading his men into an engagement. He was 41 years of age, and the youngest son of the late Rev. Samuel W. Waud, for many years rector of Rettendon."

Masonic :

The contribution records of the Goderich Lodge, Leeds, No. 1211 show that he was a Bank Clerk when initiated in 1914. The final annotation shows "Killed in Action 7th July 1916."

He is listed in the 1921 Book, the Masonic Roll of Honour under Lt. W.E. Wand.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley