Leslie Caradoc William’s was birth was registered in the June quarter of 1895 in Chester.( Volume: 8a Page:409)

Between the 1891 and 1901 censuses, Leslie’s father, William T. Williams had died.  I found a death certificate in the name of William Thomas Williams in 1899 at Chester, (CAT/70/60), but would need to get the certificate to confirm.

Leslie Caradoc was recorded  on the 1901 census living with his family at “Monksdale”, Victoria Road, Chester. Mary E. Williams, widow, was head of the household. She was  a Draper Shopkeeper who had been  born in Ireland.  Her listed children were Horace G 13,  Vincent G 11, Hilda M 9, Daisy 8,  Leslie 5 (The enumerator mistakenly listed Leslie as a daughter) and  Gwendoline, 3.   There was a boarder, Gertrude Howell,  23 who was  a Draper’s Assistant. Also in the household were servants  Janne  Hancock (Nurse), 16 and   Janet Green a domestic servant.

The 1911 census records that there had been a  move by the family. They were then living at Aston Hall Farm, Hawarden, Flintshire,  a house with 11 rooms. Head of the household on this census was the eldest son Horace who was then 23 and  a Farmer. His brothers and sisters were listed as  Vincent, 21, a Draper, Leslie 16,  a School Boy,  Hilda 19, Daisy 18 and Gwendoline 14 . The widowed mother Mary Elizabeth was 50 and a Draper. Her birth place was named as Tpperary. There was a boarder Ann Jones – a Milliner  and  three servants, William Watkins 15 a farm boy,  a housemaid, Agnes Latham, 17, and Jennie Weigh a cook.

Hawarden County School Register  fills in Leslie’s story a little.   Date of birth – 1st April 1895.  Adress – Aston Hall Farm, Hawarden.   Father’s occupation – Ladies Outfitter.   Date of entry – 2nd May 1910.   Previous School – King’s School , Chester.   Date of leaving – Xmas 1912.  Occupation – Art. Solicitor (Articled?)

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk, confirms some of the information above. His Medal Index Card also on Ancestry supplies additional details. The medal card tells us that Leslie’s first Regiment was the ‘Inns of Court Officer Training Corps’. He then joined the Royal Field Artillery Territorial Force.  His first Theatre of War was France and he entered this on the 2nd July 1917.

Leslie Caradoc Williams left a will which was listed in the  England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations). It says

Williams, Leslie Caradoc of The Mount, Queen’s Park, Chester, second-lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery died 27 August 1917 in France.   Probate Chester 7 April to William Rutherford WILLIAMS draper and Frederick Llewellyn JONES Solicitor.    Effects £715 18s 6d.Probate Date:     7 Apr 1919

Commonwealth War Graves additional information: Son of W. T. and Mary E. Williams, of The Chalet, Queen’s Park, Chester. Follow the link below.

Inns of Court Officer Training Corps.

Extract taken from Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inns_of_Court_Regiment
In 1908 the Territorial Force was formed and the Regiment became the 27th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Inns of Court); but almost immediately it was changed into an officer training unit under the designation the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps (I.C.O.T.C.) with responsibility for training literally thousands of British officers prior to their deployment on the front line. The Regiment had an establishment of one squadron of cavalry (I.C.O.T.C. Squadron, formerly “B” (M.I.) Company) and three companies of infantry. In 1914, the Inns of Court Reserve Corps was formed, consisting of former members of the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteers; and in 1917 the 1st Cadet Battalion, Inns of Court, was formed to train boys under military age.