Henry was born in 1890 in Mold, Flintshire. The 1901 census places the family at The Nant Pontybodkin near Mold. The family consisted of the head, George H aged 40 a brickmaker, his wife Nellie aged 37 and their children Alice 1, Helena 12, Henry 9, Dorothy 8, Edith 6 and Jennie 3.
The next census of 1911 finds the family at Albert Avenue, Leeswood, Mold. Here we find George aged 50, now listed as a colliery fitter, his wife Mary Ellen (Nellie) 47 who it says was born in Northwich, Cheshire and the children at home were Helena 22, a schoolteacher, Jennie 13, George William 9, Charles Arthur 6 and Robert 2. There was no sign of Henry. We have found him however.
On census night of 1911, Henry Wheldon, aged 19 was a ‘visitor’ at the home of Mrs Emma Georgina Fenton (At least Fenton is what it looks like), of 1, Richmond Place, Chester.She was a 55 yar old widow who had been born in Bridlington, Yorkshire. There were two servants living in the house. Winifred Jones a 46 year old widow, a domestic cook who hailed from Llanferres in Denbighshire and Jane Jones a 35 year old housemaid from Pontblyddyn, Flintshire.
Before the war, Henry was a Police Officer in Bury Lancashire. The photographs below include a fantastic page from his police notebook.
‘UK soldiiers who died in The Great War 1914-1919’ accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk tells us that Henry enlisted in Manchester.
There is a card for Henry in the Flintshire Roll of Honour at the Flintshire Archives Office in Hawarden. It gives the regimental details as above although the regimental number is slightly different (132664). It says he served 13 months in East Africa and that he died of fever at Korogwe General Hospital. This card was signed by Gladys A Phillips 17 September 1919.
His army records include a handwritten death certificate signed by a Captain from the Royal Army Medical Corps at the no 19 Stationary Hospital Korogwe which is difficult to read but we think it says
Certified that No 134662 Private Wheldon H A.S.C 618 Coy died on the 26th November 1916 at No 19 Stationary Hospital Korogwe from
Blackwater feared and that to the best of my belief such disease or accident was not the result of his own imprudence or unconnected with the elements on service.
An army form listing his relatives confirms that Henry was single and that his parents were GH Wheldon and M E Wheldon who lived at Albert Street Leeswood, Mold. His brothers were listed as G William17, Charles Arthur 15, Herbert 11. His sisters were Alice 32, Helene 30, Dorothy27, Edith 25, Jennie Ethel 22.
Henry Wheldon is also named on the Leeswood Memorial