William Wrentmore was born in Chelsea on 27th November 1868. He was the son of Isaac, a solicitor, and Katherine Wrentmore. William married Margaret Minnie Harrell in London in 1896. Margaret was born in Chalk Hill, London, in 1873. She was the daughter of Margaret Harrell, from Bury St Edmunds. In 1901, William and Marguerite, as she was now known, were living at Prospect Hill House in Headley, near Southampton. William was shown as being a poultry farmer living on his own means. A decade later the couple had moved to Merton Park, Surrey and William’s occupation was described as an “Engineer (Consulting)” and that he was living on his own account. Shortly afterwards, William and Marguerite moved to Studley on Melton Road.

William Wrentmore; Sergeant, 605th Mechanical Transport Company, Army Service Corps.

William was forty-six when the war started and close to the maximum age to enlist. However, he joined the Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport (MT) section on 3rd August 1915. In early 1916, he was posted to Salonika with the 605th Mechanical Transport Company, also known as the “No. 1 Special Service Column (MT)”. While in Salonika, William became ill and was transferred back to Britain for treatment. He was found to be medically unfit and discharged from the services on 9th January 1917.

For his war service, William received the British War and Victory Medals and the Silver War Badge. In 1920, William Wrentmore owned “Duke of York Piece”, in Woodbridge, (the site of the current Duke of York pub) where he had a motor works. William died in Chester on 15th August 1935.

Marguerite Wrentmore; Red Cross Volunteer.

Marguerite was a Red Cross Volunteer. She worked at Foxborough Hall Hospital in Melton between 3rd September and 24th December 1916. It is likely that she gave up her volunteering to take care of William upon his return from Salonika and release from hospital.

Marguerite died at the age of eighty-five, in 1960, while living in Chester