4th Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Cecil John Talbot Rhys Wingfield was born at Kensington, London in on 25 July 1881, the fifth son of Edward Rhys and Edith Caroline Wingfield (née Wood). He was educated at Eton and was a noted athlete, winning a Junior Mile and coming second in the School Steeplechase and also at Sandhurst.
At the time of the 1891 and 1901 Census the family was living at Barrington Park, Great Barrington, on the Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire border: in the latter Cecil is shown as being a Second Lieutenant in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC). He had joined the KRRC in 1901 and served in the latter stages of the South African War, during operations in Orange River Colony. He was awarded the Queen’s Medal with clasps.
In October 1904 he married Lady Violet Neta Poulett (the younger daughter of Earl Poulett) and they had one son, Edward William Rhys Wingfield, born 26 August 1905, who, in May 1935, married the daughter of Admiral John Jellicoe (later 1st Earl Jellicoe), who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916.
By the time of the 1911 Census Wingfield was shown as serving in India and the 4th KRRC was located in there in August 1914, returning to the UK on 18 November 1914, when it joined 80 Brigade, 27 Division. The battalion landed at Le Havre on 22 December 1914.
The 4th KRRC War Diary (WO95/2262) notes that Captain Wingfield (he was promoted in January 1913) was wounded on 28 January 1915. The battalion was resting at Dickebusch until evening, when proceeding to St Eloi to take over trenches of Royal Irish. ‘A’ Coy was unfortunately badly led by a guide from Royal Irish. The moon was very bright and guide led them right out across the open. Fire was suddenly opened up on them and they suffered twelve casualties instantly. Captain Wingfield, the company commander, was slightly wounded and, finding an old trench nearby, he ordered the remainder of the company to roll into this and decided to wait until daylight to complete the relief. This was completed about dawn without further loss to this particular company. Casualties one Officer and ten wounded.
On 19 April 1915 (the War Diary notes) a draft of 58 men arrived with Captain C J T R Wingfield (now recovered from wounds). At 10.30pm on 20 April 1915 the battalion left Bellewarde Lake to relieve the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in trenches near Boschen Wood. There was heavy shelling all round the Salient on 23 April and the War Diary notes that Captain Wingfield was wounded (his grave headstone and a memorial inside St Mary’s Church, Great Barrington states this date to be one day later).
He was evacuated to a Base Hospital at Boulogne, where he died of his wounds on 29 April; he was 34 years old. Very unusually his body was conveyed back to the UK, where he was buried in Great Barrington Cemetery, with his wife erecting a private stone headstone to mark the grave. He is also commemorated on a memorial inside St Mary’s Church at Great Barrington and also on the village war memorial.
Probate was granted to his wife The Hon Violet Nita Wingfield (aka Lady Violet Wingfield). The Probate register noted that Wingfield’s address as the Bachelors’ Club, Piccadilly. He left £3419 2s 6d His wife died in 1966.
Researched by Graham Adams 21 March 2014 (revised)