Lt. Thomas Jocelyn Wilford MC

1898 Jul 6. Born Epsom, Surrey. His father Thomas Herbert Wilford was a Merchant Navy Officer

1901 census with his mother and grandparents at Elm Bank, Worple Road, Leatherhead

1911 census living as a boarder at Castle House, College Green, Worcester which is part of The Kings School, Worcester.

1917 Sep 15. Commissioned.

1918 Feb 9 arrives in France

1918 Sep 16 MC . 2nd Lt. Thomas Jocelyn Wilford, R.F.A gazetted MC. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to - duty when his battery was covering the retirement of infantry and other batteries. As the enemy approached closely, he took command of all the men who could be spared, and with rifles protected the flanks of the battery while the guns remained firing, and finally kept the enemy off when the teams were brought up and the guns withdrawn. He set a magnificent example to his men.

1919 Mar 15 The undermentioned 2nd Lts. to be Lts. T. J. Wilford, 3rd Home Counties Bde.

1920 Dec 29 Joined ADRIC with service no 1341. Posted to M Coy

1920 survived the Clonfin ambush, an unwounded survivor of the party of 18; he managed to escape and went for assistance.

1922 Jan 19. Discharged on demobilisation of ADRIC

1922 Aug 30. Regimental List., Arty. 59th (Home Counties) Bde., R.F.A.—Lt. T. J. Wilford, M.C., from active list, to be Lt. 30th Aug. 1922.

1922 Jul 22. Leaves UK on SS Kinfauns Castle for Cape Town. (address given as 1Endsleigh Gdns, Surbiton) and he is now in South African Police. Travels 1st class.

1927 Aug 17 married in Umvuma, Zimbabwe to Mary Janet Edwards (1904–1973)

1935 Jan 18. Leaves UK with wife and 2 children (Miss A and Miss G) on SS Warwick Castle, bound for Cape Town. South African Police

1938 Jun 1. Arrives in UK on SS Llanstephan Castle with his wife Mary (who is 5 years younger than him) and daughters Geraldine (9) and Audrey? (10)

1938 Sep 9 Leaves UK on SS Carnarvon Castle with wife and two children, bound for Cape Town. He is in police in Rhodesia.

1949 Jun 29 Lt. T. J. WILFORD, M.C. (43380) having exceeded the age limit of liability to recall, ceases to belong to the T.A. Res. of Offrs.,

1950 Jun 2 divorced his wife Mary Janet Edwards (1904–1973)

1955 Dec 14. MacEoin was later to refer to a letter sent to him by T J Wilford from his home in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. In it Wilford says it was Richardson who escaped and got help. "Because of the intense cold I'm afraid my marksmanship was hampered by shivering not because of fright (save the mark!) but rather from chill by immersion in an Irish river in month of February. Richardson took refuge in the river on the other side of the bridge. He waded under the bridge in my direction and said: "Carry on, old boy, I'm off to get help from Ballinalee". With great daring he cut across the open country and although injured in the leg (or foot) managed to get out of range without further injury. He commandeered a vehicle at the point of his revolver and a ordered the driver to take him to Ballinalee from whence came reinforcements of the Black and Tans".

ABT 1980 died in Harare, Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe (Ancestry tree)

 

Clonfin Ambush