Wilfred Beck is born on the 27th October 1894 at 16 Neville Street, Brightside, Sheffield. He is the son of John Samuel Beck (1871-1947) and Mary Anne Beck nee Hart (1872-1942).

In 1901 the family are living at 44 Darwin Road. Wilfred is 6 years old. His father is a machinist. In 1904 his mother divorces John Samuel Beck and then gets married to a Henry Brookfield. His father marries Alice Maud Osborne in 1908 and Donald ( his half brother ) is born in 1910.

At the time of the 1911 census Wilfred Beck is a 16 year old warehouseman apprentice for a cutters and silversmiths firm. Donald Beck his half brother is 11 months old. They are living at 79 Clun Road, Sheffield ( now an industrial estate ). When Wilfred was a young man he joined an amateur dramatics group and took the part of a comedian. He liked to amuse people. The makings of a salesman perhaps?

The First World War commences on the 28th July 1914 and Wilfred is enlisted into the army in 1915. He is assigned to the 14th Battalion Suffolk Regiment and at the age of 21 he sees active service in France as a soldier. His army records show he is a Wesleyan Methodist. He is a short man only 5′ 2″ (1.57m) in height. Records show he had a pretty tough time with injuries, dysentry and a number of ailments caused mostly by the poor conditions of trench warfare.

On the 24th March 1917 he is re assigned to the 6th Battalion York & Lancashire Regiment. This battalion would see action in Flanders for the battle of Messines. There were high casualties and the battalion would also see action in several major battles in France. The war and military service ends for him and he is transferred back to the UK on the 18th September 1919.

Wilfred marries Edith Marshall on the 9th February 1922 at the Wincobank Parish Church. Their first child Hazel is born towards the end of 1922 and unfortunately dies as an infant.

Some of the large wholesalers employed commercial travellers. Today they would be called Sales Representatives. Wilfred Beck seems to have found his forte in furniture sales. This employment provides much better opportunities but requires him to move around the country and travel a lot.

Ruth Mary Beck is born on the 18th April 1929 at 95 Broadway East in Rotherham. The family remained in Rotherham until 1934 and then moved back to Sheffield. They spent some time in Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham and also in Halifax. In 1931 Wilfred Beck was mentioned in the Sheffield Daily telegraph. A boy aged 6 ran out straight in front of his car and unfortunately as a result of his injuries.

The inquest decided that Wilfred Beck was in no way to blame and a verdict of accidental death was recorded. This must have been quite traumatic for him. In 1939 the family are living at 27 Beechwood Drive in Halifax. With the outbreak of WWII Wilfred was 44 years of age and was not called up for active service. The call up age was between 18 & 41.

The Beck family would have been one of the few families with access to a motor vehicle. The Morris 8 was Wilfred’s favourite choice as he travelled around the country. The family finally moved to Cheltenham in 1940 not long after the outbreak of World War II.

Wilfred Beck was a keen water colour painter. He would paint landscapes but also people and drawings depicting scenes from daily life. Edith Beck passed away on the 24th April 1962 at Delancey Hospital in Cheltenham. Wilfred died on the 12th February 1968 at 20 Grosvenor Place in Cheltenham.

---