Who was Frederick Knight Wynn? That’s a question that I’ve often asked myself. Every Remembrance Sunday I join the crowds of local residents who come to pay their respects to the fallen of recent wars and to remember their ultimate sacrifice. I listen as their names are read out, and I want to know more about their lives and deaths, and to understand their sacrifice and the effect of their passing on their families. And so, I decided the least I could do was to find out about the people named, their lives, their deaths, their families and share their stories. Today, I’m sharing the story of F.Wynn.
F. Wynn was Major Frederick Knight Wynn – Service Number 127454 of the Royal Ordnance Corps who died on war service 31st January 1945, buried at Phaleron War Cemetery, Greece.
Frederick’s Childhood and Family Background
Frederick was born on 11th June 1906 in Kings Norton, the youngest child of Howard Seymour Wynn and Linda Margarita Knight. He was baptised in Castle Bromwich on 1st August 1906.
His father worked in his family’s business as a tool manufacturer. The business had been in operation for almost 120 years having been founded in 1787. On the 22nd January 1887 the Birmingham Post reported on the firm’s centenary.
The 1911 census shows young Frederick and his family living at 19 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston with a Governess and another two servants, a cook and a house maid, living in the house with the family.
Frederick’s Grandparents – The Knight Family and Whateley Hall
Frederick’s mother, Linda Margarita Knight, was the daughter of Frederick Knight and Clara Louisa Stone. Her father purchased Whateley Hall, Castle Bromwich from the Newton family and it was here that Clara spent the majority of her childhood. Whateley Hall was the second largest property in Castle Bromwich, spreading from Whateley Green back as far as what is now Green Lane and encompassing the Whateley Estate in between.
The family lived in the house until it was demolished in 1935 and the new houses on what is now the Whateley Hall Estate.
In 1862 Frederick had co-founded a paper making company with his wife’s brother, photographer, Sir John Benjamin Stone M.P., and Thomas Bird Smith. The company, Messrs. Smith, Stone and Knight Ltd., was one of the largest producers of brown paper and paper bags in the country.
Frederick’s Marriage and Pre-War Adult Life
It would appear from the records found to date that Frederick Knight Wynn was able to benefit from the businesses established and run by his ancestors. Whilst inter-war records are limited, it is known that he was listed as a Director in a number of the family businesses. In 1929 he married Dorothy Rosa Betts in Richmond, Surrey.
After his marriage Frederick is known to have lived in several locations, but he spent a considerable amount of time at the Knight family home, Whateley Hall. Whilst here, he had a few brushes with the law; in the first instance for failing to keep a dangerous dog under control, and in the second for allowing “six beasts” to stray in Water Orton Road.
Whateley Hall was sold in 1935, after which time records show Frederick living at 139 Chester Road. The house now standing at 139 Chester Road is a modern build, so clearly not the one that Frederick lived in.
Frederick and WW2
We don’t know when Frederick entered the Theatre of War, but he seem to have been given a safe a commission as possible as a Major attached to a Ordnance Corps. He is likely to have been responsible for supplies and repairs, an administrative post away from the battle line. We also don’t know how he died, but many in his position were killed by exploding bombs or stray ammunition. He died on 31st January 1945 and was buried in Greece. His wife, Dorothy, married Kenneth Price only a few months after his death.
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