William Trayton Cornford (known as Trayton), was born in Plumpton, Sussex in 1891.  He appears on the 1901 census living at Spenses Farm, Chailey with his family.  The household comprised Henry Cornford (head, married, aged 33, working as a carter on a farm), his wife Ellen Maria Cornford (aged 29), four children and Henry’s parents.  The children were: John Henry Cornford (aged 11), Trayton (aged nine), George Thomas Cornford (known as Tom and aged four) and an adopted son, Edward Mitchell, aged 11.  Henry’s parents are noted as John Cornford, aged 73 but still working as an agricultural labourer, and Caroline Cornford aged 70.

 

At some point prior to the First World War, the family had moved away from Sussex and Trayton, Tom and their father had been working at Warfield Hall in Berkshire, home to General Brownlow between 1890 and his death in 1916.  Here they had helped train horses.

 

Trayton’s service record has not survived but he enlisted in September 1914 at Roeheath, Chailey and probably with his brother Tom.  He would be killed on 18th November 1916, the last day of the Battle of the Somme, whilst serving with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI).  His entry in the Book of Remembrance in York Minster (taken from Soldiers Died in The Great War) notes, “formerly 4217 Corps of Lancers”. 

 

By the time Trayton went to France however, he had transferred with his brother Tom to the KOYLI and been given the number 23219 (Tom’s number was 23220).  These numbers were not issued until May 1915 and so it seems likely that Trayton and Tom were both at the regimental depot in Pontefract at this time.

 

The brothers arrived in France on 13th July 1915 and Trayton was killed the following year whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion.  He is buried at Serre Road Cemetery no 1, one of 698 identified casualties there, and is also commemorated on the memorial in Warfield church, Berkshire.

 

Sources and Acknowledgements

• The National Archives: Medal Index Card
• 1901 Census for England and Wales
• Trayton Cornford's nephew Stan Cornford with whom I have communicated over many weeks and who kindly sent me much information and privately printed family histories detailing the war service of Trayton and his two brothers.