Person Page - 384

Ronald Owen Wicks was born in Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire, on 22 November 1907.^1,2,3,4
The siblings Ronald and Geoffrey were listed in the 1911 census at Wickham Lane in Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire, with their parents, Harold Buckingham Wicks and Elizabeth Martha Hildreth.¹
The siblings Ronald, Geoffrey, Thora and Mary were listed in the 1921 census at Burke Cottage in Cookham Rise, Cookham, Berkshire, with their mother Elizabeth Martha Hildreth.⁵

Ronald's marriage to Annie Louisa Whyte was registered between July 1932 and September 1932 in Romford, Essex.⁶

He was listed in the 1939 Register at 63 Pymmes Green Rd in East Barnet, Hertfordshire, with Annie Louisa Whyte; he was an Equipment and Planning Engineer, also an Air Raid warden.⁴

Ronald died on 18 August 1985 in Worthing, Sussex, at age 77.^3,7

His will was probated in Winchester on 12 March 1986 with effects of £15398.⁷

She was baptised in Queenborough, Kent, on 6 January 1803.¹

Sarah's death was registered between July 1840 and September 1840 in Gravesend, Kent.²

Due to his father's name change, he was known throughout his life under the surname of WESTON.¹ Sidney Wicks was born in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, circa 1882.²

He married Mary Ann Carlquist at Presbyterian Church in Northcote, Auckland, on 23 June 1909.³

He was widowed on the death of his wife Mary on 17 September 1926.⁴

Sidney's second marriage was to Leonora Mary Rouse in 1929 in New Zealand.⁵

Sidney died on 10 November 1968 at 9 Tweed St in Herne Bay, Auckland, of arteriosclerosis and an aortic aneurism.² He was cremated at the Waikumete Cemetery in Waitakere on 12 November 1968.²

Sidney Buckingham Wicks was born in Landport, Hampshire, on 1 April 1851.^2,3,1 and was baptised on 4 September 1853 at St Marys in Portsea.⁴

After the death of his father in December 1859 his mother appears to have arranged for him to stay with his aunt and uncle, possibly for the whole period until his enlistment in the Royal Navy. This may be one of the reasons he later adopted the Weston surname.
He was listed as the nephew of Purton Weston in the 1861 Census at 20 Queen Sq in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.²

He enlisted in the Royal Navy, as Boy 2nd class (height 4' 9", hair dark, eyes blue) on 8 November 1865 at Portsmouth, Hampshire. He volunteered for service on that date at HMS Excellent (a stone frigate), but did not commence his ten year continuous service engagement until 1 April 1869.
We next find him signed on to HMS Rosario on 28 Aug 1869 in Sydney. The Rosario was an 11-gun sloop assigned to the Australian Station to address the problem of 'black-birding', the illegal kidnapping of Polynesian islanders for the Queensland labour market. The Rosario log also records him as having deserted in Auckland on 29 June 1870.^5,6

The 'Auckland Star' of July-Aug 1870 records the remand (from Tauranga to Auckland) of one George Weston, pleading guilty to being a deserter from HMS Rosario, and subsequently being remanded further until one of Her Majesty's ships appeared. Due to the continued lack of such a ship he was further remanded on the 29th of July and 5th of August, then on the 19th August, having spent 5 weeks in custody, was discharged, presumably as a free man.
We conclude this to be Sidney Wicks claiming to be George Weston, a name he used from now on.⁷

Sidney Buckingham Wicks was also known as George Weston after he deserted from HMS Rosario although there is some confusion surrounding the use of these two names. We have recorded here the known registration of the birth of the children (as 'WICKS') but all of them attended school as 'WESTON' and all except two also lived and married as 'WESTON'. There is also no record of a Sidney WICK's life in New Zealand, plus all the evidence suggests he lived as a WESTON in the Te Puke area as a general contractor and carrier and was buried as George WESTON, along with his wife Harriet.⁸

He married Harriet Tippett in Waiuku on 16 June 1881.⁹

He described himself as 'pilot boatman' on his son's birth certificate in 1885.¹⁰

Sidney died on 13 November 1915 in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, at age 64.^11,8 He was buried at the Te Puke Old Cemetery in Te Puke.¹¹

She was baptised at H M Dockyard Church in Sheerness, Kent, on 2 October 1797.¹

Sophia died before 1810 in Sheerness, Kent. This assumption is based on the re-use of the name 'Sophia' for her sister Sophia Augusta.

She was baptised in Queenborough, Kent, on 17 June 1810.¹

Sophia's death was registered between October 1862 and December 1862 in St George Southwark, London, Middlesex.²

She was baptised at H M Dockyard Church in Sheerness, Kent, on 9 July 1794.¹

Sophia died before 1797 in Sheerness, Kent. This assumption is based on the re-use of the name 'Sophia' for her sister.

Sydney Ernest Wicks was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on 23 January 1889.^2,3,1,4
The siblings Hilda, Irene and Sydney were listed in the 1891 census at 9 Victoria St in Portsea, Hampshire, with their mother Sarah Ann Murphy.⁵
The siblings Hilda, Irene, Sydney, Archibald and William were listed in the 1901 census at 126 Sheldon Rd in Edmonton, Middlesex, with their parents, Ernest Edward Wicks and Sarah Ann Murphy.³
The siblings Hilda, Sydney and William were listed in the 1911 census at 17 Durham Road in Edmonton, Middlesex, with their mother Sarah Ann Murphy. Sidney was a shipping clerk.⁶ He began military service on 27 February 1915 having enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps. His movements are unclear until after his marriage.⁷

He married Rose Emmeline Rust, daughter of Harold George Rust and Emma Elizabeth Ellen Snow, at Tanners End Mission Hall, Stalham Grove in Edmonton, Middlesex, on 22 May 1915. At the time of marriage Sidney described himself as a Private (RAMC), and ex-Insurance Agent, currently residing at the Military Hospital, Belfast; Rose was working as a machinist.⁸
He served with the 34th Field Ambulance, having been promoted to Corporal (#56399) on 12 Aug 1915. The 34th FA was landed ot Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on 6 Nov 1915, before being withdrawn in December to Alexandria.
He sailed from there on 3 Jul 1916 and landed at Marseilles on 8 Jul 1916 as part of the British Expeditionary Force. His records show he had leave from 16 - 25 Mar 1917 and suffered influenza in Nov 1918. The 34th FA supported battles in the Ypres area including Messines (Jun 1917) and Passchendaele (Jul 1917) and was in northern France by 1918. He was eventually ‘despatched for demobilisation’ on 8 Mar 1919 from Denain Nord in northern France.⁹

He signed the register at Albert Frederick Rust and Ethel Mary Larkin's wedding at Cassland Road Wesleyan Chapel in Hackney, London, Middlesex, on 24 July 1920.^10,11
He was listed as a visitor to Albert Henry Lane's household in the 1921 Census at 37 Sheldon Rd in Edmonton, Middlesex, with his wife and young daughter and was working as an assistant to a handkerchief manufacturer.¹²

He signed the register at William Cyril Wicks and Annette Winifred Frances Clements's wedding at St Matthews Church in Ponders End, Enfield, Middlesex, on 25 December 1928.^13,14

He was listed in the 1939 Register at 1 Bulwer Rd in Edmonton, Middlesex, with Rose Emmeline Rust; he was working as the London rep for a Hankerchief Manufacturer. Hazel Wicks was listed as living at the same address.⁴

Sydney, as the father of the bride, attended Sylvia Wicks and Kenneth James Merison's wedding in Edmonton, Middlesex, on 8 August 1952.^2,15

Sydney died on 3 January 1961 at Silver St in Edmonton, Middlesex, at age 71 on his way to the Nth Middlesex Hospital after running in front of a bus at 11 pm on his way home from a Freemason’s meeting.^2,16,17,18

His will was probated in London on 6 March 1961 with Rose Emmeline Rust appointed administrator of an estate of £1386/2/10.¹⁷

Sylvia Wicks was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, on 26 November 1927.¹

She married Kenneth James Merison in Edmonton, Middlesex, on 8 August 1952. There were no children from this marriage.^2,3

She was widowed at age 73 on the death of her husband Kenneth in April 2001.⁴

Sylvia died on 28 September 2007 in Enfield, Middlesex, at age 79.^5,6

Her will was probated in Winchester on 21 July 2008.⁵

Thora's birth was registered between January 1912 and March 1912 in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.^2,1
The siblings Ronald, Geoffrey, Thora and Mary were listed in the 1921 census at Burke Cottage in Cookham Rise, Cookham, Berkshire, with their mother Elizabeth Martha Hildreth.²