William Raper (1891 - 1972)

Born 29 Jan 1891 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Lydia (Wright) Raper — married 9 Jun 1917 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Descendants

Died 6 Nov 1972 at age 81 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: A. C. Raper [send private message]

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Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Bob Raper, Sunday, March 15, 2015.
2. ↑ '1901 England Census', Class: RG13, Piece: 4222, Folio:..., Page:..., 8 ... Road, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Alexander Cheetham (Head).

William was born at 27 Cannon Street off Regent Street in the Leylands, then classed as North Leeds. It was a two bedroomed back to back house with cellar. It had gas lighting, but the toilet was outside in a yard, shared by eight families. William had an older brother George Henry and a younger brother Alexander, both named after their mothers brothers. He also had a younger sister named after her mother Grace Ann. The area was populated mainly by Jewish immigrants from Russia, drawn to Leeds by the large clothing factories for which the town became famous. When his mother committed suicide, William and his brothers and sister were taken in by their mothers parents and different sisters or they would have been put in the workhouse, William was aged 7, although separated they remained fond of each other all their lives, but hated their father as they blamed him for their mothers death. Williams sister Grace Ann was a boot machinist at Landis with her best friend Lydia Wright and was instrumental in introducing her to William. William lived with his Aunt Polly (Mary Ellen) in Bryon Street before joining the army at sixteen, giving a wrong age. He served in the First World War 1914-1918. Private W. Raper, 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment was mobilised on the outbreak of war, he proceeded to France with the Expeditionary Force and took part in the Retreat from Mons, also in the great battles of the Marne and the Aisnr. He fought in many actions in the year 1915, and, in the British Offence on the Somme in July 1916 was severely wounded. He recovered and rejoined his unit. He was taken prisoner in February 1918 but at the Armistice was released and demobilised in February 1919. He re-enlisted and went to India with the boxing team. he won the India Featherweight Championship in 1921. He holds the Mons Star, General Service and Victory Medals. After the war, He would not sleep in the same bed as his wife, as he had so much lice and skin problems. It was many weeks before he was completely clean. Williams love of boxing began at a very early age. He was the only non Jewish boy at Darley Street School so he was constantly in trouble. Once, while out with some friends, they called at a fairground and William took on the boxing booth champion to earn beer money. The other fighter was much bigger and though William won, his mouth was so swollen he could not drink for days. His last fight in the ring was at the age of 52 when he won the Army Northern Area Title. Between the two world wars he fathered nine sons. When he came home from India, William and Lydia got a two bedroom house in Wheat Street, Burmantofts where eight of his sons were born, the second youngest was born in hospital. Times were very hard, living conditions were poor and he had to take any job. He even took part in bareknuckle fights so he could put food on the table, In winter he would pray for snow so that he could get work as a snow shifter. When the second world war started the family had just moved to Halton Moor which was like heaven after the York Road area. William's two eldest sons Walter and Bill joined up and William was so annoyed that they had not told him, he joined up as well. His sons were in the West Yorkshire Regiment but William was put in the Duke of Wellington Regiment. Because of his previous experience he was soon promoted to sergeant. William should never have left the army between the wars, soldiering was something that he was very good at. Unfortunately he was invalided out in 1942 because of bronchitis, caused mainly by his heavy smoking. He got a job at the Neville Hill Railway Depot and was very happy there till his retirement at 65. His health was never good due to his bronchitis which got steadily worse and he remained a heavy smoker up to his death of pneumonia at the grand age of 82. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on the Remembrance Lawn in Cottingley Cemetry. His name is in the Book of Remembrance - open on June 11th.

Taken from his son Desmond Raper's journal 1998.