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Walter Melville Wills 1861-1941 Walter was born about 1861, the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson, at Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire. He married Louisa Gertrude Wilson, Louisa Gertrude Wilson 1862-1936 Louisa was born about 1862, in Hankow, China. She became a British Subject. I have identified the following children. |
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| Walter Douglas Melville | Born abt 1888 | Bristol | |||
| Robert Bruce Melville | Born abt 1890 | Bristol | |||
| Maitland Cecil Melville | Born 30 Nov 1891 | Bristol | Married Gladys Aimee Fothergill Hughes | ||
| Harold Edgar Melville | Born abt 1896 | Leigh Woods | |||
| Elsie Gertrude Melville | Born abt 1902 | Leigh Woods |
| Walter Melville Wills |
b: abt 1861 Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire 1861 3Q Clifton 6a 65 son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson |
| Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
b: abt 1862 Hankow, China |
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abt 1887 Walter Melville Wills Louisa Gertrude Wilson | Hampstead, London 1887 1Q Hampstead 1a 965 |
| Walter Douglas Melville Wills |
b: abt 1888 Bristol, Gloucestershire 1888 1Q Barton Regis 6a 55 son of Walter Melville Wills and Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
| Robert Bruce Melville Wills |
b: abt 1890 Bristol, Gloucestershire 1890 3Q Bristol 6a 35 son of Walter Melville Wills and Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
| 1891 Census | RG12-1964 | 6 April 1891 | St. Michael, Bristol | ||
| 9 Elton Road (Alfarnses) | |||||
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Walter M. Wills Louisa G. (Wife) Walter D. M. Robert B. M. Plus 4 Servants |
Age 29 Age 28 Age 3 Age 10 Mo. |
Tobacco Manufacturer |
Bristol Hankow Bristol Bristol |
China |
abt 1861 abt 1862 abt 1887 abt 1890 |
| Maitland Cecil Melville Wills |
b: 30 Nov 1891 Bristol, Gloucestershire 1892 1Q Bristol 6a 37 son of Walter Melville Wills and Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
| Harold Edgar Melville Wills |
b: abt 1896 Leigh Woods, Somerset 1896 4Q Bedminster 5c 650a son of Walter Melville Wills and Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
| 1901 Census | RG13-2353 | 1 April 1901 | Long Ashton, Somerset | ||
| Bracken Hill | |||||
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Walter M. Wills Louisa G. (Wife) Walter D. M. Robert B. M. Maitland C. M. Harold E. M. Plus 6 Servants |
Age 39 Age 38 Age 13 Age 10 Age 9 Age 4 |
Managing Director of Tobacco Factory |
Bristol Hankow Bristol Bristol Bristol Leigh Woods |
Gloucestshire
China Gloucestshire Gloucestshire Gloucestshire Somersetshire |
abt 1861 abt 1862 abt 1887 abt 1890 abt 1891 abt 1896 |
| Elsie Gertrude Melville Wills |
b: abt 1902 Leigh Woods, Somerset 102 4Q Long Ashton 5c 541 daughter of Walter Melville Wills and Louisa Gertrude Wilson |
| 1911 Census | RG14-104 | 3 April 1911 | Long Ashton, Somerset | ||
| Bracken Hill, Leigh Woods, Bristol (18 Rooms) | |||||
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Walter Melville Wills L. Gertrude (Wife) Douglas Melville (Son) Cecil Melville (Son) Elsie Melville (Dau) Plus 6 Servants |
Age 49 Age 48 Age 23 Age 19 Age 8 |
Director Imperiel Tobacco Co. Clerk Imperiel Tobacco Co. Engineering Student |
Bristol Hankow Bristol Bristol Leigh Woods |
Gloucestershire China Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Somerset |
abt 1861 abt 1862 abt 1887br> 30 Nov 1891 abt 1902 |
| Louisa had Five children, and all are still living. | |||||
| Louisa Gertrude (Wilson) Wills | Died 10 Apr 1936, Age 73, 1936 2Q Westminster 1a 533 |
| WILLS, Louisa Gertrude - of Bracken Hill, Leigh Woods, near Bristol (wife of Walter Melville Wills) died 10 April 1936, at the Hotel Meurice, Bury-street, St. James, Middlesex, Probate Bristol, 2 July, to Walter Douglas Melville Wills Esquire and Maitland Cecil Melville Wills M.C. esquire. Effects £221,095 10s. 5d. |
| Walter Melville Wills |
Jan 27 1941 at Killian-by-Kyle, Ross-Shire |
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A BENEFACTOR OF BRISTOL The fifth son of the late Mr. Henry Overton Wills, one of the founders of the tobacco firm of W. D. and H. O. Wills, he joined the firm in 1887, and when the business was turned into a limited liability company he was one of the managing directors with his brothers Mr. G. A. Wills and the late Mr. H. H. Wills. After the formation of the Imperial Tobacco Company he continued as managing director up to the time of his retirement in 1912, since then he has |
occupied a seat on the board of directors of the Imperial Tobacco Company.
He was one of Bristol's greatest benefactors and will be remembered in particular for his great work for Bristol Homoeopathic Hospital, which he built as a memorial to his son Captain R. Bruce Wills, who was killed in the last War.
His gifts to this hospital amounted to over £250,000.
In 1932 the Rockefeller foundation offered the sum of £50,000 to the University of Bristol for the endowment of research in physics on condition that a further £25,000 was secured from other sources. Mr. Wills, already a benefactor of the university, offered the necessary £25,000 in memory of his brother, Mr. H. H. Wills, who founded the physics laboratory at the university at a cost of £200,000. |
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WILLS, Walter Melville - of Bracken Hill, Leigh Woods, Long Ashton, Somersetshire, died 26 January 1941, at Killilan-by-Kyle, Ross-shire, Probate Bristol 23 April, to Walter Douglas Melville Wills, landowner, Maitland Cecil Melville Wills, major H.M. Army, and Elsie Gertrude Melville Douglas, widow. Effects £4,432,980 19s 1d. |
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IN Memory of CAPTAIN ROBERT BRUCE MELVILLE WILLS 2nd (Wessex) Field Co., Royal Engineers Who Died Age 24 ON 15 Feb 1915 Recommended for V.C. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Melville Wills, of Bracken Hill, Leigh Woods, Bristol and of "Killilan", Ross-Shire; Husband of Beryl (Daisy) E. Wills, of Birdcombe Court, Wraxall, Somerset. Educated at Charterhouse, and Trinity College, Cambridge. REMEMBERED WITH HONOR |
| YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium |