Wilfred (known as Cyril) was born in Sedgley, Dudley, on 21 January 1890, the son of Henry and Mary Hampson. By 1901 they were living at 19 Prole Street, Wolverhampton, along with his siblings John, Dorothy, Gertrude and Nellie. On 16 September 1903, Cyril became a Carboy in the Carriage Department of the London and North Western Railway, based at Wolverhampton Station. On 3 July 1905, he became a Junior Porter.

He resigned on 22 October 1908, and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (number 2147). He was based in Bermuda and Jamaica in 1911. When the First World War broke out, he started serving in France. On 1 January 1916 and again on 11 November 1916 he was “mentioned in despatches”. The first instance of this was announced in the Express & Star on 6 January 1916, by which date his home address was given as 8 Smestow Street, Springfields, Wolverhampton. He later became a Lieutenant in the Gloucestershire Regiment, and survived the war.

He is listed on the 1939 Register as Cyril W. Hampson, with a date of birth of 31 Jan 1890 and occupation Unemployed – Assistance Board (Civil Servant). He was living at 24 Richmond Road, Nuneaton M.B., Warwickshire, with the Caswell family. It is noted that he is divorced. There is a possible marriage for him in 1938 to Louise Hayward, listed in 1939 in Blackpool as divorced. She later married a Stanley Yates in 1941 in Blackpool. There is also a possible death for him in 1956 in Pontypool, Monmouthshire.