John Milsom was born in Alverthorpe, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on 04th December 1888, the son of George Milsom and Sarah (née Pickerdike).  John was baptised in Alverthorpe on 24th March 1889, his father’s occupation given as foreman.

 

His parents, both born in Yorkshire, married in 1874 and had eleven children;  John had older siblings Charles (died at age 1), Elizabeth, Matilda, Alice, Sarah, Henry, and Annie.  After John’s birth the family moved to Haslingden, in Lancashire, where Edith (Ellen), George, and Joseph were born.

 

In 1891 the family, with eight children, is living at 6 Rakefoot, Haslingden.  His father is a brick maker, older sisters Elizabeth, 16, and Matilda, 14, are cotton weavers, John is 2.

 

By 1901 they have moved to 11 Spring Street, Haslingden, with eight children at home ranging in age from 9 months to 21.  His father is 49, a brick maker, his mother is 43, Henry, 17, is a cotton spinner, Alice, Annie and John, 13, are cotton weavers.

 

The family is still at 11 Spring Street in 1911, with three sons and three daughters at home.  His father is a general labourer, Sarah, Annie, Edith and George all work in the cotton mill, John is 22, a size mixer in a cotton mill, and Joseph is at school.

 

His mother died in 1912, aged 60, and his married sister Matilda died around the same time, aged 36.

 

In 1914 John married Mary Warburton (Bentley), who appears to have been a widow.

 

Prior to the war he was employed at Mitchell's Camms Mill. 

John was conscripted on 21st March 1917 originally serving in the East Lancashire Regiment as Private 38023.

A small draft of East Lancashire Regiment soldiers who conscripted in March 1917 and "graduated" into the East Lancashire Regiment but did not serve overseas with that unit. The 15 recruits, all of similar background (East Lancashire Regimental numbers, age and geography) appear on an alpha-numeric list created at 30 IBD, Etaples in June 1917 where they received new numbers. Those with surnames A-L (became 50224-50258) and went to 17th Battalion King's (Liverpool Regiment) and those with surnames M-Z (became 50259-50293). 

John, subsequently, served with the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 50262. 

Reports advise that John was severly wounded by Machine Gun fire whilst on patrol. He sadly died of his wounds on 23rd December 1917. He was origianlly buried at Tower Hamlets Cemetery but his body was later moved to Hooge Crater Cemetery in Belgium where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"THY WILL BE DONE" 

Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September.

Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and other smaller cemeteries.

There are now 5,916 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,570 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.   

Based on the birth and census records, John would have just turned 29.

The 20th Bn War Diary for 23rd December 1917 records:

“Enemy machine guns were active during darkness”, and on the 24th:  “1 O.R. died of wounds.” 

The medal roll incorrectly shows his name as Milson and 17th Bn K.L.R. 

 

His death was reported in the local newspaper under the heading,

MORE THAN HIS SHARE

“Mrs. Milsom of 76 Blackburn Road, Haslingden, has received official intimation that her husband, Private J. Milsom, King's Liverpool Regt., aged 30, has been killed on patrol duty at the front.  He was formerly employed at Mitchell's Camms Mill, and joined up about ten months ago.  He has two brothers serving, and one of them has been wounded.  A brother of the deceased's wife is serving with the Motor Transport Section.

Another newspaper article states that John was connected with the Parish Church, and at the men’s monthly service, the members stood out of respect to his memory. 

His loved ones placed tributes in the local newspaper:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His widow Mary received John’s Army effects of £6-3s-8d, and a War Gratuity of £3.  The pension card shows Mary, living at 76 Blackburn Road, Haslingden, received a pension of 13/9d a week from 15/7/1918, but a subsequent note dated 25/3/1919 states, “A.P. [Army Pension] refused, widow not eligible.”

 

His sister Edith died a year after John, in December 1918, aged 28. 

His father died in 1920, aged 68.