Family History Fun: The Tragedy of John Danson

MISFORTUNE is this week's theme for Amy Johnson Crow's series "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks”.

My great uncle John Danson (1879-1917) encountered much misfortune in his lifetime, culminating in an even greater tragedy for his family.

John's Life before 1916

John was born in 1879, the second of eight surviving sons of James Danson and (1852-1906) and Maria Rawcliffe (1859-1919) of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. An only daughter Jennie completed the family.

In the 1901 census, John was described as a joiner, like his father. Three years later he married Sarah Haydon Lounds with the certificate giving his occupation as postman.

But married happiness was short-lived. for Sarah died of TB in 1906 at the young age of 21, a year after the birth of their daughter Annie Maria. John moved with Annie back to his mother's home. In the 1911 census he was listed as aged 31, a steward in a working mens' club.

Annie with her grandmother Maria Danson and young aunt Jennie. c.1909

Wartime
John become a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery, and according to the entry in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website (www.cwgc.org), he died 17th May 1917, aged 38, buried in Moorland Cemetery, Poulton. But the entry was bare of any details, apart from the next of kin being named as his mother Maria Danson.

Many World War One Service records were destroyed in World War II and little is known about John's soldier role. Other World War One websites on casualties and service records failed to identify any information.

The Mystery
Something of a puzzle surrounded John's death, with a story that "Granny had to fight to get his name on the Poulton War Memorial in the Square". Why? Also John was not listed on the war memorial in St. Chad's Church below the name of his youngest brother George Danson. Why not?

I have a distinct memory of my mother's cousin, (John's niece) telling me about 12 years ago that John had committed suicide as a prisoner of war. If so,why was he buried in Poulton Cemetery which did not seem possible if he died in Germany. Nor could I trace any records for World War One prisoners of war.

A local historian researching the names on Poulton War Memorial got in touch with me, and related that John had died at Tidworth Hospital in Hampshire whilst training at army camp, without serving abroad.

The local paper "The Gazette News" of 25th May 1917 reported:

"Gunner John Danson, RFA who has died in Tidworth Hopistal, Hants was interred in the Poulton Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased soldier who lived at 2 Bull Street, Poulton has been in H.M. forces nine months. He was formerly a postman and steward at the Poulton Institute. Three of his brothers are still serving with the forces, two in France and one in Malta, and another the youngest was killed eight months ago".

Because John had not served abroad, he was not entitled to any medals.

So the "prisoner of war story" proved incorrect. Had I assumed the POW context from hearing the word "camp" - I will never know. At the time paying over £9 for a death certificate seemed expensive for one small piece of information on a sideline of my family history.

Finding out the Truth
I made use of the new service being trialed by the ***General Register Office of England and Wales to provide a pdf file of certificates, at the much more reasonable rate of £6.

The truth on the circumstances of John's death was found. In a stark statement, the cause was given as "Cutting his throat whilst temporary insane" - a tragic ending for a man who had already experienced sadness in his life.

At 38 years old and as a family man, was the trauma of being catapulted from a small rural community into military life, too much to bear?

We are so used to thinking it was young men who were called up to fight in the First World War, but the Military Service Act of January 1916 specified that single men aged 18 to 40 years old were liable to be called up for military service. This was rapidly extended in July of that year to include married men.

*** A second trial of the pdf service is currently available - but just for birth and death certificates - not marriages.

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John died as happiness was beckoning. For he had become
engaged to be married to Dorothy Chisholm (left). In the collection of Jennie Danson (John's sister) was a postcard photograph of John and Dorothy addressed to young Annie with the date May 4^th 1917, thirteen days before John died.

John's fiancée Dorothy became one of the thousands of women of her generation who after the war never married. But the Danson family continued to maintain a close link with her. She lived alone in a bedsitter and I have memories as a child of visiting her with my mother and aunt.

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