My Theme for the A-Z Challenge 2023
Family Traits, Quirks and Characteristics
T for TRAGIC
My great uncle John Danson (1879-1917)
My
great uncle John Danson encountered much misfortune in his
lifetime, culminating in a TRAGIC end that devastated 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 1905 at the young age of 21, a year after the birth of
their daughter Annie Maria. John moved with Annie back to his widowed mother's
home. In the 1911 census he was listed as aged 31, a steward in a
working mens' club.
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.
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 then 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 an 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 £11 for a death certificate seemed expensive for one small
piece of information on a sideline of my family history.
Finding out the Truth
Then I made use of the new service being trialed by the General Register Office of England and Wales to provide a pdf file of birth and death certificates, at the much more reasonable rate of £7.
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 town community into the prospect of the horrors of trench life, too much to bear? What had been the impact on him of the death on the Somme of his youngest brother George eight months earlier?
Then I made use of the new service being trialed by the General Register Office of England and Wales to provide a pdf file of birth and death certificates, at the much more reasonable rate of £7.
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 town community into the prospect of the horrors of trench life, too much to bear? What had been the impact on him of the death on the Somme of his youngest brother George eight months earlier?
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.
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John died as happiness was beckoning. For he had become engaged to be married to Dorothy Chisholm (below). In the collection of Jennie Danson (John's sister) was a postcard photograph of John and Dorothy addressed to his young daughter Annie with the date May 4th 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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John's Gravestone in Moorland Road Cemetery, Poulton.
Poulton War Memorial in the Square, with St. Chad's Church in the background
John remembered on Poulton War Memorial
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Onto U for UNETHICAL
What a sad way for a man to die. He surely was in a depressed mental state to have done such a thing, especially since he did have hope waiting at home for him. The war did present so many awful stories, so that is likely what influenced him. I'm glad that you could finally know what had happened to him.
ReplyDeleteA sad story. Great research though. Well done.
ReplyDelete