John Isaiah Rigley
Joseph Isaiah Rigley was a bricklayer who enlisted in the Royal Engineers 18/12/1899 standing 5' 8" tall and weighing 168 lbs. He received 2 Days CB (Confined to Barracks) 12/5/1900 for being absent from a kit parade, 3 days 1/8/1900 for being drunk on night work and 7 days 4/11/1901 for using insubordinate language to an nco. He bought himself out for £18 24/11/1902.
He re-enlisted 5/11/1914 and embarked for the Dardanelles 30/6/1915. He died from wounds inflicted by a bomb at Kara Bigha.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
John Isaiah Rigley was born in 1878 at Kirkby in Ashfield, he was the son of William a builder and Hannah Rigley née Purdy and the brother of Nehemiah, Frank and George Rigley (who also served) and William, Sarah Ellen and Dorothy Hannah Rigley.
His fathr William was born in 1856 at Kirkby he died in 1908 at Bingham, he was 52 yrs old, his mother Hannah Purdy was born in 1855 at Macclesfield, they were married in 25th December 1873 at St Wilfred Church, Kirkby in Ashfield, they went on to have 7 children,
In 1899 the family lived on New Street East Kirkby but by the end of the war had moved to 219 Exchange Road West Bridgford Nottingham.
2nd Corporal John Isiah Rigley enlisted on 19th December 1899 at Mansfiled giving his age as 21 yrs and 10 months, he was a bricklayer. he served with the Royal Enginners, he was however discharged on 24th November 1902 at his own request on payment of £18.
On 5th November 1914 at Doncaster he re joined the Royal Enginners, he was appointed Lance Corporal on 16th January 1915, he embarked on 30th June 1915 for the Mediterrean Expedtionary Force, he served in Gallipoli he was reported missing in action on 17th August 1915, and died of wounds inflicted by a bomb on 31st August 1915 at a hospital at Kara Bigha, Dardanelles (information via a certificate of death recieved from Turkey.) he is buried at Ari Burnu Cemetery, Anzac, Gallipoli.
additional research and information Peter Gillings
Photo courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook page Small Town Great War 1914-1918.
The photo was published in the Nottingham Evening Post on 10th November 1915. The caption gave his address as 219 Exchange Road and stated that he had been missing since 16th August 1915
Courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
John Rigley's headstone at Ari Burnu Cemetery Anzac, Gallipoli