Victor Henry Digby Mason
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Inscription on headstone gives first names as: Henry Victor Digby. Birth index, baptism record and CWGC: Victor Henry Digby. Victor Henry Digby Mason was born in 1897 (J/A/S Loughborough) at Normanton on Soar and was the son of Henry a domestic gardener and Emma Mason née Digby,of Stone House, Normanton-on-Soar. He was baptised at St James' parish church, Normanton on Soar, on 20 June 1897. His father Henry was born in 1871 at Rotherby, Leicestershire and his mother Emma Digby was born in 1867 in Melton Mowbray, they were married in 1891 at Melton Mowbray and went on to have 7 children, sadly two were to die in infancy or early childhood, their children listed on the 1901/1911 census are, Evelyn b1892 Rotherby, Mary b1895 Normanton, Victor Henry Digby b1897 Normanton, Cyril b1900 Normanton, Hilda Alex b1902 Normanton and Annie b1905 Normanton. In the 1911 census the family are living at Bull Lane Normanton on Soar and are shown as Henry 40 yrs a domestic gardener, he is living with his wife Emma 43 yrs and their children, Victor Henry 13 yrs a scholar, Hilda Alex 9 yrs a scholar and Annie 6 yrs a scholar.
Private Victor Henry Digby Mason enlisted at Whitwell whilst residing at Normanton on Soar, he served with the Leicestershire Yeomanry and landed in France on 2nd November 1914. He was wounded in action near Ypres and returned to England. He died of his wounds on 24th May 1915 at Northampton General Hospital, buried at St James Church, Normanton on Soar, but also commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 5.
Inscription on headstone, St James' churchyard, Normanton-on-Soar: ‘In Memoriam. Henry Victor Digby Mason died from wounds received in action at Ypres on May 24 1915 aged 18 years. He did his duty’ Loughborough Echo, Friday 28 May 1915: ‘Funeral of Trooper Mason. The funeral took place yesterday afternoon at Normanton on Soar Parish Church of Trooper Victor HD Mason, of the Leicestershire Yeomanry, who died on Monday in hospital at Northampton from wounds received while on active service in France on May 13th. Deceased, who was only eighteen years of age, and formerly worked at the Hathern Station Terra Cotta Works, was the only son of Mr and Mrs H Mason of Normanton and he joined the Yeomanry only a few months before the outbreak of war. The body was conveyed from hospital to his home on Wednesday night by motor, and the local arrangements for the interment were undertaken by WP Ball, Sutton Bonington. The service was conducted by the Rector, Rev HB Hamilton, and the Rev J Hamilton, and was attended by almost the whole of the villagers, and friends from the surrounding places, the limited accommodation of the church being not nearly adequate, and a large portion had to remain in the churchyard. The chief mourners were Mr and Mrs Mason (father and mother), the Misses Eva, Tilley, Hilda and Annie Mason, Mr and Mrs Perkins, Mrs Moore, Mrs North, Mrs Cox, Mrs Sleath, Miss Sleath, Mrs Sherwin and Mrs Davey. Among those present were Dr McAllister (Sutton), Mrs Tidmas, Mt T Kirchin, Quarter-Master Sergeant, Major Diggle and Mrs Diggle, Lance-Corpl Bartley SNH, T Branson (British Red Cross Society), and members of the Normanton, Stanford, Sutton and Hathern Boy Scouts under Scoutmaster RE Stevens, lined the path leading to the church. The bearers were six of the deceased’s old associates of the British Red Cross Society in uniform – Messrs. S Whitby, J Finney, R Loseby, Gowtage (sic), H Hutton and A Sketchley. On the coffin, which was covered by the Union Jack, were placed the deceased’s red hat and also the one he wore as a member of the Normanton Troop of Boy Scouts. The organist Mr J Dexter played appropriate music as the mourners entered the church and afterwards the Dead March was played. The hymn, ‘My God is my Father’ was sung. At the conclusion of the service at the graveside Scout McConnell of the Loughborough Troop, sounded ‘The Last Post’. In addition to the family wreaths, which were place upon the coffin, the other floral tributes included: From Aunts and Uncles, Mr, Mrs and Muriel Bingham, Mr and Mrs Soar, Brig. Gebneral and Mrs Murdoch, Mr and Mrs Stanton and comrades Harry and Len (17th Lancers), fellow workers at Hathern Brick Co. Mr and Mrs (-), Mr and Mrs Bartley, Miss Overtone, REB and Mr AWB Overtone, Mr Chambers of (several names illegible), Trooper F Purday ‘C’ Squadron Leicestershire Yeomanry, CW Walker and family, Mrs Marshall and Mrs Woods, Mr and Mrs Clowes and family, Cousin Tilley, Mr and Mrs Chambers and family, Normanton Boy Scouts, FM Fletcher and others.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
