John Silvester Pallister
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
John was the son of William a grocery manager and Frances Amelia Palliser, of "Brentwood," Flamborough Bridlington Yorkshire. In 1901 the family was living at 17 Nelson Street Rotherham. William (51) was head of the household, born at Thirsk. His wife Frances A (41) born Hooten Roberts Yorkshire. With them are their four children William (12) , Arthur Godfrey (11) , John Silvester (8) and Edith M (5). All the children were born in Rotherham. By 1911 the family were living at Studholme Gerard Road Rotherham. Only two of the children were still at home - Arthur Godfrey (21) and single and is an officer in the merchant service and John Silvester (19) and a bank clerk. John's effects of £490, 18 shillings and 4 pence were left to his father William Palliser a grocer (Probate 11/4/1919 Wakefield).
John Volunteered for service in August 1911 and first entered a Theatre of War in France on 18th April 1915. At the time of his death when killed in action on 9th August 1916 he was attached to the Machine Gun Corps. He is buried in Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery , Somme, France Grave Reference XVII B 7 He was Mentioned in Dispatches and awarded the Croix de Guerre (Belgium).
The following is an extract from 'The Cuthbertian' volume XXIII Dec 1918 No 3:Major Palliser joined the Yorkshire Regt. as a private a few days after war was declared in August, 1914 , and went to France as a non-commissioned officer in the spring of 1915 just prior to the second battle of Ypres where his battalion was called to the relief of the hard-pressed Canadians. Ten weeks after arriving at the front he was given a commission, and for his smartness in gunnery he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. In December 1916, he again went to France, this time as second in command of a M.G.C. Coy., and fought at Arras, Bullecourt, and Passchendaele Ridge. He was actually in command of his company at Bullecourt. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to the rank of captain and was gazetted major on March 1st of the present year. In addition to being awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre, he was mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig's Dispatches.
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