Walter Gethan Sisson
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Walter Gethan Sisson was born in 1872, one of nine children of John, a plumber, and Edith Ann Sisson. His father was born in 1831 at Eastwood and his mother in 1833 at Ilkeston. They were married on 14th October 1851. In 1891 Walter was serving in the Leicestershire Regiment at Glen Parva Barracks, Leicester. Walter married Elizabeth Savage (born 1872 in Nottingham) and they had twelve children, all born in the Basford/Bulwell area:- Annie b.1893, Lilley b.1896, Walter b.1898, Lizzie (Elizabeth) b.1899, Albert b.1901, William b.1903, Arthur b.1906, Wilfred b.1907, Nellie b.1910, Doris b.1911, Thomas b.1913 and Clifford b.1914 (died 1916). In 1901 they lived at 14 Deptford Street, Bulwell, Nottingham, and in 1911 lived at 88 Eland Street, Basford, Nottingham. By 1916, the year that the youngest child, Clifford, died, the family home was at 50 Percy Street, Basford.
Walter G Sisson first served in the Leicestershire Regiment (1891 Census). Following the outbreak of war he enlisted at Nottingham into the 9th Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He landed in France on 11th September 1915 and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He is buried in Gordon Dump Cemetery Grave Reference: VII B 8
His son Private 170933 Walter Sisson also enlisted in Nottingham and served with the 38th Company Machine Gun Corps. He was killed in action on 28th October 1918 and is buried in Forest Communal Cemetery, France, grave reference A 16. The inquest into the death of Clifford Sisson, an infant, in a fire concluded that one of his siblings had set his clothing alight whilst his mother, Elizabeth, went out to collect her Separation Allowance. Her husband and eldest son were to die in the war. Article published on 4th May 1916 in the Nottingham Daily Express :- “MYSTERIOUS BASFORD TRAGEDY. “Inquest on Soldier’s Child who Died from Burns. “A mysterious case of burning was the subject of an inquest held by the Nottingham City Coroner, yesterday, [3rd May 1916] at Hyson Green “The victim was Clifford Sisson, an infant child, whose mother lives at 50, Percy-street, Basford, his father being in the Army. “The mother stated that on returning home on Monday,[1st May 1916] after drawing her separation allowance, she found the deceased child behind a door. Its underclothing was burnt, and the skirt was still smouldering. The child was removed to the General Hospital, where death resulted from shock due to burns. “Witness added that when she went out her two other children, aged three and five, were with the deceased. On her return these elder children were upstairs in bed. She had been told that one of them had put a stick through the fireguard, lighted it, and put it on the baby. “The jury found that the child died from shock due to burns sustained while left alone in the home with other children. The coroner added that so far as the guard was concerned the fire was apparently as safe as any fire could be.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
