John William Welbourn
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
John William Welbourn was born in Newstead, Notts in 1895. He had four siblings, Joe White 1888, Ellen 1890, Ethel 1899, and Alice 1902. Their parents were Daniel and Dinah Welbourn (née Hanlon). Daniel was a railway worker starting as a labourer and progressing to foreman platelayer. The family moved to Newstead after the birth in Carlton, Notts of their first two children and in 1911 were resident at Station Lodge, Newstead. By this date, Joe White Welbourn had moved away as he married and worked as a railway wagon builder and John William had started work as a pit bank boy and screen labourer age 15.
The date when John William Webourn joined the 2/8th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters is not known, but after forming, it spent time on Garrison duty at Newark, Luton, Dunstable and Watford. Although only partly trained, they were rushed to Ireland on the outbreak of the Easter Rising in 1916, it saw severe street fighting in Dublin before the rebellion was quelled. The Battalion spent the rest of the year on garrison duty in Ireland before finally reaching France in February 1917. John was killed in action, 26th September 1917, possibly in the Battle of Passchendaele. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
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