John Herbert Messom
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
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John Herbert (known as 'Jack') was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Ann Messom nee Parker, who had married in Nottingham in 1874. John's mother died in 1911 (registered Jan/Feb/Mar) and his widowed father completed the 1911 census with the information that he had been married for 37 years and that he and his wife had had 12 children born alive of whom only 8 were still living. Eight children were named on the census between 1881 and 1911: Thirza, Edward, Millicent, Samuel, William, Ethel, John and Elizabeth Mary. In 1891 when John was three years old his parents were living at 4 Camden Street having previously lived at 31 Camden Street (1881). Samuel and Elizabeth's seven children were in the home onthe night of the census: Thirza (19), Edward (18), Millicent (16), Samuel (11), William (9), Ethel (7) and John. His parents were at the same address ten years later but only Samuel, William, Ethel, John and a fourth daughter, Elizabeth Mary (7), were living at home on the night of the census. By the time of the 1911 census when his father was widowed only the youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was still living in the family home on Camden Street. John was now married and living with his wife Ellen (Nellie), nee Crewe, at 5 Meadow Terrace, Ashling Street, Nottingham. They had one daughter, Lilian Ethel (1). His mother-in-law, Eliza Crewe (64, lace worker) was living with the family. John and Ellen were to have at least two more children, Edith M. (b. 1912) and Ethel E. (b. 1915, registered Jul/Aug/Sep). His wife was still living at 5 Meadow Terrace when her husband died. John's brother, Samuel, served as a Private in the 17th Bn Sherwood Foresters and was killed on 3 September 1916. Samuel, formerly a bricklayer, left a wife and three children who lived at 42 Whittier Road, Sneinton.
Spr. John Herbert Messom served with, 2nd Field Company, Royal Marines, Royal Marine Divisional Engineers, Royal Naval Division. He had been wounded at Gallipoli on 7 July 1915 receiving a gun shot wound to his back which paralysed him. He was medically evacuated from the peninsula and admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar (Portsmouth) on 24th July 1915. He died on 27th July 1915. John's body was returned to his family and he was buried in Nottingham Church Cemetery on 31 July with full military honours (grave ref. Church 8293).
Nottingham Evening Post obituary (abridged), 27 July 1915: ‘Messom, John H, died of wounds at Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, Jack, husband of Nellie Messom, aged 27. Funeral at Portsmouth.’ Note: the funeral was in Nottingham and he is buried in Nottingham Church (Rock) Cemetery. An article published on 31st July 1915 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “DARDANELLES HERO BURIED. “NOTTM. SOLDIER’S MILITARY FUNERAL. “Brought from Haslar Hospital, Portsmouth, where he died on Tuesday [27th July 1915] from a bullet wound sustained in the fighting at the Dardanelles, Sapper John Messom, 27, of the Divisional Engineers, and of Ashling-street, Meadow-lane, Nottingham, was buried with full military honours in the Church Cemetery this afternoon. [31st July 1915] “Long before the arrival of the funeral cortege a large crowd had gathered round the cemetery gates, and by the graveside, and there was a reverent baring of heads as the coffin, draped with the Union Jack, was borne to its last resting place on a gun-carriage furnished by the R.F.A. “Quite a large cordon of police was required to keep the spectators at a respectable distance from the grave, when men of the Notts. and Derby Territorial Regiment fired the customary three volleys over the hero's remains. The same regiment also provided a bearing party, and a couple of buglers who sounded the “Last Post.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918 The same report was also published in the West Bridgford Advertiser, 7 August 1915:
