John Thomas Horne
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
John Thomas was the son of John Thomas and Louisa Horne or Horn (née Wells). His father John Thomas was born in Northamptonshire in about 1855, the son of Francis and Sarah Horn (sic), and baptised at Barnack parish church, Northamptonshire, in February 1855. His mother Louisa was born in Ryhall, Rutland, in about 1858, the daughter of Richard and Eliza Wells, and baptised at Ryhall parish church in February 1858. John (22) and Louisa (20) were married at Sempringham, Lincoln, in October 1877 and had five children, one of whom died in infancy: Richard b. Pointon Lincs 1877 (reg. 1878 Bourne) bap. Dowsby Lincs December 1877 and four children born in Nottingham, Sarah b. July 1879 bap. St Mary December 1879 d. 1880 (J/F/M); John Thomas b. 1880, Elizabeth b. 1882 and Bertha b. 1885 who were all baptised at Sneinton St Philip on 12 December 1886. At the time of Sarah's baptism in 1879 her parents were living at 12 London Road, Nottingham, and were still at the same address in 1881 with their two sons Richard and John. John snr. was a police constable. The family had moved to 23 Poplar Street by 1886 when the three youngest children were baptised but on the 1891 Census were recorded at 8 Davidson Street, Sneinton. John snr. was now working as a dairyman. Only the three youngest children were in the home on the night of the census. The eldest, Richard, was a butcher's assistant, living and working with an uncle by marriage, Thomas Kitchen, a butcher farmer and publican, at the Crown and Anchor, Welby, Lincolnshire. Thomas Kitchen was married to Louisa Horne's sister Mary Elizabeth (née Wells m. 1870). John snr. now working as a railway carter, his wife and John a cardboard paper cutter, Elizabeth a cigar maker and Bertha a lace mender, were living at 12 Davidson Street, Sneinton, in 1901. Richard was now living at the Farm House, Hough on the Hill, Lincolnshire, and working as a cattleman for his uncle, Thomas Kitchen. By 1911 John and Louisa were living at 17 Kentwood Road, Nottingham. John included the names of all four children on the census form although he had crossed out the names of his two daughters. It is likely that only John was still living at home as Richard and Bertha were married and both were recorded in their marital homes on the night of the census. Elizabeth (named Mary Elizabeth on the census) was a housemaid and living with her maternal aunt and uncle, Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Kitchen, at their farm in Sudbrook near Grantham. The couple were childless and in addition to two employees, a farm waggoner and a dairymaid, two nephews (cousins), one of whom was school age and the other working on the farm, were also living with them. Richard had married Betsy Campion of South Rauceby at North & South Rauceby in May 1904 and they were living on Kentwood Road, Sneinton, with their children John, Bertha (d. 1918) and Edith. Richard was a drayman with a railway company. He died in 1922, buried Nottingham General Cemetery. (see 'Extra information'). Bertha had married William Cockram, an upholsterer, in 1908 and they were living on Standhill Road, Carlton, with their young son. John Thomas snr. died in June 1916. His widow Louisa died in 1936; she was survived by her two daughters. John Thomas married Pattie Lizzie Good (b. 1881) in 1912 (reg. J/A/S Basford). There were no children of the marriage. Pattie never remarried and died in hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1954; her home was in Skegness.
1st Bn Welsh Guards. Formerly 2912 Household Battalion. The Household Battalion was formed as an infantry battalion at Knightsbridge Barracks, London, on 1 September 1916 and drawn from the reserve units of the Household Cavalry. The battalion served with the BEF from 9 November 1916 (10th Brigade 4th Division). The Battalion was ‘effectively disbanded as part of a widespread reorganisation of the British infantry in France on 10 February 1918.' (www.longlongtrail.co.uk). John’s service number (2912) shows that he joined after 5 April 1917 (2704) but before 20 May 1917 (3163). The Welsh Guards was the last of the five Foot Guards Regiments to be formed (Royal Warrant of King George V and order of Earl Kitchener, Secretary of State for War.) The 1st Battalion was formed by Royal Warrant at White City on 26 February 1915, the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion was formed in August 1915 at Wellington Barracks and remained in the UK throughout the war. The 1st Battalion was mobilised for the BEF France in August 1915, landing at Le Havre and joining the 3rd (Guards) Brigade of the Guards Division. Men with service number 4310 joined on 25 January 1918 and service number 4739 joined on 22 April 1918, so John was transferred to the Welsh Guards between those dates, which corresponds with the reorganisation of the Household Battalion in February 1918. John Thomas was killed in action on 24 August 1918 and is buried in Douchy-les-Ayette British Cemetery, France (grave ref. I.A.10). CWGC - History of Douchy-les-Ayette British Cemetery (extract): Douchy-les Ayette village is about 1km from Ayette; Ayette is about 13km from Arras. 'Douchy-les-Ayette was in German occupation from October, 1914 to the 21st March, 1917. In March, 1918, the enemy advanced as far as the Communal Cemetery, and held it for a few days. The village was never completely evacuated by the inhabitants. It contained a German Cemetery of 380 graves, now removed. The British Cemetery was begun in August and September, 1918, by the 3rd Division Burial Officer; and the 81 graves then made are scattered among eight Rows in what are now Plots II and IV. It was enlarged after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields of Arras and the Ancre and from other burial grounds [listed].' (www.cwgc.org)
Note: No family connection has yet been found with West Bridgford although John and his wife may have lived there after their marriage in 1912. Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths.’ 10 June 1916: ‘Horne. On the 9th. inst., John Horne, beloved husband of Louisa Horne, aged 61. Funeral General Cemetery, Tuesday, 2.30.’ (wwwbritishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour,’ 9 September 1918: ‘Horne. Reported killed in action, August 24th, Pte. Jack Horne, Welsh Guards. Shattered hopes. Broken-hearted wife Lizzie.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour,’ 9 September 1918: ‘Horne. Reported killed in action, August 24th, (-) Jack Horne, Welsh Guards. He bravely answered (-) call, he gave his life for one and all. Sorrowing [mother], sisters, and brothers.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Registers of Soldiers' Effects: named his wife Pattie L. as his legatee. Nottingham Evening Post, 31 January 1922. Report with photograph requesting information about Richard Horne, a carter employed by the L&NW Railway Company, who had been missing from his home since ‘Sunday.' He had earlier gone to the stables to see to his horses. The Police had been informed and Richard's description had been circulated. Nottingham Evening Post, 1 March 1922: ‘Lost in Fog. Nottm. Man Found Drowned In the Trent. No solution as to how a Nottingham man came to be drowned in the Trent was forthcoming at an inquest held at the Manvers Arms. Radcliffe-on-Trent, this afternoon, on Richard Horne, 44, drayman, employed by the L&NW Railway, whose body was recovered from the river yesterday. Evidence of identification was given by a brother-in-law, William Cockram, of 108,Port Arthur-road, Sneinton, who said deceased resided with his family at 9, Kentwood-road, Sneinton. Deceased was missed from home on January 29th. The widow informed the coroner (Major H Bradwell) there was no trouble at home, and her husband had never threatened to take his life. He had been at work on the Sunday, and in the evening he said he would go out ‘for a blow.’ Asked if there were any reason why he should go by the river, the widow replied that it was quite a common thing for him to go down that way. It was, however, a terribly foggy night. She had learnt from the railway authorities that there was nothing wrong there; in fact they said he was one of their best men. Joe Sansom, of Dunham-on-Trent, engine driver in the employment of the Trent Navigation Co., spoke to recovering the body near Colwick weir yesterday afternoon, and P.c W Measures said there was no message in deceased’s belongings. The Coroner returned a verdict of found drowned, there being no evidence to show how deceased got into the river.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
