Absalom Randle
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Absalom was born in 1895 at Stonebroom, Derbyshire, and was the son of the late Absalom a coal miner and Mary Randle née Vardy of Sutton-in-Ashfield. His father Absalom was born in Warwickshire in 1860 and his mother Mary Ward Vardy was born in 1863 in North Wingfield, Derbyshire. Their marriage was recorded in the Chesterfield registration area in 1881; they went on to have 9 children however sadly 1 died in infancy prior to 1911. Their surviving children were:- Sarah J 1883, George 1884, Lilly 1890, Thomas 1892, Annie 1894, Absalom 1896, Charles b1898 and Ada b1903; all the children were born in Stonebroom. In the 1911 census the family are living at 24 Carsic Lne Sutton in Ashfield and are shown as Absalom 51 yrs a coal miner, head of the family, living with his wife Mary 48 yrs and their children Thomas 19 yrs a coal miner, Absalom 15 yrs coal miner-pony driver, Charles 13 yrs coal miner-pony driver and Ada Elizabeth 8 yrs.
He enlisted at Mansfield on 2nd September 1914. He gave his age as 19 yrs and 204 days, he gave his birth place as Stonebroom and stated he was a coal miner. He gave his next of kin as his father Absalom of 4 Carsic Lane, Sutton in Ashfield, and that his religion was that of Methodism. On 5th September 1914 he was posted to his battalion, 7th battalion Leicestershire Regiment. He went with his battalion to join the British Expeditionary Force in France on 29th July 1915. He was admitted to 64 Field Ambulance on 16th July 1916 with gun shot wounds to the abdomen and was transferred to 36 Casualty Clearing Station where he died from his wounds on 27th July 1916. He is buried at Heilly Station Cemetery Mericourt-L'Abbe, France.
His elder brother Thomas enlisted on 20th January 1915 and served with the Sherwood Foresters and then with the Cheshire Regiment. He went out to France in July 1915 and was killed in action at the Battle of Loos on 3rd October 1915. His younger brother Charles enlisted at Pontefract on 24th March 1915; he gave his age on enlistment as 19 yrs and 210 days, which of course was incorrect he was actually only 17 yrs of age being born in 1898. He went on to serve with the Yorks and Lancaster Regiment for 127 days until his real age was discovered and he was discharged from the Army on 9th July 1915. He is buried in a grave with 11870 A/Bdr RW Gaskin Royal Field Artillery KIA 24 July 1916 and 9730 Pte A Adams Royal Surrey Regiment KIA 28 July 1916.
