Shaftesbury Grammar School Old Boys 7

John William Taylor

Surname: Taylor
Other names: John "Jack" William
Other people in this story:
John William Taylor
Ann Mary Taylor née Bardsley
Gerald Bardsley Taylor
Pryce Taylor
Arnold Bradley Taylor
Pryce Thomas Taylor
Locations in this story:
Loughborough, Leicestershire
Bell Foundry House, Freehold Street, Loughborough
Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Nottingham University
Canada
Hythe, Kent
Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France

Story:
John “Jack” William Taylor was born in 1885 in Loughborough, Leicestershire. He was the son of John William Taylor, a Bellfounder, and Ann Mary Bardsley. His siblings included Gerald "Jerry" Bardsley (born 1886), Pryce Taylor (born 1891) and Arnold Bradley (born 1894). The family lived at Bell Foundry House, Freehold Street, Loughborough.

“Jack” attended Shaftesbury Grammar School from September 1893 to August 1901. In the Census of 1901 he appears on the list of boarders at the school. He passed the Cambridge Preliminary and Junior exams and the London Matriculation. On leaving school he entered Nottingham University and obtained the London B.Sc. degree in 1904.

By October 1915 Jack had joined Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment) as a Private (Service No. 101041) and in June 1916 was stationed at Hythe in Kent. He was killed in action on 15th September 1916 in France and his name appears on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais. His death came two months after that of his brother Arnold and was reported in the Shaftesbury Grammar School magazine: “The brothers Taylor were the nephews of our former Head Master, Mr. Pryce Taylor. Four of them, all sons of Mr. John W. Taylor, of Loughborough, were on active service, and in addition to the two mentioned above, a third (“Pryce”) has since received a bullet wound in the left wrist, and is now in an English Hospital.”

As a former pupil his name was recorded on the Shaftesbury Grammar School war memorial, now in Shaftesbury School. Throughout the war a hand-written list was compiled of Shaftesbury Grammar School old boys serving in the armed forces. An asterix can be seen next to Jack's name, indicating that he had died. The board is now at Gold Hill Museum.

Printed Sources: 

Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, October 1915
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, June 1916
Shaftesbury Grammar School Magazine, November 1916

Images:
  • Shaftesbury Grammar School Old Boys 10
  • Shaftesbury Grammar School War Memorial

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Shastonian
Pryce Taylor
Gerald Bardsley Taylor
Names on Park Walk War Memorial 1

Henry John (Harry) Bastable

Surname: Bastable
Other names: Henry John (Harry)
Other people in this story:
George William Edward Bastable
Fanny Ann Bastable (neé Davis)
William Richard Bastable
Locations in this story:
Shaftesbury, Dorset
France & Flanders
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium
St. James Street, Shaftesbury
St. James' Church, Shaftesbury
St. Peter's Church, Shaftesbury
Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury
Nova Scotia, Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Bellewaards Lake, Near Ypres, Belgium
Portsmouth, Hampshire

Story:
Henry John (known as Harry) Bastable was born on 20th August, 1884 in Shaftesbury, Dorset. He was the son of George William Richard Bastable, an agricultural labourer, and Fanny Ann Bastable (neé Davis). He was baptised at St. James'Church, Shaftesbury on 21st September 1884. He was known as Harry in the family and on the Census records. Among his four siblings was William Richard, born in 1888, who also died in the war. Following the death of George Bastable in 1898, his widow Fanny worked as a laundress and later as a charwoman to support the remaining two children living at home at 84 St. James Street, Shaftesbury. On 28th May 1901 Harry joined the Royal Navy as Boy (Class 2) and was based at HMS Northampton , a Boy's Training Ship.  He progressed to Ordinary Seaman and served in various ships and shore establishments until he was was discharged on 16th August, 1905. His conduct was described as 'very good' in nearly all his reports. No record of a Census entry for 1911 has been found, but it is known that on 28th March, 1914 he set sail on the SS Tunisian bound for Nova Scotia, Canada, where he obtained work as a warehouseman. He enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 17th December, 1914 as a Private in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He was described as a labourer on enlistment. On 16th March 1915 he left for France attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment) (Service No. 51054). He served in France and Flanders and was awarded the Victory, British War and 1915 Star medals. He was killed in action "in the Field" on 8th May 1915, five days after his brother William. The site of his death was in the fire trenches at Bellewaards Lake, Near Ypres, Belgium, and he was apparently buried there at the rear of the trenches in an unmarked grave. As the area was then overrun the location fell into enemy hands and his body was never recovered. His name appears on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres (Panel 10). He is remembered on the Park Walk and St. James' Church War Memorials. He also appears on the Roll of Honour in St. James’ Church and on the Holy Trinity Memorial, now in St. Peter's Church, Shaftesbury.  The site of the trenches at Bellewaards Lake eventually became a Garden of Remembrance and his name is also recorded on the memorial at that site.      

Images:
  • Park Walk War Memorial 2
  • Park Walk War Memorial 1
  • St. James' War Memorial
  • St. James' Roll of Honour
  • Names on St. James' War Memorial 1
  • Holy Trinity Memorial in St. Peter's Church 3
  • Holy Trinity Memorial in St. Peter's Church 2
  • Holy Trinity Memorial in St. Peter's Church 1

Links to related web content / sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
William Richard Bastable