John William Taylor
Surname: Taylor
Other names: John "Jack" William
Locations in this story: Loughborough, LeicestershireBell Foundry House, Freehold Street, LoughboroughShaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, DorsetNottingham UniversityCanada Hythe, KentVimy 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
“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:
Links to related web content / sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission The National Archives Shastonian Pryce TaylorGerald Bardsley Taylor
