| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
John Edward Forth, the eldest son of John Forth, a tanner's labourer, and his wife Annie Jordan Hakney, was born in Beverley the 10 Mar 1895 and baptised the 6 Apr 1895 in Beverley Minster. He was the eldest of 5 children. His mother Annie died in Nov 1906, aged 31 years. John Forth, his widowed father, married Gertrude May Pudsey in Feb 1908 and the family later increased with the births of further children.
In 1901, John Edward Forth was living with his parents at Bogle Lane, Beverley. Sixteen-year-old John Edward, recorded in the 1911 Census as 'Edward' Forth, was employed by Daniel Dunning, farmer, and worked as a horseman at Cold Harbour Farm, Bishop Burton.
John was a volunteer in the Wolds Wagoners' Special Reserve an organisation which was formed by Sir Mark Sykes of Sledmere. In 1913 he was allocated to the 6th Reserve Park. After a brief training and organising period the Reserve Parks were dispatched to the front. John arrived in France 20 Aug 1914, in time to be caught up in the retreat from Mons. He was a recipient of the 1914 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
John's Medal Rolls show that in addition to his time in the Army Service Corps, he also served with the 16th and 8th Battalions of the Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment. It was with the latter Battalion that he suffered a severe knee injury. He was discharged from the Army as 'non-effective' on 9 Jan 1916. In Feb 1917 he was recalled to the colours with the 3rd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment and subsequently transferred to 507 Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps. He survived the war and was finally officially discharged to the Z Reserve on 20 Apr 1919.
He joined the East Riding Constabulary on 1 Apr 1919. He married Edith Broughton at Pocklington in 1921, they had two children, John Charles and Sheila Kathleen. The family settled in Driffield. John Edward Forth became a member of the Royal British Legion and of the Driffield Town Cricket Club. After 26 years' service, he retired from the Police Force on 5 May 1945, three days before V.E. Day.
He died 14 Apr 1971 aged 76 years. Funeral services were held at Driffield Parish Church and Scarborough Crematorium. His widow Edith died in 1986.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |