| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
Cyril Foster was born in Beverley in 1884 and baptised at Harpham Parish Church the 26 Nov 1884. His father, Robert Foster was from North Frodingham whilst his mother Elizabeth Bewell was born in Harpham to a farm labouring family. They married in 1883 at Beverley Minster and had six children. Robert was originally a shoemaker but on moving to Beverley became a tanner’s labourer. Cyril was brought up in St Andrew Street, Beverley and later Cherry Tree Lane and 97 Grovehill Road was where his family lived.
Cyril worked for the North Eastern Railway (NER) as a labourer in the goods yard. Cyril married Mary Prince at Newington Parish Church on 26 Dec 1910. Their first child, Robert Edward, was born in Beverley in 1911. The family initially lived with his parents and later on Church Holme Lane.
Cyril served as private in the 19th Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps which operated in France in 1914 and Belgium in 1915. They were responsible for first aid at the front line and sorting casualties for further treatment, and could be deployed to the battlefield itself. Cyril was awarded the 1914 Star (with clasp) and the War and Victory medals. Cyril may have been in the TA before the war as he was quickly deployed to France where he arrived on 21 August 1914. He left the army on 4 Apr 1916, categorised as “time expired”. This meant that he had agreed to serve abroad for a certain time and would be discharged at the end of it. This rule was stopped in Jun 1916.
Cyril and Mary had two further children, Cyril born 1918 and Roy born 1922. Cyril senior died in Beverley in 1937 and was buried at the Queensgate Cemetery on 30 November of that year. Mary died in 1979.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |