| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
Ernest was born the 9 Apr 1897 in Aike and was baptised the 28 Apr 1897 at Beverley, St John to John and Annie J Forth. His father was a tanyard labourer. Ernest had three siblings, John born 1895, Mary E born 1899 and Albert born 1901. They lived at 13 Bogle Lane in 1901. By 1911 Ernest was a live-in servant at Bentley Beverley Farm in Rowley, working as a beast man.
He enlisted on 26 May 1915 aged eighteen years and one month and was given Service Number 290314, he was a gunner in the Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Ernest contracted malaria while he was serving in East Africa and invalided at Mombassa, East Africa, then to Wynburg, South Africa on 16 Apr 1917 and was then sent to Oxfordshire to recuperate. He embarked for France on 17 Jul 1917 and was there until Feb 1919, he then transferred to the Reserve on 16 Mar 1919, he served for three years and 295 days and was awarded the Victory Medal and the British Medal on 13 Feb 1920.
Ernest married Doris Hunt in Dec 1924 in Beverley. According to the 1939 Register they lived at 4 Spencer Street, Beverley. They had two children, Bernard born the 30 Jan 1925 and Joyce A born the 17 Mar 1928. Ernest was a breadmaker in a bakehouse and his son was a baker’s apprentice. Ernest died in Sep 1976 aged 79 and Doris died in 1986 aged 81.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |