| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
John was born in Beverley the 14 Mar 1896 and baptised at St Mary’s Church the 4 Apr 1896, the son of John Matterson Acklam, tailor and Emily (nee Rippon), who married in Beverley in 1893. John was originally from Fridaythorpe. The family lived at 24 Albert Terrace, and previously at Belgrave Villas, Cartwright Lane, Beverley. On leaving school John became a tailor’s apprentice in the family business in Saturday Market. He spent time in Bradford as a tailor’s assistant. From Jul 1910 to Mar 1914 John was a member of the Beverley Church lads’ Brigade and was considered to be “a really excellent all-round lad” and “one of the best lads to have passed through the Company, he had served as an NCO.
John enlisted joining the 5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, known as the “Beverley Terriers”. John arrived in France on 18 Apr 1915 and the 5th were immediately sent into action at St Julian in the 2nd Battle of Ypres in Flanders. John rose through the ranks quickly and becoming a Sergeant. He transferred to the Machine Gun Corps probably in 1916. As a corporal John won the Military Medal for heroic conduct. John was awarded the War and Victory Medals and the 1914-15 Star.
John returned to Beverley but by the early 1920s he moved to Bradford where he worked as a master tailor. In 1925 he married Edith Owen at Low Moor, Bradford, they had a daughter Margaret, born 1933. John died aged 82 and was buried at St Mark’s, Low Moor on 13 Mar 1979. Edith died in 1972.
Includes information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |