| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
John Esau Akrill was born the 21 Jul 1883 in Beverley and was baptised at Beverley Minster the 16 Aug 1883, the son of William Wreghitt and Eliza Akrill (nee Gregg). By 1891 the family had moved Stoneferry, Sutton on Hull where William was employed as a dock labourer.
John married Violet Maud St Croix at St Andrews Church, Grimsby and by 1911 they were living in Hull, they had son Herbert William in 1912, he died in 1913; they had two more children, Christina born 1913 and Harold Thomas born 1914.
John enlisted with the 13th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment in Nov 1914 in Hull. The 13th Battalion known as T’Others was part of the group of units known as the Hull Pals. After training at Ripon John, with his Battalion, was sent to Egypt in Dec 1915 where they occupied defences along the Suez Canal. In Mar 1916 they were moved to the Western Front where they fought in the Battles of the Somme. In Nov 1916 John was severely wounded in the battle of Ancre and died of his wounds at the Base hospital Boulogne on 19 Nov 1916. He was buried in Boulogne Eastern cemetery. John was awarded the 15 Star, Victory and British medals.
Violet married John Hewson in 1919.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |