| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Gilbert was born in Hull in 1895 the son of John Popple, a seed merchant’s manager, and his wife Catherine, his sister Muriel was born 1896. By 1900 the family had moved to Beverley where three further children were born. In 1909, aged 14, Gilbert joined the newly-formed Beverley Church Lads’ Brigade. He became a bugler in the band and he was said to be a “very useful lad”. In Sep 1911 his character on discharge was “very good”, he was employed as a NER clerk and was attending night-school.
Gilbert served with the 10th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, embarking for Egypt on 22 Dec 1915 to defend the Suez Canal. In May 1916 the Battalion was moved to France and was engaged in various actions on the Western Front until the end of the war when they were in Belgium, near Flobecq, east of Renaix.
Gilbert attained the rank of Corporal, he was awarded the British War and Victory medals and the 15 Star.
He resumed his employment as a railway clerk, living at Harpham near Bridlington, on the Hull to Scarborough route. In Nov 1919 he married Alice Moore from Walkley, Sheffield. In the 1939 Register they were living in Bridlington and Gilbert still working as a railway clerk. Gilbert died in Bridlington in 1987 aged 92.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |