| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
John Swales was born in 1893, the son of Robert E Swales and Grace Arnold. He had four siblings, Hannah born 1884, Elizabeth born 1887, Mary Ann born 1889 and Robert born 1891. His father, Robert was born in Malton in 1848 and was a chimney sweep. His parents married in Market Weighton in 1882. In 1891 and 1901 the Swales family was living in Chantry Lane, Beverley. By 1911 the family had moved to 5 High Gate, Beverley, and John was employed as a shipyard labourer.
John enlisted on 7 Apr 1914, as a private in the 5th Yorkshire Regiment (shown as the Duke of Wellington Regiment on some of his army records). His regimental number was 235688. His service record indicates he was sent to France on 18 Apr 1914. In Feb 1918 he confirmed that he had no disability due to military service. He was demobilised in Mar 1919 in York, by which time he was a Corporal and at one point an Acting Sergeant. The receipt for the military medal was sent in Jul 1919 to 15 Wood Lane, Beverley - in February of that year he had lived at 5 Kate's Terrace, Wassand Street, Hessle Road, Hull. During the five years he was in the Infantry he was awarded a Military Medal for 'bomb throwing', the British War Medal and Victory Medal with clasps.
John married Mabel Burr in 1919, they had a son Jack born in Beverley in 1921. John died in Dec 1979 aged 86 and Mabel in 1992 aged 93.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |