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Neville Hobson was born the 13 Apr 1886, the third child of Charles William and Louisa Elizabeth (nee Brigham) Hobson. Neville was educated at Beverley Grammar School and later at Bridlington Grammar School. In 1908 he was invited to head a branch of the Church Lad's Brigade (CLB) in Beverley. He was still actively involved with the CLB right up until his death and received much praise and recognition, with the Brigade regularly reported on in the local press.
When war broke out in Europe in Aug 1914, Neville Hobson joined the 5th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment as private 1880 the very same month, under Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, along with twelve other CLB members, after a request from Captain Pearce of the Beverley Territorials, leaving the Reverend FW Piggot, assistant chaplain, in charge of the CLB.
By Nov 1914 Neville was a Sergeant Major and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant attached to the King's Rifle Regiment. Two years later, in Jun 1916 he was made a Captain and transferred to the 2/19th Battalion of the London Regiment and went to France just before the Battle of the Somme. After France he saw service in the Balkans, Egypt and Palestine, where he was promoted to the staff of the 60th Division. During General Allenby's campaign in Palestine Neville acted as Forward Reconnaissance Officer, being one of the first to enter the Holy City of Jerusalem, crossing the Jordan with the leading battalion. He was later mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Military Cross, along with both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
After the war, on 4 Feb 1919 he married Sarah Kathleen "Kate" Darneley, at St Stephen's Church, Hull. They had three children, Paul born 1921, Janice born 1922 and, Christopher Neville, known as "Kit" born 1924. Neville's wife, Kate, passed away in 1965 and such was the respect in the town for Neville "MR. Beverley" Hobson that, when he himself passed away at the Nuffield Nursing Home in Hull on 2 Jul 1975 at the age of 89, the flags of Beverley Minster and St Mary's church, where he had been an active member all of his long life, were flown at half-mast for the whole of the week.
Includes information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |