Remembering the Fallen

Today we took a special trip out. We didn't go far, in fact the spot we visited is only about a mile from the house where I grew up, but we went for a reason - remembrance - the place - Dawley Parva War Memorial.



Some months ago I discovered that the cousin who appeared on the 1901 and 1911 censuses with my great grandfather and his parents died towards the end of the First World War. Earlier this week my niece asked for help with her history homework, she needed to write a report about a family member who served in the First World War, we didn't know of anyone in her family so I told her to use my first cousin three times removed John Thornborrow. I came home and dug out my research and realised that today was the 95th anniversary of his death. Which is why today we went to pay our respects at the memorial where he is remembered, his grave in France being out of the question.

John Thornborrow was born in 1897 and before his second birthday his father died, his mother went out to work as a domestic servant and he and his elder sister lived with other family members. He was called up in December 1915 firstly as an Army Reserve in addition to his regular employment as a postman. In 1917 he went into the Labour Corps and to war in France. Later that same year he was transferred to the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, an infantry regiment. On July 7th 1918 he was amongst a group of troops being transferred by train from base at Calais to the front. He was in a truck with about 30 other men and sitting in the open doorway with another man when a goods train passed them. Private Thornborrow attempted to pull his legs back into the truck and was dragged from the train. Over a hour later he was found on the tracks with a fractured skull and one hand cut off at the wrist, he was taken to hospital and died later that same day from his injuries. He was buried at the military cemetery at Sangatte just outside Calais.

He might have been forgotten for many years but he will not be forgotten any longer, I will make sure that he is remembered just as all of those who gave their lives serving their country should be remembered.