Great War servicemen - side facing South

Osborne - Skelton

The following people are listed on the side facing South. Great care has been taken to identify them but, since 90 years have passed, it is likely mistakes have been made.

R. OSBORNE

Reginald Arthur Osborne (later surname became 'Harrison-Osborne')
1658 Private, South Nottinghamshire Hussars
164810 Private, Machine Gun Corps
 
born in Scotter
son of William Harrison (a farmer) and Betsy (nee Kidney); both from Scotter
parents married as William Osborne Long and Betsie Kidney
baptised 13th October 1895

family lived at Scotterthorpe House

attended Brigg Grammar School

 

 

 
enlisted in 1915

married Lillian Caroline Gearey on 22nd October 1918 at St. Peter's Church
worked at Selby sugar beet factory
in the 1930's lived at 'Sandycroft', Green Lane, Monk Fryston

died in 1963 aged 67 at 'Robinia', Church Lane, Scotter
plaques to him and his wife are on the wall of the entrance to St. Peter's Church
 

A. OXLEY

Albert Oxley
89899 Gunner, 63 Heavy Artillery Group, Royal Garrison Artillery 

born 23rd April 1889 at Scotton
son of Thomas (a farmer from Scotton) and Betsy Ann (nee Laughton of Scotter)
family lived at St. Helena Farm on Kirton Road

worked as a shepherd

enlisted 11th December 1915 at Kirton-in-Lindsey
described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 158 pounds
called up on 30th May 1916 and went to the Drill Hall, Scunthorpe
medically examined at Lincoln and passed A1
sent to No. 4 Depot at Great Yarmouth and given his vaccines at the Military Hospital
joined “A” Siege Depot at Shoreham on 3rd August 1916
posted to 63 Heavy Artillery Group on 11th August
embarked at Southampton on 19th September and sailed to Le Havre
given 10 days leave in June 1917 and 2 weeks in February 1918 and returned to England
returned from France on 25th January 1919
demobilized on 23rd February and transferred to Class ‘Z’ Army Reserve
 
married Maud Ethel Marshall ('Ethel') of Blyton in 1924
worked at Sandhills Farm
later employed by Jack Chapman at Newstead Priory near Brigg
died in 1972 aged 83 in the Scunthorpe registration district
buried in Cadney Cemetery
remembered as 'a very, very good father-in-law'

father buried in St. Genewys churchyard, Scotton
brother of Thomas (below)
 

T. OXLEY

Thomas Oxley
119998 Private, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment 
joined up with 119979 Private John Dawber (South face)
joined up with 120003 Private Wilfred Herbert Robinson (below)
 
born 11th September 1898 in Scotter

son of Thomas (a farmer from Scotton) and Betsy Ann (nee Laughton of Scotter)

family lived at St. Helena farm on Kirton Road

baptised with his older brother Harold on 24th November 1906 at St. Peter's Church

married Annie Addison of Gainsborough in 1926
had a butchers shop in that town on Church Street

moved and opened a fruit and florist shop at 200 Durban Road, Grimsby
by 1958 his business was a butchers shop at 194 Columbia Road, Grimsby
in the 1970s and 1980s his son Desmond’s butchers shop was at 58 Melrose Road, Gainsborough

died in 1978 in the Gainsborough registration district
cremated at Scunthorpe
father buried in St. Genewys churchyard, Scotton
brother of Albert (above)
 

G.W. RENNISON

George William Rennison 
1093 Corporal, 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

born 26th June 1895 in Scotter

son of George (a general farm labourer from Scotter) and Charlotte (nee Taylor; a twin of Grimsby)
family lived on Sands Lane

moved to his mother's home town for work
 
enlisted at Grimsby on 2nd November 1914

at times when at the front would be 'in the vicinity of a royal prince '
with the start of the Battle of the Somme the 'Lincolnshire Chronicle' reported on 5th August 1916:-
'The news has been received that Private George William Rennison was wounded on July 2nd in the great British drive in France.  He was wounded in the bayonet charge and is now in the Wharncliffe Hospital, Sheffield...' (the wound was a bullet through the arm)
suffered a crushed body after been buried by a shell
slightly injured and then hospitalised in France 'from the effects of gas'
in 1918, wounded for the 4th time when fighting on the Western front; hospitalised in Ireland and then England
discharged 9th January 1919 as a result of wounds and received Silver War Badge B111954

lost a finger on his left hand, had a hole in the inside of the top of his leg, shrapnel in his nose and always suffered breathing problems, particularly when it was a foggy day
 
married Ellen Weatherhogg at St. Andrew's Church, Kirton in Lindsey on 4th February 1920
worked in a bicycle shop before becoming a postman for Kirton and the surrounding villages

in World War II worked as a civilian driver at RAF Hemswell before moving to RAF Kirton in Lindsey 
collected a bomb and drove a truck through Lincoln alarming people who thought it was 'live' 
attended a crash; helped pull out the pilot whose legs stayed in the plane; it was Douglas Bader
his small house ‘was always full of airmen’ and ‘he gave them egg and chips’

later employed for a few years by S. Drury the potato merchants
opened a small shop on Torksey Street; repaired bicycles and sold radios he’d assembled
last job was a taxi driver for Steve Barnard garages which he continued to do well into his 70s

died 4th February 1978 aged 82 on what would have been his 58th wedding anniversary
buried with his wife in Kirton in Lindsey Cemetery
parents buried in Scotter Cemetery
brother of John Henry (below)
 

J.H. RENNISON

John Henry Rennison  ('Jack')
T4/253720 Driver, Army Service Corps

born January 1889 in Scotter
son of George (a general farm labourer from Scotter) and Charlotte (nee Taylor; a twin of Grimsby)
family lived on Sands Lane

became a blacksmith
married Mary Elizabeth 'Sis' Jenkinson of Clayworth at ‘The Parish Church, Nottingham’ in 1914
lived at Blyth Road, Ranskill

enlisted as 4319 Driver into the A.S.C. on 5th November 1915 at Barnby Moor 
described as 5 feet 4 inches tall 
sent overseas and arrived in Le Harvre from Southampton on 9th January 1917
returned to England on 11th February 1919 and demobilized a month later
address given as Trinkle Street, Gringley on the Hill

awarded the Medaille Barbatie si Credinta 3rd Class by His Majesty the King of Roumania 
  ‘for distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign’
gazetted on 20th September 1919 (page 11757)
the award was for 'cutting horses free under heavy shell fire'

made callipers for needy children at the local tuberculosis clinic
with children John ('Jack') and Arthur, he built the business into an engineering company
 
died 15th February 1967 aged 78
commemorated with a plaque on the wall in the garden at Gringley Cemetery
parents buried in Scotter Cemetery
brother of George William (above)
 

J. RICHARDS

Joe Richards

born 30th March 1878 in Scotter 
son of Henry (a farmer from Scotterthorpe) and Ellen (nee Bayes of Willingham by Stow)
family lived on Sands Lane
 
became a railway signalman at Darton near Barnsley
there he met and later married Ethel Storr of Mapplewell
set up home in Susworth
moved to live at 47 High Street, Scotter

died 3rd December 1951 aged 73 
buried alongside his wife in Scotter Cemetery
brother of Matthew (East face)
 

A.L. RICHARDSON

Albert Laurence Beckett (!)

born in 1900 in Scotterthorpe 
son of Eliza (a milkmaid from Wellingore near Spalding) 
in 1901 living at the Scotterthorpe home of Joseph Richardson (a farm labourer from Glentham) and Annie (nee Beckett; Eliza's older sister) 
the Richardson's had married in 1892 and were childless

Eliza worked on a farm in the hamlet and married Charles Edward Booth of Stow in 1903
she lived at 4 King Street East, Gainsborough

1911 census shows he was using the Richardson surname when he was with aunt Annie in the home of his grandfather William Becket at Wellingore

worked as a horseman on a farm
married L.M. and they lived at 68 Victor Street, South Elmsall near Wakefield
became ill will pleurisy, bronchitis and influenza
died at his home on 14th November 1928 aged 28l

E. RICHARDSON

Ernest Henry Richardson 
54630 Private, 83rd Training Reserve Battalion
57300 Private, 3rd & 10th Battalions, West Yorkshire Regiment
21728 Private, Clerks Company, Army Pay Corps
S/445269 Private, 2/8th Company, Army Service Corps 
S/445269 Private, 44th Railhead Supply Detachment, Royal Army Service Corps

born 13th February 1895 at March, Cambridgeshire
son of Edwin (a farm labourer) and Eliza Ann (nee Blackmur); both of March, Cambridgeshire

came to Scotter with his older brother Edwin Frederick (‘Fred’) 
became a grocer's assistant 
lived at West Street

enlisted 19th February 1916 at Scunthorpe
called up into the 83rd Training Reserve on 11th June 1917
described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 103 pounds, Church of England 
transferred to the West Yorkshires on 23rd October and arrived in France on 6th November
two weeks later suffered a ‘mild’ gun shot wound to the left forearm 
treated in the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre
returned to England on 27th November and stayed in hospital until 30th March 1918 
medical showed his left eye was ‘almost blind for many years’ and ‘glasses of no use’

tested and proved to be a ‘very good’ clerk 
that July transferred to the Army Pay Corps at York which proved unsuitable
in November joined the Army Service Corps at Prees Heath, near Whitchurch in Shropshire
sailed from Southampton to Le Havre aboard S.S. Yale on 23rd November 1918
joined the 44th Railhead Supply Detachment 
discharged November 1919 
permanent address given as 139 West End, March

died in 1971 aged 76 in the March registration district

A. ROBINSON

Albert Robinson

born in Scotter
son of John Edward (a farm labourer) and Ellen (nee Roberts, of Blyton)
baptised 3rd June 1894 at St. Peter's Church

enlisted before 1915

parents buried in Scotter churchyard
brother of Walter (below)
brother of Wilfred Herbert (below)
 

W. ROBINSON

Walter Robinson
6608 Private, 19th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force 

born 30th Novemer 1887 in Scotter
son of John Edward (a jobber) and Ellen (nee Roberts, of Blyton)

became a carpenter
married Louisa

enlisted at Cootamundra, New South Wales on 20th July 1916 when living at Bogolong, Grenfell
described as Church of England, 5' 3" tall, of fair complexion with grey eyes and brown hair
wife was residing at 'Walloo', Russell Street, Eastwood, NSW
set sail from Sydney aboard 'HMAT Wiltshire' on 7th February 1917 and
arrived at Devonport on 11th April 
left Southampton for France on 17th October
'wounded in action' to the head and right thigh on 11th August 1918 
sent from the 9th General Hospital to Chichester on the 'Aberdonian' 
transferred to the 3rd Battalion three months later
days after the Armistice was back in hospital with bronchitis
embarked for Australia on the 'Orsova' in January 1919 
arrived back on 3rd March; discharged as 'medically unfit' on 2nd April

in 1942 living at 54 Burdett Street, Hornsby, NSW 
died at Randwick, NSW on 17th July 1951 
parents buried in Scotter churchyard
brother of Albert (above)
brother of Wilfred Herbert (below)       

W.H. ROBINSON

Wilfred Herbert Robinson  ('Wilf')
120003 Private, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment
joined up with 119979 Private John Dawber (South face)
joined up with 119998 Private Thomas Oxley (above)

born in Scotter
son of John Edward (a labourer) and Ellen (nee Roberts, of Blyton)baptised 24th August 1897 at St. Peter's Church

married Maud Ella Marsden of Blyton in 1920
daughter Isa E. (born 1921), Albert W. (1928) and Alan Wilfred (1934-2009)

might have lived in the Lincoln area
died in 1968 aged 69 in the Scunthorpe registration district

parents buried in Scotter churchyard
brother of Albert (above) 
brother of Walter (above)

T. RODGERS

Thomas Rodgers  ('Tom')

born 1877 at Cleatham
son of Thomas (a gamekeeper) and Ann (Annie, nee Denton) both of Owmby
became a driller in a shipyard at Gainsborough
father buried in the churchyard
interred 6th August 1952 aged 74 
buried in Scotter Cemetery
 

W. SKELTON

Willie Skelton  ('William')

born 29th June 1894 in Scotter
son of George (a bricklayer from Retford, Notts) and Elizabeth (nee Harrison of Scotter)

father became ill and hospitalised at Bracebridge Heath near Lincoln
family lived with grandparents William Harrison (a farm labourer from Scotter and Elizabeth (of Claxby)
 
married Ada Gibbons in 1920
became a bricklayer
 
died 1974 in the Gainsborough registration district 
mother buried in Scotter Cemetery
 

W.H. SKELTON

John William (Holmes?) Skelton (‘Willie’; obvious initials problem)
PW/6620 Private, Middlesex Regiment
Machine Gun Corps

born 28th August 1895 at Messingham
son of Holmes Shepherd (a farmer from Scotter) and Ada Leinton (nee Smith of Lincoln) 
other children Flora Ann (born 1893), William Holmes !! (born & died 1894), Frank Holmes (1898), Ada Muriel (1903) and George Sackwell (1908)

family lived at North Field Grange, Ashby Road in Messingham
by the war years family had moved to Scotter
 
in 1917 the ‘Gainsborough News’ reported him: 
  'missing since March 28th … In a letter to his parents he speaks of a very slight wound in the hand’

on 24th August 1917 the paper stated: 
  ‘Private Willie Skelton, Middlesex Regiment, elder son of Mr & Mrs Holmes Skelton, is now in the Middlesex Military Hospital suffering from gas received in the fighting in Flanders.  He is progressing favourably and soon hopes to be on his legs again.’

went back to the front, was captured and spent 8 months in France as a prisoner of war

became a farmer
married Evelyn Ada Wilkes Cartwright of Blyton in 1930
lived at Poplar Grove Farm, Scotter
son John Vincent born in 1935

died in 1972 aged 76 in the North Kesteven registration district