John Henry Hogg

John was born in 1897 in Farnsfield and was the son of Thomas, a general labourer, and Mary Ann Hogg, née Sharman, of Station Road, Farnsfield. His father Thomas was born in 1864 in Farnsfield while his mother Mary Ann was born in 1870 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Their marriage is recorded in the Southwell Registration district in June 1896 and they went on to have a large family of 11 children. Sadly, however, four were to die in infancy prior to the 1911 census. Their children were:- John Henry b1897, Eleanor Audrey b1899, Thomas Aubrey b1900, Hilda Eliza b1902, Fred James b1906, Charles b1908 and Doris Rose b1912. All the children were born in Farnsfield. The family in the 1901 census are living at Lower Hexgrave, Farnsfield, and by the 1911 census are still living at Farnsfield and shown as, Thomas 47 yrs a general labourer living with his wife Mary Ann 41 yrs and their children, John Henry 14 yrs a day boy on a farm, Eleanor Audrey 12 yrs, Thomas Aubrey 11 yrs, Hilda Eliza 9yrs, Fred James 5 yrs and Charles 3 yrs. In June 1919 Thomas completed a form for the army listing his son's surviving blood relatives. John's mother, Mary Ann, was not named on the form, but his father was living at Back Lane, Farnsfield, with his six surviving children: Eleanor Audrey (20), Thomas Aubrey (19), Hilda Elizabeth (17), Frederick James (13), Charles (11) and Doris Rose (7). In John's service record is an army memorandum dated January 1918 requesting that any personal possessions be returned to Mrs Mary Ann Hogg of Back Lane, Farnsfield. No record has yet been found of his mother's death.

John enlisted on 11th December 1915 at Farnsfield, he gave his age as 18 yrs and 11 months. His address was Back Lane, Farnsfield, and his next of kin was his father, Thomas, of the same address. He gave his occupation as that of a general farm worker and his religion as Church of England. The following day 12th December he was placed into the reserves. He was mobilised on 29th March 1916 for the duration of the war and was posted to the 7th battalion, West Riding Regiment on 31st March 1916. Following his training he embarked for the Western Front from Folkstone on 26th September 1916 and arrived in Boulogne the same day. He was sent to Etaples Camp where on 12th October 1916 he was posted to the 3rd battalion Duke of Wellingtons West Riding Regiment and on 17th October joined his battalion in the field. On 22 December 1916 he reported sick with impetigo and a week later on 30 December was admitted to No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station suffering from a carbuncle on his neck. This was severe enough for him to be admitted to No.18 General Hospital on 4 January and then evacuated by hospital ship to England the following day. His service documents show that he was posted Home ('Depot') on 7 January 1917, which suggests that was the date he arrived back in England. It is not clear from his service documents whether he subsequently returned to duty or was medically unfit up to the time of his death seven months later. However, on 1 June 1917 he was awarded ten days detention and forfeited seven days pay for being absent from (place illegible) at 11.55pm on 23 May 1917 until 'apprehended by the Military Police at Nottingham at 6am on 29 May 1917' (7 days). John died at 7am on 17 July 1917 and the Army's initial report of his death gives the cause as 'Cerebral oedema. Meningeal haemorrhage.' Although it is not clear from his service record when he was admitted to hospital it is probable that he died in Brighton Grove Military Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, where an autopsy appears to have been performed which gave the cause of death as cerebral haemorrhage. His body was returned to his family and he was buried in St Michael's Churchyard at Farnsfield.