John Henry Ellis
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: P. Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: Pauline Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Henry Ellis was born at Brimington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, one of 4 children he was the 2nd born of 3 sons and had a younger sister. His parents Thomas Pearson Ellis native of Luddington, Lincolnshire and Mary Ann Foster of Staverley, Derbyshire, both born in 1860, married March 7th 1881 at Handley By Staverley, where he was employed as a fitter’s labourer. Their son George Pearson Ellis was born later that year, followed by John Henry March 23rd 1883, Thomas Jnr 1885 and Charlotte October 6th 1886. Mary Ann died of smallpox in her mid 20’s between 1886 and 1890, leaving Thomas with the responsibility of their young children. George was brought up by his mother’s relatives, Charlotte by her grandfather Thomas Ellis and his wife at 22, Pickering Street Brightside Sheffield, whilst Thomas, his second wife Ann Eliza Steel, whom he had married in 1890, John Henry and Thomas Jnr lived at 18, Pickering Road. They had a further 3 children, Bernard born 1891 who was damaged at birth and required special care, Samuel 1893 and Gertrude 1895.
John Henry Ellis joined the Navy, March 21st 1899 for a period of 12 years. His father died in 1912, time completed in the Navy by 1911 aged 29 he found employment as an iron works labourer at the blast furnaces in Scunthorpe where he was a boarder at 1, Greens Terrace, the home of furnace labourer Thomas Ernest Torn and his widowed mother Mary Ann, assisted by house keeper Margaret Jane Robertson (29) born at Dunn, Berwickshire, in 1881. He and Margaret Jane migrated to the north east where they married at Gateshead May 20th 1911. They had no children of their own but adopted a baby girl, Elsie Cropp born January 23rd 1914 at Morpeth, Northumberland.
On the outbreak of war John Henry Ellis enlisted at Gateshead, September 6th 1914, assigned as Private 16503 Durham Light Infantry. The new recruits departed by train from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Buckinghamshire, at Aylesbury they were formed into the 14th and 15th Battalions Durham Light Infantry. Private Ellis was posted to the 14th Battalion which joined the 15th at Halton Park Camp the following month both attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. He was promoted October 4th 1915 to the rank of Lance Corporal. Training was difficult due to bad weather, no uniforms, dummy rifles and too few officers. By December they had moved into billets at High Wycombe and issued with uniform and rifles their training began in earnest. In the spring they returned to Halton Park for final training before leaving for Aldershot. September 19th 1915 the 14th and 15th Battalions departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Boulogne in France, however Lance Corporal Ellis was not amongst them. September 5th he had been given a two-day pass to return to Gateshead to see his family but had not returned and fortunately for him was declared as absent without leave not as a deserter. He handed himself over at Witley Camp, September 11th 1915 and committed to confinement at camp for 7 days. He departed October 1st 1915 to join his regiment in the field as part of the 21st Division which still inexperienced and unprepared had been sent into battle at Loos, the first major British offensive on the Western Front, September 25th-October 9th 1915. After a long march, cold, tired and hungry they attacked across the British front line reaching the old German line September 26th only to be driven back by machine gun fire. During the fighting the 14th lost almost 300 men killed or wounded and the 15th lost over 450 men. During November the 14th was transferred to the 6th Division and defended Potijze, December 19th they were subjected to a gas attack near Wieltje on the Ypres salient. Casualties were high, 149, with 22 killed and a number of officers being gassed or wounded.
Lance Corporal 16503 John Henry Ellis Durham Light Infantry was amongst the dead, December 19th 1915 and interred at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, near Ypres, Belgium, grave I. B. 48. He was 32 years old. Alongside Lance Corporal Ellis is buried Private 19242 Ernest Brady Durham Light Infantry of 54, Fleming Street, Gateshead, 20 years of age and single, who died that same day, not only comrades in arms but work colleagues at Redheugh Gas Works.
His widow Margaret Jane received all monies due to him, his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 16, Queen Street, Gateshead and a pension for herself and their daughter of 17 shillings 6 pence a week as of July 10th 1916 until she remarried to John W. Speed in 1918 at Gateshead, County Durham. Margaret Jane Speed-Ellis nee Robertson died at Gateshead in 1945 aged 63 years.
John Henry’s brother Thomas E. Ellis, a postman, married a Yorkshire lass Nellie Hides. He also enlisted during WW1, served in India and having survived the conflict died aged 81 in 1966.
His eldest brother George Pearson Ellis (27), wife Mary Ann (28) and his sister Charlotte (22) emigrated to Canada from the port of Liverpool bound for Quebec, July 2nd 1909 aboard the Empress of Britain, Canadian Pacific Line. George and his wife settled at Weyburn, Saskatchewan where he was a farmer, their son Thomas Glenwood Ellis was born in 1910. George Pearson Ellis died March 16 1947 aged 66 years and was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery, Weyburn as is his wife Mary Ann who died in 1955 aged 78 years.
Charlotte Ellis known as Lottie went from Canada to America where she married in 1910 to Earl Charles Beebe born October 4th 1892 of Minot, North Dakota, their daughter Lorraine was born in 1911. They moved to Canada in 1913 and eventually had a homestead near Veteran, Alberta and went on to have further 6 children, Delia, Earl Jnr, Azie, Zita, Verne and Delford. Earl Charles Beebe died in 1948, Lottie Beebe nee Ellis, April 23rd 1971, aged 88 years.
It should be noted that the CWGC entry states his rank as a Private as does his military headstone.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Henry Ellis is remembered at Redheugh on R43.01 and at Teams on T68.02
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 335
