Lorna Wilkinson has submitted the following:-
Herbert Sturgeon was born in 1878 at Darlington the son of Maria Hall. His mother married Arthur Sturgeon in 1879 and Herbert took his stepfather’s name.
In 1901 and 1911 Arthur and Maria with their family were living at Cockerton. Arthur was a Gardener.
In 1901 Herbert was boarding at Walker Road Byker and was working as a Ship Rivetters' Holder Up. In 1909 he married Hannah Terry at Darlington. In 1911 they were living at 4 Sunny Terrace Cockerton. Herbert was a coal dealer. Two daughters were born by 1911 and two more were to follow.
When Herbert enlisted at Darlington he was living Corporation Road. He joined firstly the Royal Army Medical Corps as 82391 Private Sturgeon but later transferred to the Hampshire Regiment as 41840 Private Sturgeon and lastly to the 3rd Garrison Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment as 37939 Private Sturgeon.
The 3rd Garrison Battalion was sent to Burma in March 1918 to guard Turkish prisoners of war in the newly established camp at Meiktila. Herbert probably died of disease, dysentery, malaria and T.B. were the main causes of death amongst the Turkish prisoners so it seems likely that he died from one of these diseases. He was buried at the cemetery at Meiktila Cantonment. Eight bodies were removed from this cemetery in the 1950s when the graves could no longer be maintained. Herbert is now interred in Taukkyan Cemetery Yangon.
Herbert Sturgeon photo from The Evening Despatch 30/06/1917.
Thanks to Stephen Nicholson for his help and assistance.
Herbert is remembered at Cockerton on C119.02 and at Darlington in D40.34
