John's Story.
John was born in Lymm in 1881, son of John (fustian cutter) and Lydia Leigh of West Hyde, Newfield, Lymm. In civilian life he was first employed as a fustian cutter and then at the Steel Bar Works.He was married to Ellen Leigh and they had one son John, born in 1913.
He enlisted on 31st August 1914 at Warrington and saw active service in Mesopotomia.
He suffered from bronchial malaria in July 1918 and spent some time in a Birmingham Hospital before being transferred to Blackpool Convalescent Hospital. He suffered a slight relapse on the morning of Saturday 26th September but later on that day walked to Highfield Road to see his wife. It was while he was visiting his wife that he took ill again, a medical officer examined him and told him to go into hospital that day By the next day he had lost consciousness and was re-admitted to hospital with a subnormal temperature. He died at 11.30 a.m. on 30th September 1918 aged 36, whilst waiting for a spinal puncture to be performed.
A post mortem report later revealed that he had a collapsed lung and had died from pneumonia.
Researched and compiled by Lynn Smith