Name
John Edward Stevens
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
30825
Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
B Coy. 10th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY
XX. K. 22A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Kings Langley Village Memorial
Pre War
John
Stevens’ parents, George Stevens and Alice Ayers were married at St Peter’s
Church in Mill End in 1883. George had previously been living at Two Stones,
Uxbridge Road, although he was born in Stoke Poges. Alice was born in
Rickmansworth. Their son, John, was born in Stoke Poges in 1899. In 1901 the family
were living at West End, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire and George was working as
a Gas Works stoker. They had 4 children, Alice Maud, aged 13, born in Stoke
Poges, Elizabeth, aged 8 born in Stoke Poges, Thomas aged 5, born in
Rickmansworth and John Edward, aged 2, born in Stoke Poges.
By 1911, they had moved to Primrose
Hill, Kings Langley, where George worked as a labourer in Home Park Mills, one
of John Dickinson’s Paper Mills. Their children who were living at home at the
time were Agnes Louisa, aged 20, a mill worker, Elizabeth, aged 18, a brush worker, Thomas, aged 16, farm labourer,
John Edward 11, Harry, aged 9, who had
been born in Rickmansworth and Reuben, aged 7.
John’s father who was part
of the Royal Defence Corps died in Kent on 11 March 1918.
Wartime Service
John
Stevens enlisted at Watford and was formerly in the West Surrey Regiment
(service number 29479) and was killed in action. The War diaries for the 31st
July 1918 noted that a heavy barrage had been laid down by the enemy. Four ‘other
ranks’ were killed that day. Lijssenthoek was the location for a number of
casualty clearing stations, being on the main communication line between the
Allied military bases and the Ypres battlefields.
Acknowledgments
Pat Hamilton
Jonty Wild
