Name
Ernest George Pinney
1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
14/04/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
25661
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2nd/5th Bn. posted to 2nd/7th Bn
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL
Panel 2 and 3.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Hemel Hempstead memorials,
Not on the Bovingdon memorials,
Ley Hill Memorial, Hall, Buckinghamshire
Pre War
Ernest George Pinney was born in Pudds Cross, Bovingdon in 1899, the son of John and Mary Ann Pinney, and baptised at Flaunden, Herts on 8 December 1899. He was one of eleven children, although one died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Hockley Bottom, Latimer, Bucks where his father was working as a cowman on a farm. They had moved to 58 Leyhill Common, Chesham, Bucks by the 1911 Census and although Ernest was still at school, his father was working as a farm labourer as were three of his siblings.
Ernest was said to be working as a factory hand prior to enlistment.
Wartime Service
Ernest enlisted in on 25 May 1915 at Watford and gave his age as 19 years 1 month although he was in fact only 16 years 1 month, joining the Middlesex Regiment with reg. no. 10698. He was discharged on 12 July 1915 as it was thought he was "not likely to become and efficient soldier (on medical grounds). It had also been established that he had made a "mis-statement as to age on enlistment".
Later in the war he was accepted and served with the 2/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, being transferred to the 2/7th Battalion. He was killed in action on 14 April 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. He has no known grave but his name is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £2 9s 10d. His mother received a pension initially 3s 6d, later increased by 1s 6d, to 5s a week.
Acknowledgments
Jonty Wild, Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.buckinghamshireremembers.org.uk.
