MY WAR DEAD
HERRETT, John William - died 1st June 1917.
John William Herrett was born in Kensington, London, on 12th November 1881, his parents being John Herrett, a bricklayer, and his partner, Eliza Maria Spicer. It is possible that Eliza's birth name was actually Tompkins and there is no evidence that the couple were married although they remained together for a number of years and had 6 children.
John's father died in 1886 and he subsequently lived with his widowed mother until her death in 1901, and then with his brother and sister, William and Annie Eliza, in Notting Hill, London; he worked as a greengrocer for a number of years, at least until 1911.
John enlisted in Kensington, although when is not known, and served with the Cambridgeshire Regiment and the Suffolk Regiment. His medal card indicates that he did not see active service before 1916 as he was not awarded either 'Star'. What is known is that he was serving as a private with the 8th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, when he was killed on 1st June 1917, aged 35; John is buried in the small Rookery British Cemetery at Heninel, France, near to the town of Arras. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
John left an informal 'Soldier's Will', dated 7th December 1916, in which he bequeathed all of his property and effects to his sister, Miss Annie Herrett of Notting Hill, London.
John William Herrett was my 2nd cousin, three times removed.