John and Mary Ann Bray Highley and their family (Part 4 - Ernest Jackson)

Ernest Jackson, born in 1879, was two years younger than John Henry.

He worked at Friths Mill in Todmorden. At different times he is described as a Cotton Mill Hand, a Cotton Mill Labourer, a Cotton Warehouseman, and a Cotton Weaver. At one time there were well over 50 mills in Todmorden and Walsden. Most of the big industrial chimneys have now gone and the mills have been demolished, or stand abandoned, or have been converted for other purposes.

Ernest Jackson married Harriet Ann Helliwell in 1907. They had 4 children – Florence, Edith, Frank and Mary. Mary was born in May 1915 and in July that year Edward Jackson enlisted in Halifax with the 8th Battalion Devonshire Regiment. His brother John Henry had died 8 months previously and his parents must have had misgivings about another son going off to fight.

The 8th Battalion had been formed soon after the start of War in August 1914. They embarked for France in July the following year just as Ernest Jackson started his training in Exeter. The Battalion was immediately involved in fighting on the Western Front.

In October Ernest Jackson had 8 days leave away from Exeter and then sailed for France on 15th December 1915. He spent 2 months in hospital suffering from strain but was discharged in February 1916 and sent back to the Firing Line. At this time the Battalion were situated in a village near Albert in the Somme region.

Ernest Jackson had been back with his battalion for only about 4 months when he was killed in action on 1st July 1916. This day was the 1st day of the Battle of the Somme. There were over 57000 British casualties with over 19000 soldiers killed.

The 8th and 9th Devonshires had the task of attacking German trenches below the fortified village of Mametz. They left their assembly trench and reached an area between Mansel Copse and the main road but the Germans had placed a machine gun in the cemetery in Mametz, a place called ‘The Shrine’. The Devonshires were exposed and caught by the machine gun fire and suffered heavy casualties. Ernest Jackson’s battalion suffered 2 officers killed and 47 other ranks killed or missing plus 7 officers and 151 other ranks wounded.

On 4th July surviving comrades of those killed returned to the trench where so many soldiers had been cut down and created an original war cemetery. 163 officers and men from both the 9th and 8th battalions were buried there.

Despite the losses the attack was successful and Mametz was captured.

Ernest Jackson's gravestone

Devonshire Cemetery, Mametz

John and Mary Ann Bray Highley (Part 3 - John Henry)

John Henry was born in 1877, the second of John and Mary's children. By the age of 14 he was working as a Cotton Weaver in a mill in Walsden.

John Henry married Grace Speak in April 1900. A son Jesse was born later that year but died of measles at only 8 months old. They had 2 more sons, Herbert in 1909 and Jack in 1913.

It appears that John Henry and Grace had a stormy relationship, at least early on in their marriage. In December 1900, under a heading of ‘An Ill Matched Walsden Couple’, The Todmorden District News reported on a case where John Henry was summoned for assaulting his wife. Grace had gone to the Conservative Club where John Henry was playing billiards in order to fetch him home. She claimed that her husband had hit her outside the club and then again when they got home, all of which John Henry denied. He claimed that Grace had got her mother, brother and sisters to come and take all their wedding presents away to her mother’s house. The case was dismissed and the Mayor said that they must go home and live together again.

John Henry also appeared in the local paper in connection with cricket. He played for Knowlwood in the Calder Valley League, opening the bowling and batting at no. 3.

John Henry was already a reservist in Walsden with the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment so when war was declared in 1914 he was ready to serve straightaway. The regiment was part of the 11th Brigade in the 4th Division. They sailed to France on 22nd August. His battalion was involved in the Battle of the Aisne and the Battle of the Marne and then moved north to Flanders in the sector on the French/Belgian border north-east of Armentières. The Battalion was heavily involved in the Battle of Armentieres at the end of October. This action was part of the fighting called ‘The Race to the Sea’ where the Allies fought to prevent the Germans breaking through to the Channel ports.

John Henry died at the 10th Field Ambulance at Le Romarin on 1st November 1914 of wounds received in action. He had been in France for only 2 months.

He was initially buried in a little cemetery at Fortrie Farm in Neuve-Eglise and then reburied after the war at the Trois Arbres Cemetery at Steenwerck.

John Henry's gravestone

Trosi Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck