__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FLIGHT LIEUTENANT BASIL DRUMMOND ASH.
UNIT: Royal Naval Air Service. BORN: Southport Queensland Australia.
ENLISTED: Dartmouth 1905. GAVE HIS LIFE: 30/09/1914. AGED: 23.
CEMETERY: Chatham Naval Memorial. PANEL: 7.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
__________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE ERNEST WILLIAM BIRDSALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 25991. UNIT/REGIMENT: 10th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Towton. ENLISTED:
GAVE HIS LIFE: 12/10/1918. AGED: 28.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Wall plaque All Saints Church Saxton. Barkston Ash.
CWGC States:
"Son of Charles and Emma Birdsall, of Barkston Ash, Tadcaster, Yorks.
Husband of Alice Catchpole (formerly Birdsall), of 13, Vernon Gardens, Harrowgate Hill, Darlington."
Brother of Thomas Zenis Birdsall who gave his life on the 23/10/1917 and is remembered on the Barkston Ash memorial.
Ernest is remembered along with his brother in Saxton churchyard, where he was described as Signalman Ernest Birdsall.
GRAVE: I. G. 3.
CEMETERY: Montay Neuvilly Road Cemetery, Montay, France.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LANCE SERJEANT THOMAS ZENIS BIRDSALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 40144. UNIT: 15th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Towton nr Saxton. ENLISTED: Pontefract.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 23/10/1917. AGED: 26.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Barkston Ash. Saxton.
CEMETERY: Duisans British Cemetery Etrun. GRAVE: V.C.37.
Thomas was the son of Charles Born Towton 1858 and Emma Webster Born Kippax 1860 married 1880 and who in 1917 lived at Vine House, Barkston Ash.
Thomas (or Bob as he is called on the family gravestone in Saxton churchyard see below) passed away from wounds recieved possibly at the 8th clearing station which was in the area of where he was buried.
Thomas is also shown in the CWGC records as "Bardsall" and is also remembered in the West Yorkshire's section Panal No 4 at the Arras Memorial.
___________________________________________________________________________
TROOPER WILLIAM LAWN BIRDSALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 2516. REGIMENT: 2nd Life Guards.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Windsor.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 13/05/1915. AGED: 28.
CEMETERY: Ypres Menin Gate Memorial. PANEL: Panel 3.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton
Williams British Army Medal Index Card states that William was part of the original British Expeditionary Force, and Disembarked on the 8th October 1914.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE NORMAN BIRDSALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 241080. UNIT: 1st 5th Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment.
BORN: Towton nr Saxton. ENLISTED: Grimsby.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 04/05/1917. AGED: 24.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: None.
CEMETERY: Maroc British Cemetery. GRAVE: II. A. 8.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LIEUTENANT GERALD KNAPTON BROWN.
UNIT: 2nd 6th Bn.West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Yeadon nr Leeds. GAVE HIS LIFE: 03/05/1917. AGED: 21.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Wall Plaque. All Saints Church Saxton.
CWGC States:
"Son of Joshua Knapton Brown and Martha Jane Brown, of Vermont House, Yeadon, Leeds. Gazetted Sept., 1914. Born at Yeadon."
CEMETERY: H. A. C. Cemetery Ecoust-St Mein.
GRAVE: II. G. 6.
" HE GAVE HIS ALL FOR ENGLAND "
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE WILFRED DAVISON.
SERVICE NUMBER: 202270. REGIMENT: 2/4th Bn Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Windsor. GAVE HIS LIFE: 03/05/1917. AGED: 31.
CEMETERY: Arras Memorial. PANEL: Bay 7.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: None.
CWGC States:
"Son of George and Mary Ann Davison, of Saxton, Tadcaster, Yorks."
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE BERHAM HALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 24935. UNIT/REGIMENT: 4th Bn. Grenadier Guards.
BORN: Towton nr Saxton. ENLISTED: Derby.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 25/09/1916. AGED:
CEMETERY: Thiepval Memorial. PANEL: 8D.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CORPORAL HARRY HAWLEY.
SERVICE NUMBER: 89796. REGIMENT: 84th Brigade. Royal Field Artillery.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Selby.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 26/09/1916. AGED: 22.
CEMETERY: Selby Cemetery. PANEL: 3828.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE JOHN HENRY LAWN.
SERVICE NUMBER: 29040. UNIT: Labour Corps. West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Tadcaster. GAVE HIS LIFE: 12/06/1917. AGED: 26.
CEMETERY: Saxton All Saints ChurchYard. GRAVE: In North West Part of Cemetery.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
CWGC States:
"Son of Henry and Priscilla Lawn, of Saxton."
John had a brother who served in WW1 William Thomas Lawn.
Enlisted on the 18/01/1916 at Tadcaster into the Durham Light Infantry aged 25 yrs and 4 months. John was transferred to the Labor Corps in October 1916.
At his medical he was described as being 5ft 4 half inches tall, a chest size of 35 and 3/4 inch with 3 vaccination marks on his left arm.
On ther 15th June 1916 an inquest was held at Spalding into the death of John Henry. His father Henry was in attendance and told the court that his son was a Fram Laborour and had lived at home before enlisting.
Nurse Florance Dingle of the Johnson Hospital Spalding said that John had been under her charge and that it was a medical problem and not from wounds. She last saw him on the Tuesday afternoon around 2.15 and John said he had a pass and was going to the pictures, he was described as being ordinarly cheerfull and of a rather quit disposition, and upon discharge from the hospital was to work on a farm near Deeping St Nicholas.
George Ellis signalman at Hawthorn Bank said that John came to him at 2.38 and asked for a glass of water he was asked to leave the box after about 6 or 7 minutes and before leaving asked if there was a train approaching. John was told one had just left Deeping and he then left the box turning towards the road.
George Ellis said when the train passed he went out to let a coalman into the yard and was informed there was a soldiers body on the line. George said he thought he was a married man from the front and stated that John was simply in the A.S.C and would have gone back to his civilian role as a farmer.
A verdict of misadventure was given and the coroner sympathised with Johns father Henry and the Jury had decided to hand over their fees to him.
One can only guess at the state of Johns mind it may have been too much not to have gone to the front along with rest of the village boys and he could for that reason have taken his own life.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SHOEING SMITH BENJAMIN LAWN.
SERVICE NUMBER: TS/1527.
UNIT/REGIMENT: Attached 83rd Field Ambulance. Army Service Corps.
BORN: Tadcaster. ENLISTED: York. GAVE HIS LIFE: 28/10/1918. AGED: 43.
FATHER: Nicholas Born Saxton 1836. MOTHER: Mary Dickenson Born Saxton 1835.
MARRIED: Saxton Dec 1866.
HUSBAND OF: Amy Green. MARRIED: Saxton Dec 1915.
CEMETERY: Mikra British Cemetery Kalamaria. Greece. GRAVE/PANEL: 694.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
CWGC States:
"Son of Nicholas and Mary Lawn, of Saxton, Tadcaster.
Husband of Amy Lawn, of Saxton, Tadcaster, Yorks."
Enlisted 02/12/1914 in York, aged 38 yrs and 6 months described at his medical as being 6ft half inches tall chest size of 38 inches.
Job Bailey stated in a referance letter sent to the Army that Benjamin had been a loyal sevant to him and that Benjamin was the local Blacksmith. He married Amy in 1915 and it is of intrest to note that Benjamin was absent from duty for three days arounfd the time he was married.
Benjamin Died at the 50th General Hospital Salonika of Bronchal Pneumonia, his wife Amy was living at the School in Saxton at the time of his death.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RIFELMAN FREDERICK MARSHALL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 36784. UNIT: 1/8th Bn.West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Barlby. ENLISTED: Harrogate.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 16/09/1918. AGED: 36.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
GRAVE: M. 1.
CEMETERY: Ruyaulcourt Military Cemetery.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RIFELMAN GEORGE SCOTT.
SERVICE NUMBER: 48737. UNIT: 1/8th Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Goole. ENLISTED: Tadcaster.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 09/10/1917. AGED: 31.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Wall plaque All Saints Church Saxton.
CEMETERY: Tyne Cot Cemetery.
GRAVE: XVIII. E. 8.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE JOSEPH ROBERT GREENWOOD SMITH.
SERVICE NUMBER: 48747. UNIT: 1/5th Bn.West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Saxton.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 25/04/1918. AGED: 20.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Saxton.
CEMETERY: Tyne Cot Memorial. PANEL: 42. 47. 162.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SERJEANT TOM WARRINGTON.
SERVICE NUMBER: 1326.
UNIT/REGIMENT: 15th County of London Bn Civil Service Rifles.
BORN: Saxton. ENLISTED: Paddington London.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 09/05/1915. AGED: 22.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: None.
PANEL: 10.
CEMETERY: Ploegsteert Memorial Belgium.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRIVATE WILLIAM ARTHUR WHITE.
SERVICE NUMBER: 11897. UNIT: 9th Bn.West Yorkshire Regiment.
BORN: Kirk Deighton. ENLISTED: Wetherby.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 09/08/1915. AGED: 32.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: All Saints Church Saxton. Kirk Deighton.
CEMETERY: Helles Memorial Gallipoli Turkey. PANEL: 47 to 51.
CWGC States:
"Son of Christiana Wood (formerly White), of Lea Cottage, Saxton, Tadcaster, Yorks, and the late William White."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
