Lives of the First World War

John George Tyrrell was born in Malta in October, 1897. He was the second son of Harry William and Florence Fanny Tyrrell. 2 years before his birth, his father had been transferred to Malta after being promoted to Warrant Rank and Bandmaster to the 1st Battalion of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, which was stationed there at the time. When John was only a few months old they were posted to Hong Kong and then Singapore before returning to England in 1900. The 1901 Farnborough census listed the family living at the Ramillies Barracks and adjoining buildings in North Camp. By the end of that year they were back in Malta again for 2 years before being posted to India. When the family finally returned to England in 1906, his father retired from the Army and they settled into a comfortable civilian life in Hastings. When war broke out in 1914, the family was in Lincoln, which is where the major part of his parents’ life was spent. 18 year old John enlisted in the 1st/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry on 21st April, 1915. His father had already re-enlisted for the duration of the war and his older brother, Harry Ernest had been in the Lincolnshire Yeomanry since 1911. On 27th October, 1915, the 1st/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry left Norwich and sailed from Southampton, originally bound for Salonika, Greece. The 2 brothers were transported on board different ships. Harry was on board the Mercian and he kept a detailed war diary from 27th October until 13th December, 1915 and made 3 references to his brother, Jack, which is the name that the family preferred to call John George by. Harry wrote “Jack with party of men & horses of 1st Reinforcements sent by another boat”. En route, the destination was changed by the Army and by Sunday 21st November the regiment arrived in Alexandria, Cairo. Harry wrote “All more or less homesick for a time. Some of the shipwrecked came down at night, also the advance party, Jack is here safe and sound”. No doubt the reunion was a great relief to the brothers because the Mercian had been attacked by a U-boat in the Mediterranean and 23 men were killed. The next Sunday, Harry wrote “Jack and I had our photos taken in town to send home as Xmas cards”. Private John George Tyrrell died of his wounds on 28th November, 1917 during one of the battles for Jerusalem. He was 20 years old. The De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour tells us that he served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine from January, 1917, taking part in several engagements there, and was killed at Tahta. Writing to his parents, Jack’s Commanding Officer wrote “I can assure you everything possible was done for your son, who lost his life most gallantly doing his duty for his country, and thereby helping very materially to make a success of an operation which might very easily have ended otherwise”. He was buried in Ramleh War Cemetery, which is now in Israel, in Grave Reference Number W. 13. His name was recorded in England as TYRRELL John George on the Lincoln War Memorial in St Benedict’s Square. He was also commemorated on the local War Memorial tablet in St Peter-at-Gowts Church, High Street, Lincoln, where he was fondly remembered as Jack Tyrrell. In 1920, my grandfather, Harry Ernest Tyrrell, married my grandmother in St Peter-at-Gowts Church.

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