104110 Sergeant John William Learoyd, Notts & Derbyshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters).
- Amanda T
- Mar 6, 2021
- 2 min read
John William Learoyd (known as John Willie) was my 2x Great Grandfather.
John William Learoyd was born in 1881 in Leeds, his parents were Joseph and Ann Learoyd of Bickerdike Road, his father worked as a miner.
On 31st March 1900, John Willie Learoyd was married to Florence McKay in St Agnes' Church, Leeds. Their first daughter, Beatrice, was born just 2 months later and a second daughter, Hanorah (my great-grandmother) followed in June 1902. We know John Willie worked as a boot finisher until at least 1907 but then changed to working in a coal mine.
By the time of the 1911 census, John Willie (who was aged 29) and Florence were living at 28 Bickerdike Road and had 6 children including 1-month-old twins. John Willie was working as a coal hewer at the bottom of the pit which was an extremely hard job.
A seventh child was born in 1913, Florence.
John William Learoyd volunteered for military service on 5/9/1914 just one month after war was declared. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall with a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. We know that he was first posted to the West Yorkshire Regiment and was in the training reserve, he went overseas sometime after 31st December 1915. His eighth child, Herbert was born in 1915 and his daughter Florence died in 1916, possibly when John Willie was in France. We have no details of his time in France but at the time of his discharge on 14/12/1918, he held the rank of Sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, Notts and Derbyshire Regiment.
John Willie's medal record shows that he received the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. He also received a War Badge because he was discharged due to illness caused by his service.
Pension records show that John Willie suffered from chronic bronchitis and asthma, perhaps from the effects of gas or exposure in the trenches. It was serious enough that he was awarded a pension. He returned home to his family, now living at 25 Glensdale Mount.
Sadly, two more children were to die young; Mark Learoyd was born and died in 1919 and Dorothy Learoyd was born in 1920 and died aged 5. Their last child, Edna was born in 1922.
John Willie continued to receive a military pension until his death in 1930 and I believe his widow continued to receive an allowance for herself and the children under 16.
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