Corporal John Joseph DOLBY
Army Service Corps S4/093741
John’s father, Joseph, arrived in Woodnewton sometime after 1881 but before 1884 as Joseph’s place of residence on his marriage record was Woodnewton.. Joseph and Mary Elizabeth moved into the Horse and Jockey Public House and became the licencees. In the 1891 census, it also shows that Joseph was a cottager as well as a publican, and that their family now consisted of three girls and one boy. By the time the family moved to the Hare and Hounds Public House in 1893 JJ had been born in 1892, and then Harry was the last of the children born in 1894.
We know that John left Woodnewton Primary school in 1905, from these two certificates.
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Did John help his father and brother on the farm when he left school, or did he move immediately to Peterborough, as we see from the next record, the 1911 census, gives us his whereabout at that time. The census shows that he was living at 19 Westgate, Peterborough, and as this address was a butchers shop belonging to Frederick Franks (signature on bottom of census form) we know that, as he was listed as a butcher, he was living at his place of employment. The image of the census below lists a housekeeper and three butchers; George Cantenwine (Nephew), Charles Franks (Son) and John Dolby.
John worked at the shop, which produced the best pork sausages in Peterborough, until a few days after war broke out in August 1914. Frederick Franks was supposedly overheard making a derogatory comment about King George V, and because of his German origin, the Peterborough people returned at night and started attacking his shop. You can read the story of the riots by clicking on this link: Westgate Riots of 1914.
Due to the these riots, the shop closed two months later, so John moved to Lincolnshire and carried on the butchering trade following in his Uncle Samuel’s footsteps, who had had a butcher’s shop in High Street, Boston. We know from a Boston newspaper article that John enlisted with the Army Service Corps at the Drill Hall, Mainridge, Boston, during the week beginning 25th April 1915. Unfortunately, there are no enlistment papers in the National Archives which refers to John’s details at the time, as they must have been burnt in World War II. However, we have been able to view his Medals Roll Index card and we note that he went to Theatre in France on 29th July 1915. From this document we know that his service number was S4/093741. We understand that the ASC was mainly responsible for the provisioning, procurement and distribution of supplies of food ration, and the prefix letter plus number in front of their own number denotes the section they worked within. This proves that John was in ‘Supply’ and when he joined it was the 4th Kitchener (New) Army.
During the war, John returned to Boston in 1917 to marry his girlfriend, Beatrice Palmer, as can be seen from the Certificate of Marriage and their Wedding Day Photograph.
John returned home to Boston and on 12th May 1919, he was awarded three medals for his part in the campaign: Victory, British and the 15 Star medal.
He started working for the River Plate Fresh Meat Co, which joined Nelson in 1914 to eventually form the British and Argentine Fresh Meat Co. John worked for this company for many years, but during the1930’s he bought premises in Vauxhall Road and then Eastwood Road in early 1940’s and opened up his own butchers shops.
In 1939 John became a fireman with the ARP Fire Brigade. What must it have been like for him being surrounded again by the death and destruction of war, this time at home, rescuing the lives of his friends and neighbours?
John retired in 1964 and died two years later.
2021
Thank you to Patricia Dolby of Ontario, JJ’s granddaughter, for her help with this editorial.