38246 Private John Shaw of Liverton Mill was killed in action on May 4th 1917, whilst fighting for the British Expeditionary Force in France. The Great-uncle of Hilda Brown, he was described as ‘a miller and farmer’, and was serving with 6th Battalion of The Yorkshire Regiment. Hand-written letters from his platoon and company commanders give tribute to his bravery and cheerfulness, and his soldierly qualities.
2nd Lieutenant Relton (No 2 Platoon, A Coy) wrote within just a few hours of his death, enclosing a small packet of his personal belongings, and his Commanding Officer, Maj Campbell wrote five days later. It’s impressive that, with all else that was clearly going on in the battlefield, these men had time and inclination to write such thoughtful and personal letters. Later there came a printed letter from the King, expressing his sympathy.
John was buried in Hermies British Cemetery, East of Bapaume — an early letter from the War Office confirmed this, but was unable to give an exact location. In January 1918 a further letter said that “the grave has been registered in this office, and is marked by a durable wooden cross with an inscription bearing his name, rank, regiment, and the date of his death.” The present-day Commonwealth War Graves Commission website gives the location of the grave as Plot E4. Other letters in the Shaw Family collection show that his mother asked the War Office in 1919 for a photograph of his grave — they replied that they would provide one as soon as they could, but that as there was “a great number of similar applications received in this office, it is feared that there may be some considerable delay”. This letter was personally typed — no question of computerised mail-merged letters in those days!
After the war was over, the Record Office in York forwarded to the family the British War Medal and Victory Medal that he would have been entitled to had he lived.
[Thanks to the Shaw Family of Liverton Mill for providing a large amount of photocopied material for this tribute]