John PEART

22746, Private. b. 1893, Malham, Craven d. Sun. 22nd April 1917 (aged 23).

The first Peart son to fall in battle, John had an eventful time in his two and a half years in the army. Originally joining up very early on in the war, John was first in the 9th West Yorkshire Regiment where he served for over a year in Gallipoli, Egypt and France but on returning home on his statutory eighteen monthly leave during Christmas 1916, requested a transfer to the Machine Gun Corps. This was granted and when he returned to France in early January 1917 he was posted to the 93rd Company, who were serving around Arras.

When the Arras Offensive began in April 1917, this meant that John was at the centre of the fighting and he was reported to be killed in action instantaneously on the 22nd April. A friend wrote home to William Peart that his son and two comrades had been hit by a shell whilst attempting to return their machine gun to their trenches under heavy fire.

In 1901 census shows John aged 8 living at Cote Farm with his parents and brothers and sisters. His father William is shown as a Farm Bailiff. In the 1911 census, John is now 18 and apprenticed, his father William is shown as a carter at the Cooperative stores and living at 10 Oxford Street.

John was a well-known and well-liked figure in Clayton society. He played for both the village football and cricket teams and he was also closely connected to the Parish Church. John was also employed along with many other Claytonians at Benn & Co., Oak Mills, Clayton, which further added to his familiarity with the villagers.

John is buried at Bailleul Road East Cemetery, St. Laurent-Blangyl, Arras, France.