Born in 1888 at Romford, son of Harry (Cattle Drover) and Rebecca Bradley. 1891: With his family at Well Yard, Romford. He is not identified in the 1901 Census, but by 1911 he was serving as a Private Soldier with 1 Essex in India.
In 1914 he had been working for the Great Eastern Railway for less than four months as a Boiler Makers Assistant at Stratford when war broke out, and as a Reservist he was recalled to the Colours. Army records suggest that he rejoined at Romford while living in Woodford. His name appears on the memorial at St Barnabas Church.
He served with 2 Essex, arriving in France on 22nd August 1914, gaining the 1914 Star and clasp, War Medal and Victory Medal. At some point he was taken captive, and on 18th December 1916 he died while being held as a Prisoner of War in Germany.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com