John Gordon Payne
Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial
Regiment: South Wales Borderers
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Serjeant 21465
Parents: Emma and Henry Down Payne
Home address: 62 Easton Road, Easton, Bristol
Pre-war occupation: Marine in the Royal Navy
Date of birth: 12/05/1884
Place of birth: Kingswood, Bristol
Date of death: 12/05/1916
Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Rue-Du-Bacquerot No.1 Military Cemetery, Laventie, Pas de Calais, France
Age: 32
Further information:
John was born in Kingswood, the son of a bootmaker and a middle child of eleven children with five sisters and five brothers.
In March 1901 John was working as a blacksmith's striker but in October of that year, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, Plymouth Division and embarked on multiple tours of duty in several different countries. In 1901, he was described as 5' 7 ½ " tall with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. In 1911 he was still serving as a private in the marines but left in May 1914 by which time he had grown in height to 5' 10".
John later joined the 10th Battalion, South Wales Borderers and at some point, was promoted to corporal. His battalion mobilised to France in November 1915 and John was killed in action six months later. However, by the time of John’s death, his battalion had not fought in any significant engagement, so is possible that he died in the course of day to day trench warfare which resulted in around 300 deaths daily throughout the war.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/