| Date of birth: | 1883 |
| Place of birth: | St. Mary’s, Southampton |
| Regiment: | Gloucestershire |
| Battalion: | 1st |
| Rank / Service No: | Lance Corporal, 7274 |
| Died: | 8th September 1916, aged 33 years |
| Buried: | Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval, France (Plot XXX, Row M, Grave 4) |
John was the fifth of 8 siblings born to William Henry and Harriet Gookey (nee Luker), who married in Southampton on 10 November 1872.
Harriet was born in Oxford in 1849 and she passed away in Southampton in 1927.
William was born in Southampton in 1850 and he died in the city in 1938.
The family lived at 93 St. Mary’s Road.
Siblings
Harriet MAUD b. 1875 Southampton d. 1940 Basingstoke
William Henry b. 1877 Southampton d. 1956 Southampton Married Sarah F. Pilmer in Southampton in 1914.
Beatrice Louisa b. 1879 Southampton d. 1961 New Forest Married William Henry Mason in Southampton in 1903.
Lottie Minnie b. 1881 Southampton d. ?? Married Ernest James Taylor in Southampton in 1903.
John George
Frederick b. 1885 Southampton d. 1926 Southampton
Thomas b. 1888 Southampton d. 1959 Southampton Married Ethel M. Hunt in Southampton in 1920.
Ellen b. 1891 Southampton d. 1977 Southampton Married William G. Scammell in Southampton in 1919.
As part of the 3rd Brigade in the 1st Division, the battalion landed at Le Havre on 13 August 1914.
They were in action straight away at the Battle of Mons, and during the subsequent retreat. In 1915, the battalion saw action at the Battle of Aubers and the Battle of Loos.
The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July – 3 September 1916) was a series of engagements in the Battle of the Somme. The 1st Division was definitely at Delville Wood but did not take a major part.
John would appear to have perished in the latter stages of the engagement, one of many servicemen to lose their lives at Delville Wood and the nearby village of Longueval.
The cemetery was made after the Armistice, when graves were brought in from surrounding cemeteries and battlefields.
Almost all of the burials date from July, August and September 1916.
| Researcher: | Mark Heritage |
| Published: | 3rd August 2016 |
| Updated: |
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