Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles | Sp. Mem. 4. | |
| 2. Website: | Comrades Lodge No. 2976. | ||
| 3. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.116 | |
| 4. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 33A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
He was born to parents John William and Mary A. in Stratford, Essex c.1885 and resident at 23 Cornwall Terrrace, Wanstead, Leyton with family in 1891. He had one older sibling, Florence A. (b.1883) and two younger, Beatrice (b.1887) and Thomas S (b.1890). In 1911 he is recorded as being resident as a boarder at 10 Station Road, Dovercourt, Essex. He is listed as a Staff Sergeant, Armament Articer in the Army. He married Elizabeth Emma Barton at Holy Trinity Church, Harrow Green 8th April 1911 (just after the census).Family :
Wife: Elizabeth Emma (b.1887) native of Harwich, Essex nee Barton living at 9 Gwynne Road, Harwich. It is possible that she moved to Northamptonshire and died 10th February 1927.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 15th Brigade, RFA |
| Action : Gallipoli |
The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.
Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.
Staff Sergeant, Mhow, India (1913).
Detail :
Not much is known about Staff Sergeant Barford, as his records are most probably destroyed by fire. However we know that he enlisted into the Army at Woolwich. He became T442 Staff Sergeant (Armourer) and part of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was attached to the 15th Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery when he was killed. 29th Division, 15th Brigade was sent to Gallipoli to relieve the supply route to Russia. Staff Sergeant John William George Barford was killed in action on 10th May 1915, less than a month into the ill-fated campaign at Gallipoli, but in the service of his King and his Country. His name is commemorated on Special Memorial No. 4 at Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles in Turkey. His name is also listed amongst the fallen on the Royal Army Ordnance Corps Memorial overlooking the Parade Ground at Alma and Dettingen Barracks at Deepcut, Surrey.
BARFORD, Armament Staff Sergeant John William No.T/442 Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached "Y" Battery, 15th Brigade, R.H.A. Staff Sergeant Barford was born in West Ham, Essex, and enlisted Woolwich, Kent. Killed in action on May 10, 1915. Buried Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles.
The diary of Staff Sergeant James HALL of 'Y' Battery, 15th Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. The entry for 10th May 1915; Lost my best friend, Sergeant Barford, who was killed just as we were talking together about a job we had just completed on one of the guns.
See also: Bolton Revisited.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Comrades Lodge No. 2976 E.C. | Essex |
| Joined : | Malwa No. 1994 E.C. | India |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
18th December 1911 | 15th January 1912 | 19th February 1912 |
John Barford is listed as no. 270 in the Register of Members and was initiated, aged 26, into Comrades Lodge on 18 December 1911, passed on 15 January 1912 and raised 19 February 1912. Pages 145,146 & 148 of the Minutes book show Initiation, Passing and raising respectively. Page 150 of the Minutes records the presentation of a Grand Lodge Certificate. He joined Malwa Lodge No. 1994 at Mhow, India on 18th January 1913.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley