Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.

Detail :

John, as Sergeant. 9263, with his brother Sydney, a Corporal, both regular soldiers with 2nd Battalion South Lancashire Regiment, arrived in France 14 August 1914, in which capacity they would have first gone into action at Frameries on the 24th. The Battalion suffered heavy casualties during the retreat from Mons, Captain H. Whalley-Kelly recording five officers and 149 other ranks killed, seven officers and 301 other ranks wounded or missing. John was wounded in the left shoulder on 4 October 1914, he would be sent back to England for recovery, and in the report on 20 October he was mentioned in despatches for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field. During this period he was commissioned to Second Lieutenant for service in the field which was shown in the London Gazette of 1914, and later promoted to Temporary Lieutenant. He became a Lieutenant on 22 January 1915, promoted to Temporary Captain on 30 October 1915.

In the King’s Birthday Honours List of 3rd June, 1916 John is awarded the Military Cross for distinguished service in the field. He was admitted to hospital in October 1916 having being sent from 55th Field Ambulance onto 30 Ambulance Train to the No XI Casualty Clearing Station Officers Hospital. He was suffering from one of the scourges commonly suffered in the front line, scabies. The record shows him as 35 years of age, had served 21 year 6 month with the last 25 month with the field force.

John married Mary Mathews at the Church of Saint Paul, Widnes on 18th November, 1916. He is described as a 37 year old bachelor, Military Officer resident at the Liberal Club, Widnes. His father is given as David Boast, Soldier, deceased. His spouse Mary Matthews is a 23 year old spinster, also given as residing at the Liberal Club. Her father, Stonewall Dobson Matthews, an analytical chemist. At the cessation of the Great War wife Mary Boast was living at 124 Birchfield Road, Widnes. They did have a child, Marie Boast, born on 2 October 1917.

On 1 January 1917 he is promoted to Captain, the rank he held when he was killed with 2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment, (Prince of Wales Own Volunteers), on Friday 22nd March, 1918, aged 39 years in the heavy fighting around the village of Morchies, during the counter attack to recapture the village which the Germans had taken the previous day. On their website the CWGC says of the cemetery, “Morchies was occupied by British troops on the 20 March 1917, lost on the 21 March 1918; and retaken in September 1918. It was later “adopted” by the Urban District of Barking. Morchie Military cemetery was begun in April 1917 and used until January 1918. Seventy-six British and 15 German burials in Rows B, C and D were made by the Germans in March 1918; and certain burials in Rows A, D and E were made by the British in 1918. This cemetery contains the graves of 163 casualties of the First World War, 74 of which are unidentified and special memorials are erected to eight soldiers from the United Kingdom who are known to be buried among them. Other Special Memorials record the names of nine soldiers from the United Kingdom and one sailor from the Royal Naval Division, buried by the enemy at Morchies, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. This cemetery also contains the graves of 13 German casualties of the First World War. This cemetery was designed by W.H. Cowlishaw. John is one of those buried in Morchies whose grave was subsequently lost. His is one of a row of headstones at Special Memorial 2, and his wife Maru had the words “He died for England” added to his headstone.

John, was awarded the Military Cross,1914 Star with Clasp, British War Medal, and Victory Medal, and Mentioned in Despatches oak leaf, which were sent to his relatives at The Liberal Club, Widnes.

In addition to masonic memorial, John is also commemorated at St. Paul’s Church, Victoria Square, Widnes

His elder brother Quartermaster Sergeant Sydney Thomas Boast, later Captain, of the same Battalion, was also given identical awards, but for differing events. How many brothers could claim to have both won the Military Cross, and Sydney was Mentioned in Dispatches no less three times, 20.10.1914, 17.02.1915, 21.12.1917.

Masonic :

John Samuel Boast was initiated into Widnes Lodge No 2819 on 1 December 1916, aged 37 years, and described as an Army Captain serving with the 2nd Battalion, South Lanc’s Regiment, British Expeditionary Force. He was passed to the second degree on 2 January 1917, and raised to the third degree on 2 February 1917. His Grand Lodge Certificate was issued on 15 May 1917 with his address recorded as Cavendish Park, Barrow. His elder brother Sydney had been initiated into Widnes in 1907.

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
• Researcher : Geoff Cuthill