John was born in Walkington in 1881, he was the son of Thomas Storey Blades of Walkington and Sarah Elizabeth of Nafferton, he had an elder sister Mary Elizabeth who earned her living as a dressmaker, also living with the family in 1911 was Harold Legard, a tailor who had been born in Burton Agnes. At the time of the census in 1911 John Blades was 27 years old and working as a farm labourer. The Beverley Guardian of 29 May 1915 reports: “Local Man killed at the Front – John William Blades 1915 Royal Field Artillery: youngest son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Blades of Walkington. The first intimation the parents received was a field postcard from the deceased that he was being sent down to the base, but this bore the bare announcement that he was wounded. In the meantime Mr. T. Brown received a letter from his son Gunner Frank Brown of the same battery (who had been riding on the next gun) stating that he saw his chum John Blades fall from his gun and believed broke his leg. A letter was next received from The District Territorial Force Record Office in York, stating Gunner Blades was suffering from a severe gunshot wound in the thigh and
was in the general hospital at Rouen. This was dated May 16 and on Sunday last the sad
intelligence that he had died on May 12 of wounds received in action was received by his parents to whom the utmost sympathy is extended by a wide range of friends. The deceased who was well known and highly esteemed prior to enlisting at Wenlock barracks Hull, had for some time acted as a special constable at Cherry Burton and had been at the front for about 5 weeks. He attained his 31st year in January last (1915). The Royal Artillery was involved in the 2nd Battle of Ypres, trying to secure the Flemish town of Ypres in estern Belgium. Ypres was in British hands and the area was known as the Ypres Salient, it was infamous as the most vicious killing ground of the war. It marked the first time the Germans used poison gas. The Battle of Frezenberg took place between 8-13th of May 1915 and it is probable that John Blades was killed in this attack as the Germans made repeated mass attacks to take the salient. He is buried in St. Severs Cemetery, Rouen, France. Mrs Blades death was announced in the Beverley Guardian just eight months after her son was killed, she lived at ‘Holly Lodge’ on East End, the chief mourners at the funeral were Mrs Barmby and Mrs Legard her daughters, the latter who also lived at Holly Lodge
Writing in her diary at the time, ‘A Nurse at the Front’ Sister Edith Appleton says:
Sunday: ‘Our men made an attack last night, and we heard the heavy firing that covered their advance – in fact it shook the houses. In three minutes they had taken a trench with 13 prisoners and two officers. The whole work of the night achieved a hill of importance blown up – arms and legs of men flung high and into our own trenches – and six lines of trenches taken, along with 2,000 prisoners.
