BORN HULL 06/07/1885. ELDEST CHILD OF JOHN WILFRED JOHNSON AND ALICE JOHNSON, AT 81. LEE STREET, HULL AND 10. TELFORD STREET, HOLDERNESS ROAD, HULL. HIS FATHER WAS A WELL-KNOWN BOWLER IN EAST PARK. HE WAS ONE OF FOUR SONS LOST IN THE GREAT WAR.
JOHN WORKED AS A HULL CORPORATION, TRAM CONDUCTOR, ON THE SPRING BANK ROUTE, FOR TWELVE YEARS. HE MARRIED EDITH FLORENCE SPENDLOVE AT ST MARY’S CHURCH, SCULCOATES, ON 11/06/1908. THEY LIVED AT 4 ALEXANDRA CRESCENT, ALEXANDRA ROAD, (1911 CENSUS) AND 5, HARDY STREET, NEWLAND, HULL (ARMY ADDRESS).
HE ENLISTED IN THE ARMY IN BEVERLEY, ON 12/01/1903. AFTER TWO YEARS, HE SERVED IN THE ARMY RESERVES FOR NINE YEARS. MOBILIZED WHEN WAR BEGAN. HE ARRIVED IN FRANCE ON 08/09/1914. WAS WOUNDED IN THE RIGHT ARM, BY SHRAPNEL, ON 27/09/1914. RETURNED TO ENGLAND AND DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY AS UNFIT ON 11/01/1916. HE WAS AWARDED THE SILVER BADGE FOR WOUNDS ON 23/03/1918 (BADGE NO: 369445).
AFTER GETTING WELL, HE RESUMED HIS DUTIES ON THE TRAM CARS. HE DIED OF INFLUENZA, IN HULL, ON 17/10/1918, AGED 33. BURIED AT HULL NORTHERN CEMETERY.
HE LEFT A WIDOW AND TWO CHILDREN, JOHN AND EDITH. HE ALSO LEFT BROTHERS, HAROLD, WILLIAM, CYRUS, ARTHUR AND WALTER, AND SISTERS, ALICE AND EDNA.
THE FOUR JOHNSON BROTHERS, LOST IN THE WAR WERE:
PRIVATE, HAROLD JOHNSON, 12/838, 12TH EYR, KILLED ON 16/04/1916, AGED 29, OF 94 BARMSTON STREET, HULL.
PRIVATE, ARTHUR JOHNSON, 13/446, 13TH EYR, DIED OF WOUNDS, 10/09/1917, AGED 24 – 152 FOUNTAIN ROAD, HULL
STOKER, WALTER JOHNSON, ROYAL NAVY, HMS ‘MARMION’, DIED AT SEA, 21/10/1917, AGED 19 – 81 LEE STREET, HULL
PRIVATE, JOHN WILFRED JOHNSON, 3/7268, 3RD EYR, DIED IN HULL, ON 01/12/1918, AGED 33, OF 5 HARDY STREET, HULL
