BORN LEYTON TOWN, ESSEX, 1895. SON OF THE LATE JOHN WILLIAM LEE (1866-1909) & ELLEN MARSHALL LEE (1866), OF 50 HIGH HOUSE, SHEFFIELD, 70 JOHN STREET, WORKSOP, 18 WENTWORTH STREET, CHURCH STREET, HULL AND 12 OWENS SQUARE, NEW GEORGE STREET, HULL (WAR PENSION ADDRESS). SON OF A LABOURER. HIS PARENTS WERE FROM LINTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. HIS MOTHER WAS BORN A PAUPER IN A WORKHOUSE.
HE WAS YOUNGEST OF FOUR SONS. HIS BROTHERS, WERE PERCY WALTER LEE, WILLIAM AND HERBERT LEE. HE WORKED AS A LABOURER. DESCRIBED AS 5 FOOT, 5 INCHES TALL, 34-37 INCH CHEST, 114 LBS WEIGHT, GOOD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, GOOD VISION.
HIS BROTHER , PRIVATE, WILLIAM LEE, 3/2933, 1ST YORK & LANCASTER REGIMENT HAD DIED OF WOUNDS, ON 14/02/1915. HE ENLISTED IN SHEFFIELD, ON 29/05/1915, AGED 19 YEARS AND 11 MONTHS. HE ENLISTED WITH HIS BROTHER, HERBERT AND BOTH JOINED THE SAME YORK & LANCASTER REGIMENT.
HE WAS POSTED TO FRANCE, WITH THE THE 10TH BATTALION, ON 14/07/1916. ADMITTED TO KEIGHLEY WAR HOSPITAL WITH TRENCH FOOT, ON 19/11/1916. DESERTED FROM DEPOT, ON 29/12/1916 AND FORFEITED 18 DAYS PAY. POSTED TO FRANCE WITH THE 14TH BATTALION, ON 24/03/1917. ADMITTED AGAIN TO HOSPITAL ON 29/04/1917, WITH DEFORMED TOES. TRANSFERRED TO THE 2ND YORK & LANCS REGIMENT, ON 24/03/1918. HE DESERTED AGAIN ON 07/08/1918. RETURNED TO HIS UNIT, HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION, ON 18/09/1918, AGED 22. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE VIS EN ARTOIS MEMORIAL, FRANCE.
HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS MOTHER, ELLEN, AT 12 OWENS SQUARE, NEW GEORGE STREET, HULL(WAR PENSION ADDRESS). HIS MOTHER RECEIVED A WAR PENSION FOR HER THREE SONS, WILLIAM, JOHN WILLIAM AND HERBERT LEE. IT SEEMS PRIVATE HERBERT LEE, 34676, YORK & LANCS SURVIVED THE WAR, BUT WAS PRESUMABLY WOUNDED.
WILLIAM AND JOHN LEE ARE LISTED ON THE ST JOHNS, NEWLAND CHURCH WW1 MEMORIAL, CLOUGH ROAD, HULL, BUT THEIR SURNAME IS SPELT AS “LEA”.
