264071, Driver, John PENGILLY
Aged 36
no medal card found
Base Detail, Royal Horse Artillery
(enlisted as No.V872, 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment)
Died of Illness on Monday 11th November 1918
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Unable to positively identify John's parents or identify him in any census. From his CWGC detail he would have been born in 1882 and it is known he was from
Devon or Cornwall. The CWGC entry definitely makes this man the "Clode Pengilly" on the memorial Husband of Mary Maud PENGILLY [2-3-1880], (née DRAFFIN), married 22 November 1911 in All Saints Church, Newmarket [Newmarket 3b:1255], later of 2 Nursery Cottages, Queen Street, Newmarket. They lived at 2 Station Terrace, Newmarket at the time, the home of Maud's mother Clara DRAFFIN. The marriage certificate gives his father as the late John Joseph PENGILLY, a horse dealer. John worked for Sir R W Buchanan Jardine at Kremlin Stud. Unfortunately his grand daughter, who I thank for the photo, can add nothing further. The pension card records three children:- Alex Draffin [4-7-1913], Rhoda Victoria [24-4-1916] and Lillian Maud [9-10-1917] at 2 Nursery Cottages, Queens Sreet, Newmarket. There was in the 1891 census in Yealmpton, Devon, a Christopher John Pengilly, aged 9, son of John Joseph Pengilly [45] widower shepherd, with daughters Sarah Mary [19],Florence Wilmot [7] and Winifred Elizabeth [4] (born Plympton St Mary). All except Winifred born in Bigbury. This John Joseph Pengilly however appears not to have died until 1925. Christopher John Roach Pengilly's mother was ROACH. GRO have the surname transcribed as Pengilby. (Kingsbridge Q2-1882 5B:224) Christopher apparently added 3 years to his age when enlisting in the Royal Navy on 25th January 1898 , giving his date of birth as 25th April 1879. Having served at training establishment HMS Vivid, he was discharged on 31st December 1899. Enlisted in Newmarket, on 30th November 1916, in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. The Volunteer Battalions were basically made up of those who were not eligible for conscription. In Clode's case, being married before 1915 excluded him from conscription. Many of these men did later volunteer for full time service. When the volunteer battalions were disbanded in 1918 he appears to have enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery, just in time it seems to be posted to France and catch the influenza epidemic. John [Clode} died of pneumonia at No.40 Stationary Hospital, Le Havre, France He is a bit of a mystery man, no medal index card either. Thanks to David on 1914-1818.invisionzone.com forum I have this, posted 24 February 2011 - 03:56 AM:- The date of issue of his RHA number ties up with his discharge from the Volunteer Force. So he moved directly from one to the other. I have found a clutch of numbers, around 30 before his, which are all enlistments in Pontefract followed by call up to RHA Depot at Woolwich and a posting to AA Battery RHA. The next set of enlistments look like they are from Norfolk & Suffolk. I am a little surprised not to find his MIC but there are some for 264068, 264070 and 264074 and they show the same medal roll of RHA/109B. Also 264064 Dr. A. L. Whalebelly has a Silver War Badge card saying he enlisted on May 1, 1918. I can only guess but most of these men would have finished training (if they made it through) very close to the end of hostilities. Some got posted overseas, including John Pengilly, who caught influenza almost as he arrived there. It is sad if this precluded him from getting his medals. " That as they say, is all for now. To add to the confusion, the GRO War Death Army Other Ranks (1914-1921) 1918 vol A4:429 has a Driver John Pengilly, 246071 of the Royal Horse/Royal Field Artillery. To add to the confusion, this man had, according to the UK and Ireland Obituary Index, a spouse, Dorothy. Even then there is no trace of medals and having served abroad he should have at least had the British War Medal. |
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