John Boldan died on the 11th October 1918, exactly one month before Armistice Day, as a Private in the York and Lancaster Regiment. He had been on active service for around three weeks, and was awarded the Victory and British medals. Unfortunately the Battalion war diaries are jumbled and lacking information on what happened on the day John died.

John's service records show that he had been married to Agnes since 1915, and had one son, James, who was born 9th April 1916. When John's effects were sent on to Agnes in February 1919, she was living at Ravensfield Street, Denaby Main. In fact his records show that Agnes and their son James lived at 6 Ravensfield Street, whilst John's parents James and Mary and his younger siblings Harold, Mary and Rhoda lived at 46, and his brother George and his family at 50. Another brother Herbert appears to be living at 42 Maltby Street. 

John was born around 1896 at 9 Firbeck Street, Conisbrough and in 1901 his Father is listed as being a 'Wood Sawyer', as is William Bryant who was boarding with the family with his wife, Sarah. By 1911, at the age of 15 James and  Mary had had a further three children, and records show that one child had died; of seven children born, six survived. James is still listed as a Sawyer, and John himself is listed as a Machinist. 

Agnes lived to the age of 72, and died in 1968. Records suggest that she never remarried after his death.

John’s elder brother George also fought in the war, as Private 60922 George Ernest Bolton, 3rd Reserve Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment. George had been a miner at Cadeby Colliery before the war, and he returned home afterwards. He had a single entry on his Regimental Conduct Sheet, stating that “When on active service overstaying final leave from 11-55pm until ordered to rejoin his unit by the MFP at Sunderland Rly Station about 9-30pm 29-10-18.”  The record states that he had overstayed his leave by 17 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes. If you take that time period away from the 29th October 1918 when he was caught by the Military Police, you get the 11th October 1918. Ironically, although he wouldn’t have known it at the time, George’s overstay of leave had begun on the day his brother was killed. His punishment was ‘admonishment’ and he forfeited the 18 day’s pay; perhaps by the time he was caught , it was known that his brother had been killed and some leniency may have been allowed.