John Robert Kerr was the son of Scottish couple Peter and Maggie Kerr, of 1 Ivanhoe Road, Conisbrough. Father Peter was born in around 1864 in Perth, Scotland, and 1881 finds him lodging at 12  Meadow View, Station Lane Wath, working as a Railway Porter at the age of 17. In 1891 life has changed slightly and Peter has married Margaret (Maggie) and the couple live with Peter’s younger brother Robert and his wife Ada in Monk Bretton. Peter works as a General Labourer in the Colliery. The couple have two children, daughters Nellie and Margaret, although the 1901 census shows that they also had a son, David who was the eldest child by three years. For some reason, he is not mentioned on the 1891 census, despite being just 7 at the time.

 

By 1901 the family have moved to Cudworth and are no longer sharing a home. Peter and Maggie have had a further three children; sons Peter, William and John himself who was 5 at the time of the census. The family appear to have moved about a little; whilst Peter, Maggie, David and Nellie were all born in Scotland, Peter was born in Monk Bretton, John in Conisbrough and William in Cudworth. Sadly, no mention is made of Margaret, who was a toddler in 1891. Peter’s prospects seem to have improved, and he is working as a Railway Engine Driver, whilst eldest son David is a Hewer in the coal mine. John himself is at school.

 

Life seems to have taken a tragic turn during the first decade of the 20th Century. In 1911 Peter is still married, but not to Maggie. He and Annie have been married for two years at the time of the census and have had one child together; presumably Esther who is one year old. There is also a further daughter May, who is 8 years old and was presumably the last child born to Peter and Maggie, putting Maggie’s death between 1903 and 1911. At this time, John himself is 16 years old, and works as a Haulier ‘below ground’ at the Coal Mine. The family live at 1, Ivanhoe Road, Conisbrough.

 

Unfortunately, John’s military records cannot be found but newspaper records tell him to have been a member of the regular army who went to the Front at the very beginning of the War. He was a Private in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and at the time of his death was a member of C Company, 2nd Battalion. Reports state that John was involved in the infamous retreat from Mons, and was wounded in ‘street fighting’ in St Quentin; presumably the Battle of St. Quentin, also known as the First Battle of Guise however all reports state this to have been a French battle with little or no British involvement. For his part in the retreat from Mons he was awarded the Mons Star medal.

 

Following his injury, John returned to his regiment only at the beginning of March 1915, and was sadly wounded again on 17th April 1915 during the fighting at Hill 60 close by the town of Ypres. Sadly, John was hit by in the thigh by shrapnel and eventually returned to England for treatment and recuperation. He was placed in hospital in Chatham but died following amputation of the injured leg; whether from septicemia or other causes is not known.

 

John’s body was returned to Conisbrough and he was buried on Saturday 19th June 1915. Newspaper reports from the time tell of a large funeral with a huge military presence;

 

 

“The service on Saturday afternoon, was of a most impressive character, and was conducted by the reverent J Roberts Davies. About 60 men of the KOYLI from Doncaster were present in charge of Lt Keats, together with the Conisbrough Boy Scouts when the scoutmaster, H Parker and hundreds of people lined the road leading to the cemetery.”

 

 

John is buried in Conisbrough Cemetery, and was awarded the Victory, British, and the 1914 Star, also known as the Mons Star, and clasp. The Star was awarded to Officers and Men who served in France and Belgium between 5th August (the day after Britain declared war) and midnight of the 22nd November 1914. The clasp was an additional award given to those men who served not only simply in Belgium and France during that period, but within range of enemy mobile artillery.