John William Ridge (referred to as ‘William’ in the 1911 census) was the fourth of seven surviving children born to Tom Ridge and Emma Watkinson. The couple had eleven children in total, but sadly four died including, it is believed children Ethel, Bessie and Henry. The fourth child hasn’t been identified.
In 1901 the family are living in Thrybergh, and Tom (aged 40) is working as an “ordinary farm labourer”. Emma, six years his junior is at home with children Ethel, Bessie, John William, Agnes, Edith and boarders Alfred Willey and Irishman Martin Frain; a joiner and general labourer respectively. By 1911, the family are living at 59 Pitt Street at Mexborough and seventeen year old William is working as a pony driver in the Coal Mine. Tom is now a colliery labourer (above ground) and younger sister Agnes is a servant. The family still have boarders living with them; labourer Thomas Jayles and his children Walter and Jenny, along with another Irishman, John Drury. An infant, Harold, is also at the address, but is listed as ‘Grandson’.
John died of wounds in late March 1915 and was awarded the Victory, British, 1914 (Mons) Star Medals and the 1914 clasp and The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects shows that John’s will left his effects to his father, who received £8 10s 4d in June 1915. Mother Emma also received £5 in late September 1919 after Tom’s death in 1917.
The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
John William Ridge
Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy
The award of the 1914 Star Medal (known as the ‘Mons Star’) and the 1914 clasp shows that John was in France or Belgium (Star) and served “under fire or within range of enemy mobile artillery” (clasp) between 5th August and midnight of the 22nd / 23rd November 1914.
The 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards spent early 1915 in billets and trenches in the vicinity of Le Quesnoy, a town halfway between Cambrai and Maubeuge in France. They entered the trenches at dusk on the 25th and William died the following day however, it is most likely that William was not in the trenches on that day. He is buried in Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner at Cuinchy which is over 100km from Le Quesnoy. The cemetery grew up beside a house
which was located at ‘Windy Corner’ and used as battalion headquarters and a dressing station. Part of the cemetery is collection, meaning that after the Armistice other smaller cemeteries were concentrated into this one, however William is buried in Plot 1, which is original; he had been wounded previously, and had been taken back to the dressing station for treatment.
The Battalion had been in and out of ‘B1 section of trenches at Givenchy’ for at least a couple of weeks and had seen quite a lot of action which could have caused William’s injuries. On Sunday 14th March 1915 the diaries state "Quiet day, 4 other ranks wounded."
"Quiet day, 4 other ranks wounded."
Battalion War Diaries; 2nd Bn Coldstream Guards
14th March 1915
The following day is identical, with three other ranks wounded. Thursday 18th March states “Enemy shelled position during early morning and a little sniping occurred. Casualties 1 other ranks killed, 5 other ranks wounded.”
Friday 19th tells of heavy shelling by the enemy, with no casualties. The battalion were relieved by the 3rd Battalion a dusk and returned to billets at Le Quesnoy where they remained until Sunday 21st, when they returned to the trenches at dusk. The entry for 22nd March tells of heavy rifle and shell fire from the British onto the German trenches, but no casualties were experienced that day. Tuesday 23rd March follows suit, with heavy shelling throughout the day, and two other ranks wounded. The battalion returned to billets again at dusk, until Thursday 25th when they returned to the trenches once more.
Thus, it is most likely (although impossible to prove) that William was wounded on either Sunday 14th, Monday 15th, Thursday 18th, or Tuesday 23rd March 1915.
John William's medal index card
We visited John William's grave in early 2015 and laid his tribute card.