John Samuel Pye

A Private with the 16th Battalion, John died on 7th of October 1918 at the aged 36. 

John was born at Lowestoft on 6 July 1882, a son of John and Elizabeth Pye. John attended Cunningham’s School before, on 17 March 1890, becoming a pupil at Saint Margaret’s School, and his family lived at 11 Edinburgh Road. In 1891 they lived at 40 Edinburgh Road, and this was still their home in 1901 when John worked as a house painter and plumber. By 1911 both of John’s parents had died and John lived at 40 Edinburgh Road with his sister Christina. John’s brother, Herbert, lived at 56 Tennyson Road.

John enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 21364. He was transferred to the Manchester Regiment, service number 57357, and posted to France to join the 16th Battalion and he served with A Company. In March 1918 the 16th Battalion were decimated in their defence of Manchester Hill, during which their commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Elstob was killed in action and for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The battalion’s lost 600 men in that action.  

On 19 April 1918 the remnant of the battalion moved into the front line at Spoil Bank, Ypres. During the morning of 26 April, the Germans over ran the battalion’s front positions and forced the battalion to withdraw. During the attack the battalion lost three killed, 38 wounded, and 195 missing, many of whom were captured. After this action the battalion effectively ceased to function as a fighting unit.     

John was taken prisoner at Spoil Bank, Ypres, on 26 April 1918. A Red Cross paper (PA 38083) names him in a list of prisoners held at Friedrichsfeld Prisoner of War Camp. However, John died from dysentery at the German Saxon Field Hospital, based near Hautmont and the circumstances of how he came to be there are not known.