John George, ‘Jack,’[1] the second son of John and Catherine ‘Kate’ (O’Shea) DAVIS was born in Cork on 24 July 1887.
In the 1911 Census, Jack was living in Ilford, Essex, with his aunt Mary (O’Shea) and uncle Daniel DENNEHEY. His occupation was ‘student’. It seems likely that Jack attended university or training in London, as did his younger sister Evelyn (according to the 1911 Irish census).
Prior to his military enlistment Jack was working in the Education Officer’s Department of the London County Council.[2]
He married his near neighbour May L GALGEY in the 4th quarter 1913 in Romford, Essex. [3] Their first child, Maureen Catherine DAVIS, was born in January 1914.
Their son, Christopher Patrick DAVIS, was born in August 1916.
John enlisted in Ilford, Essex in the Irish Guards. He served as a Private with the 2nd Battalion.
John George DAVIS, service number 11640, was killed in action in Flanders, Belgium on Tuesday October 9th 1917, likely in the Battle of Poelcappelle. [4]
He is buried at Artillery Wood Cemetery West-Vlaanderen in grave XI. A. 6.
We can see Jack (with his surname misspelt) was was entitled to the Victory Medal and British War Medal.
The UK, WWI Pension and Index Cards, 1914-1923 showed the beneficiaries of his pension as P.M. GALGAY, Guardian and children: Maureen Catherine and Christopher Patrick.
Jack is remembered in Chapter V of London County Council in the Great War 1914-1918:
‘Rain continued to fall for several days, but on the 9th the assault was resumed, the right flank of the advance being at Zonnebeke, The Australians and some English troops made progress towards Passchendaele, the 11th Division at Poelcappelle and the 4th and 29th along the Ypres-Staden railway, while the Guards reached the southern outskirts of Houthulst Forest. Persistent rain put an end to further operations except for slight advances on very limited frontages.…
…near Poelcappelle, on the 9th J. G. Davis (2nd Irish Gds., Educ.)‘
After John George DAVIS’s death his wife remarried to George MCMARMOY in the first quarter of 1921 in Romford, Essex.
According to niece Fluffy John’s children were ‘taken over by their maternal grandparents on the remarriage of mother, May.’ [5]
May L. MARMOY then died aged 36 in the 3rd quarter of 1931, registered in the West Ham district.
i. Maureen Catherine Davis
John George DAVIS and May (Galgey)’s daughter Maureen Catherine was born 24 January 1914 in the St Marylebone district, London.
In the 1939 Register, Maureen was an assistant nurse, living in Epping.
Maureen DAVIS married Wesley Claud CREASEY in the 4th quarter 1939 in Epping. (Wesley b. Dec 1909 in Henley, Bosmore district, Suffolk).
They had two children, born 1946 and 1948.
Wesley died in the first quarter of 1974 in Deben, Suffolk. Maureen died just over ten years later in Kesgrave, Suffolk on 18 July 1984.
ii. Christopher Patrick Davis ‘Dennis’
John George DAVIS and May (Galgey)’s son Christopher Patrick DAVIS was born on 22 August 1916 in Romford, Essex. He was known as Dennis.[6]
Christopher P. married Ada M. RICHARDS in the fourth quarter of 1940 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
They had two sons and two daughters born, I believe, between 1942 and 1954. By 1987, according to Fluffy, all had been married and all bar one of the daughters divorced.
Dennis was in the army in WW2. According to his nephew, Dennis had been a captain, served in the Far East and was mentioned in despatches. I believe this record relates to Dennis:
Having divorced, Dennis remarried to Ingelborg PEGA in the 2nd quarter of 1967 in Westminster.
Dennis’s cousin Fluffy described him as ‘well educated – had an Eng. degree and rank of Major in the last war… His great interest through life has been rugby. His nephew wrote that post war Dennis was head of purchasing for Ford Europe.
Christopher Patrick ‘Dennis’ DAVIS died 2nd November 2006 in Bichester, Oxfordshire.[7]
[1] Information provided by his grandson, Feb 2020. https://londonwiki.co.uk/LCC/WesternFront1917.shtml lists all staff of LCC who were killed.
[2] Niece Evelyn ‘Fluffy’ (Glancy) O’DONOVAN referred to him as Jack in correspondence of the 1980s. There are numerous Johns in my family who were always called Jack.
[3] May Galgey was born 18th May 1893 in West Ham, Essex. In 1911 May lived on the same road as Jack DAVIS, at number 32. She gave her nationality as Irish and birth place as Forest Gate, England.
[4] I haven’t yet seen Jack’s war records or examined the movements of the Irish Guards leading up to that date in any detail. Jack is buried in the cemetery with 10 other members of the Irish Guards killed the same day, October 9th.
Until July 1917, the village of Boesinghe (now Boezinge) directly faced the German front line over the Yser canal, but at the end of that month, the Battle of Pilckem Ridge pushed the German line back and Artillery Wood, just east of the canal, was captured by the Guards Division. They began the cemetery just north of the wood when the fighting was over and it continued as a front-line cemetery until March 1918.
Irish poet Francis Ledwidge is also buried in Artillery Wood cemetery. Having served with the 5th battalion, Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers he was killed 31 July. A built memorial and Irish flag mark the place of his death, down the road from the cemetery.
[5] Fluffy (Glancy) O’DONOVAN’s correspondence with Wadding second cousin in 1992.
[6] According to Fluffy, Dennis was the name used by his maternal grandparents.
In Search of Thomas Davis 