John Edwin Cornish 1883-1914

John Edwin Cornish (from JS)

Born:
Q3 1883 in Aston, Warwickshire

Son of:
Thomas Cornish (died before 1890) Engine Driver 
who married Q3 1877 in Newport Pagnall to
Sarah (nee Howson) b.1856 in Emberton, Buckinghamshire
She later married Thomas Hanson 25 December 1890 St Gabriel, Birmingham

Position in family: The third of 4 children
1. James Thomas Cornish b. 1877 in Birmingham, m. Emma Asbury in 1899
2. Fanny Ellen Matilda Cornish b.1882 m John Robert Abraham 26 Dec 1903 at St Thomas's Worsbro' Dale - they had at least seven children, but most died young.  They lived at 4 Ebenezer Square, Worsbro' Dale and later in Doncaster.
3. John Edwin Cornish b. 1883 in Birmingham WW1 KILLED
4.  Ada Ellen Cornish b.3 Aug 1885 in Birmingham

Home address, age and occupation:
1901: 4 Gordon Terrace, Trevor St, Aston, Birmingham 17 years old Labourer at Tube Mill
17 June 1901 (on enlistment): 4 Gordon Terrace, Trevor St
1911: 12 Graisby Lane, Wednesfield, Staffs 26 years old Labourer at Axle Box
16 Aug 1914 (on re-enlistment):  10 Howard St, Worsbro' Common, Barnsley

Marriage: He was married to Florence Mason on 3 June 1906 in Andover, Southhampton

Children: 
1. Stanley Edwin Cornish b. 7 March 1907 in Andover, Hampshire
2. Gladys Ena Cornish b. 13 July 1908 in Farnborough, Hampshire
3. Leslie Harvey Cornish b. 10 July 1910 in Wednesfield, Staffordshire
4. Hilda Lilian Cornish b. 2 September 1914 in Barnsley, Yorkshire

Military Service:
Enlisted: 17 June 1901 at the age of 18 years, he was a Labourer
Regiment and Battalion:  Royal Field Artillery
Service number and rank:  17688 Gunner
Re-enlisted: 16 August 1914 at the age of 31 years
Medals: 1914 Star and Victory Medal

Personal information:   5' 5 7/8" tall, 132 lbs, chest 34" to 37"

Death:     20 November 1914 aged 31 years
CWGC Remembered: Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel 5 and 9

Remembered: 
Worsborough Common, St Lukes Church, Highstone Road 
 
Notes:
His initials on the Worsbro' Common memorial have been a little confused with the other man who died in 1914.  In the newspaper report Jepson is A, but on the memorial he is J E.  Those initials should be John Edwin Cornish's.

Florence Cornish (nee Mason) 1889 - 1938

John was a professional soldier between 1901 and 1911, he re-enlisted as soon as war was declared in 1914.

John moved his family from Wednesfield, Staffordshire to Worsbro' Common, Barnsley in 1914 before he re-enlisted, maybe to be near his sister Fanny and her family.  Fanny's husband John Robert Abrahams also enlists in November 1914, giving a Doncaster address, so neither family had a man at home during the war. 

John and Florence's fourth child, Hilda Lilian was born in Barnsley in September 1914.  
 
In 1915 Fanny Abrahams gives the Doncaster address but brings her son Ernest back to Barnsley to be baptised at St Thomas's Worsbro' Dale. 

Florence remarried to George Blacknall in Q3 1923 in Barnsley.  She died 11 October 1938 aged 50 years.



This information has been submitted by his granddaughter, JS, who is willing to be contacted through the Barnsley War Memorials Project.  Contact us here.