13780 Private (L.C.) Henry Ralph Dean

13780 Private (L.C.) Henry Ralph Dean born in 1889 in Wolstanton, Staffordshire.

On his WW1 service records it said “This man was adopted by Mrs Tomkinson of Harrishead, Mow Cop, Cheshire, when he was quite young, I do not know the name of his parents or where they live. He never had any brother or sisters.

Henry lived with his aunt Mrs Lucy J Tomkinson nee Smith, and his uncle James Tomkinson also living with them was his grandmother Elizabeth Smith.

Henry lived in Mow Cop until his marriage to Alice Maud Townley on the 6^th August 1911, they had one child, Alice Dean born 8^th January 1912, and they lived at 62 High Street, Harriseahead. His occupation was a Collier.

Henry enlisted on 28^th September 1914, on his medical examination it stated he was 5 feet 9 inches, weighed 139 lbs, complexion sallow, with hazel eyes and light brown hair, physical development good, but he did have 3 defective teeth.

On the 7^th October 1914, Henry with battalion embarked to France. Whist in France on the 1^st May 1915 he was promoted to Lance Corporal, but then on the 18^th August 1915 the promotion was revised and he was demoted to Private, reason being “falling out without permission”

Henry was to die in France on 20^th March 1916. There is no record of how he died, but we do know he was found and buried by British troops, we know this because his wife now living at 42 Rood Hill, Congleton, received a letter from the War Office, dated 27th April 1916, giving her back his property, which consisted of:

1 Cig case, I razor, I notebook, I testament, 1 knife, I dice, I letter case, I coin (1d), I whistle, I dictionary, Letters and Photo’s, not all families got their loved ones property back.

Record show Alice Maud Dean never remarried, she died in Congleton in 1982.