Pte 114116 John Kenworthy

John was born on the 18th July 1899 and was baptised on the 08th September 1899 in Christ Church, Ashton under Lyne, the son of John Kenworthy and his wife Annie (nee Cummins). His parents residence at the time of his baptism was 7 Duncan Street, and his father' occupation given as coal miner. His parents, who were both born in Ashton Under Lyne, married in 1881 and had eleven children, all born in Ashton under Lyne, of which John was the youngest. His siblings were Samuel, William, Bertha, Annie (who died at age 2), James, Annie, Joseph, Alice, Lilian, and Eliza.

 

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 10 Water Street, Ashton under Lyne, and there are older children – Samuel, born 1883; William born 1885; Bertha born 1886 plus their younger six children. John is one year old. It is worth mentioning as well that in 1891 John, Annie and their four eldest children lived at 37 York Street – which would have been the next house to where Joseph and Mary Ann lived in 1918. Putting all of this together strongly suggests that the Pal killed in Russia is the brother of Joseph who died in 1918.

The 1911 Census shows a Kenworthy family living at 21 Delamere Street North, Ashton under Lyne. His father, John, is aged 49 a fireman in a coal mine; his mother Annie is also aged 49. they have been married for 29 years and have had 11 children, 10 of whom have survived. There are seven children declared in the household; James, born 1889 works in a coalmine; Annie born 1890 is employed at a brush works; Joseph born 1892 also works in the coalmine; Alice, 17, Lilian, 15, and Eliza, 13, work in a cotton mill. John  is 11, and at school.

His mother appears to have died in late 1916, aged 55.

John enlisted at Ashton under Lyne in 1918 joining the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as Private 40546. He was transferred to the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment before he left for France, serving in 'B' Company.

Graham Maddocks describes how John, together with his fellow Pals; 381327 Private Charles Corlett; 114144 Private John Roberts;  18619 Private Cyril Maher; 29664 Private William McDonough; 50785 Corporal Charles Lewis Milton and 114191 Corporal Albert Wright; was killed. By early February 1919, the Bolshevik presence in the area of Seletskoe was growing steadily stronger and at 4.30am on 09^th February 1919 they opened up a fierce and sudden artillery bombardment on both flanks of the 17^th Battalion’s forward blockhouse positions and succeeded in cutting their communications with the rear. The Bolsheviks then attacked with infantry and although repulsed with considerable losses on the left flank, they eventually overran the right flank blockhouse position after a fierce fight and killed all its occupants except Private Roberts, whom they captured but later murdered.

A survivor of the Russian campaign, Private J. Grogan, 17^th KLR, described to Maddocks how he went with others to to check on Church Post, the right hand blockhouse attacked, as HQ was unable to contact them by telephone.

“When we found them they were dead. They’d all been dragged out and murdered”.

John, aged 19, was buried in Seletscoe Burial Ground.

He is now commemortated on a Special Memorial at Archangel Allied Cemetery.

During both world wars, Archangel was one of the ports through which the Allies assisted Russia with supplies and munitions. The cemetery was begun immediately after the occupation of the town in August 1918 by the Allied force sent to support the Soviet Russian Government against potential threat from German occupied Finland and other local sources. It was used by No.85 General Hospital, No.53 Stationary Hospital, No.82 Casualty Clearing Station, HM Hospital Ship 'Kalyan' and other Allied hospitals. 

ARCHANGEL ALLIED CEMETERY contains 224 burials and commemorations of the First World War, including special memorials to 140 officers and men with known burials in cemeteries elsewhere in northern Russia. Two of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains 7 Second World War burials. The ARCHANGEL MEMORIAL, which consists of panels fixed into the east wall of the cemetery, commemorates 219 British officers and men who died during the north Russian campaign and whose graves are not known.

His Medal Card shows he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. The register of Soldiers Effects shows monies owed to him, including a War Gratuity of £5, were sent to his father, who was awarded a pension of 5 shillings a week from August 1919. His father was then living at 133 Turner Lane (which happened to be the former home of Mary Ann Britland, a serial killer, who was hanged in 1886).

The names John and Joseph Kenworthy feature on the WW1 Memorial in Christ Church, Ashton under Lyne but with no further information. It is possible that the two men were brothers and CWGC shows that Joseph is identical with 142935 Private Joseph Kenworthy, 9^th Depot Company, 66^th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps who died in hospital in Etaples on 22^nd August 1918, aged 26 years, the husband of Margaret (other records show Margaret crossed out, replaced with Mary Ann) of 39 York Street, Ashton under Lyne. Joseph was born on 27^th October 1891 and baptised in Christ Church on 27^th November 1891, the son of John and Annie Kenworthy. The Register of Soldiers Effects however shows that monies owed to Joseph when he died were paid to his widow, Mary A. Kenworthy. Research shows that Joseph married Mary A. Schofield in Ashton under Lyne in 1912. Joseph, aged 26, was the father of two young children.

Joseph now rests at Etaples Military Cemetery in France where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"PEACE PERPECT PEACE" 

In 1939 his father, then 78 and retired, was still living at 133 Turner Lane. He died in 1941, aged 79.

John and Joseph are also commemorated on the Ashton Under Lyne Civic Memorial.