Life Story

John was born to parents William Twigg (A coal miner) and his wife Emma

Twigg (nee Partner) who had married in 1886 in the Market Bosworth,

Leicestershire. John was born in 1886 in Nailstone Wood, Leicestershire,

and had three siblings - Susannah, Rosa Annie, a and Herbert, born 1889,

the latter two siblings were both born in Nailstone Wood, where the family

home was Iron House on Nailstone Wood Lane. John’s mother died young,

aged just 27 when she passed away in 1892, leaving a young family. By

March 1901, his father had re-married - a loal woman from Market Bosworth

called Emily (nee Thomas) and John was employed as a coal miner. The

family had incraeased in sieze with a step siblings Eliza Thomas and Sarah

Thomas,along with two new half sistersb, Mary Ann, born 1895 and Ann,

born 1898, both born in Nailstone Wood. They had another son, William,

born in 1902

Military Service

John joined up for an initial engagement of 6 years on the 5th August 1904

in Leicester. he was just past his eighteenth birthday and gave his trade as

miner, with his employer being Mr. Edward Smith, of Coalville, and he was

still living at the family home, as yet unmarried. He conrmed that he was

unmarried. As private he was awarded a 3rd Class Certicate of Education

on 18th November 1905. John went out with the 2nd Batallion to India in

1912, and was one of the number of soldiers shipped back from India to

form the second wave of the British Expeditionary Force after the outbreak

of the First World War. His previous ten years service had been as a Private

but on briey landing back on British he received three quick promotions

as the ranks lled with the new recruits eager for excitement. John entered