John Thomas Taylor

Private. 790. 1/7th Battalion. Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment.

Born 1893.

Son of Walter and Alice Taylor.

Brother of Albert.

Address: Handel St. Golcar.

Killed in action 22nd October 1915. Aged 22.

Buried at Talana Farm Cemetery. Belgium. 4. С. 18.

John was already in the 1/7th Battalion prior to the outbreak of war and had just finished his four years of training, but had not received his discharge papers. He was married before he embarked for France.

His wife received the following letter from Lieutenant J.W. Tetlow, who wrote "I am more than sorry to tell you that your husband was killed this afternoon. He had gone down to the canal bank with me and a shell hit a tree and part of the dugout where he was, and burst. He was killed at once and suffered no pain which was a blessing. He was my servant and was much more than that, he was a friend. We all felt his loss very much indeed and sympathise with you in your great sorrow. Yet there is one consolation - that he died a death which we should all wish to die if the time comes."

The cemetery is situated on the road out of Ypres towards Boesinghe (now Bozinghe) which lies on the west side of the Yser Canal. It was faced directly by the German front line on the east side. Talana Farm was just a kilometre from the edge of the Salient.

His name appears on the Roll of Honour in St. John's Church Golcar, Huddersfield Drill Hall and Longwood War Memorial,