2/6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
John Roseblade travelled almost 7,000 miles to serve his country, only to die after falling from his bicycle.
He was born in South Cerney in 1885, one of ten children born to Samuel Roseblade (1859-1913) who was a labourer and his wife Elizabeth (née Wilks: 1858-1934).
At the time of the 1901 Census John was employed as a domestic groom and lived at the family home in South Cerney.
In about 1903 he emigrated to South America, probably Argentina, where he no doubt had hopes of a better life. In early 1914 he brother, Walter, volunteered for Army service and became a Driver with the Royal Artillery: he ended up with the Labour Corps and survived the war.
Possibly prompted by his brother’s actions, John travelled home to enlist. He booked a passage on the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company’s SS Araguaya, which sailed from Buenos Aires and arrived at Liverpool on 18 April 1916. In the passenger list for the voyage John’s occupation was described as a groom.
He attested for military service, with the Territorial Force, for the duration of the war, the following day, at the Old Haymarket, Liverpool and was posted to the Gloucestershire Regiment.
According to his entry in the Medal Roll he was given the number 20341.
In 1917 those serving with the Territorial Force (TF) had their numbers changed into a six digit format and Private Roseblade’s became 267515.
He reported for training at the Glosters’ Depot at Horfield, Bristol on 21 April 1916 and approximately six month’s training was undertaken, from 6 May 1916, with the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, in the Sittingbourne and Maidstone area of Kent.
This battalion prepared men for service with one of the Glosters’ battalions serving at the front.
Private Roseblade was posted to France on 7 October 1916 where he joined No 55 Infantry Base Depot, based at Rouen.
After a short period preparing him for front line service he was posted to the 2/6th Battalion of the Glosters (a TF unit), part of 183 Brigade, 61 Division, on 15 October 1916.
An entry in the Battalion War Diary for 16 October notes the arrival of a draft of 62 men and it is highly likely that John Roseblade was one of these.
A very slim Army Pension record has survived for John and it does provide some useful details with regard to dates of joining the Army and postings, it does not provide any details with regard to admittance to casualty clearing stations or hospitals in France or back in the UK.
It does state that he served in France for 220 days. If he arrived in Rouen on or about 7 October 1916, then he would have been in France until about 15 May 1917.
According to a report of his death in the Gloucestershire Echo (GE) of 2 August 1919 and at his inquest reported in the Cheltenham Chronicle (CC) of 9 August 1919, John was ‘badly gassed’ when serving on the Western Front and this was responsible for his subsequent heart trouble.
A close examination of the War Diary of the 2/6th Glosters, for the months of October 1916 to May 1917, inclusive, has not revealed any mention of the battalion suffering any attack involving gas during this time. Indeed, it appears to have only seen intermittent action in the trenches and the majority of the time was spent in training or on working parties.
The early months of 1917 was also the time when the Germans were withdrawing to the Hindenburg Line, in the aftermath of the Battle of the Somme.
It is possible, of course, that the gassing occurred accidentally during training and was not reported in the War Diary.
The report in the CC states that John received treatment in hospitals in France and in Bristol but no documentary evidence has been found.
He was discharged from the Army on 25 August 1917, as no longer fit for military service and was awarded a Silver Badge to denote his discharge on medical grounds.
A medical board convened on 8 August 1917 noted that his condition first came to light near St Quentin on 8 April 1917 and the War Diary confirms the battalion’s presence at Holnon and St Quentin Wood.
The condition was described as ‘D.A.H.’ (short for Disordered Action of the Heart), attributed to exposure and the strain of active service: treatment was recommended.
An initial 100% Disability allowance was scaled down to 60% by January 1919.
Private Roseblade left the Army with a ‘very good’ character and conduct endorsement and returned to live with his mother in South Cerney (his father had died just prior to the Great War) and became a farm labourer.
Both of the above newspapers described the events which led to his death in some detail.
Upon returning to South Cerney John was examined by his local doctor, Dr Mackinnon, who had known him since childhood. He confirmed the presence of valvular disease of the heart and advised against strenuous activity, which included cycling.
John found his health remained stable and any cycling undertaken had not resulted any ill effects. His brother, Fred, giving evidence at the inquest stated that the only time John complained about his heart is when he got excited.
At 7pm on 1 August 1919 John cycled into Cirencester and met up with Fred Teakle, a farmer from South Cerney, at The Wheatsheaf Inn. The pair decided to ride home together and at 9.30pm set off at a steady pace. Near to the isolation hospital at South Cerney, without warning, John’s bicycle swerved off the road, travelled over a bank and into a hedge. John and bicycle ended up in a ditch.
When falling John was heard to utter ‘Oh dear!’ and subsequently groaned.
Teakle ran to a nearby cottage for assistance and Dr Mackinnon and the local policeman were summoned. By the time the doctor arrived John was dead and he confirmed the cause of death to be heart failure, which the inquest accepted. He was 33 years old.
Private John Roseblade was buried in the churchyard of All Hallows, South Cerney on 5 August 1919 and a CWGC headstone marks his grave.
Research by Graham Adams 21 November 2020