92nd Battalion, Training Reserve
Francis George Stubbs was the only son of Thomas and Martha Stubbs. He was born in Upton St Leonards Gloucestershire, and baptised in the parish church on 16 July 1899. Thomas was from Upton St Leonards and Martha was born in Huntley.
Francis had five step-siblings; his father having been married previously. Thomas married Martha Lewis, Francis’ mother, at Huntley on 27 April 1897 when they were aged 45 and 39 respectively. Martha was a spinster.
At the 1901 Census, Martha appears living at the Portway, Upton St Leonards with Percy, her youngest stepson aged 17, and Francis who was under two. Thomas appears in the Welsh 1901 Census working at a colliery near Glamorgan giving his occupation as ‘hewer’. He was 49 and with him were two younger men both from Upton St Leonards, all boarding.
By 1911 the family had moved to Hinders Lane Huntley. Thomas was working as a general labourer; Francis was 11.
There are no service records for Francis apart from an entry in the Register of Soldier’s Effects and pension records. A payment of £2 2s 9d was made to Francis’ father, Thomas, probably pay owing, as, having served for under six months in the UK, no gratuity was payable.
Due to his age, Francis cannot have been with the Training Reserve for many months and was probably conscripted in late spring or early summer 1917. The 92nd Training Reserve was formed on 1 September 1916 and was based at Chiseldon, Wiltshire. His Pension Ledger entry states that he died of disease at the Military Hospital Chiseldon on 23 August 1917, aged 18. His mother, Martha, then aged 64, was awarded a pension on 20 March 1918 of 7s 6d for life. She died in 1937.
Francis was buried at St John the Baptist Church Huntley on 27 August 1917and he has a family headstone.
Researched by Helen Wollington October 2020