In 1914, Harry enlisted with the Suffolk Regiment to fight in World War I. In 1918, he was shot in the left knee, which left him partially disabled. He received the Silver War Badge for his service.

Harry Lewis Oxborough

Born: 20 JAN 1886 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Father: Harry Oxborough (1860 to 1936)
Mother: Mary Ann Eliza Davey (1863 to 1932)

Spouse: Lilian Rose Gray (1901 to 1987)

Married: 1920 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Child:

Frank William Oxborough (28 AUG 1921 to 28 DEC 1990)

Died: 27 JAN 1959 in Norwich, Norfolk County, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1891 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1901 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1911 Beccles, Suffolk County, England
1917 Death of brother, Frank
1920 Marriage to Lilian
1921 Birth of son, Frank
1932 Death of mother, Mary Ann
1936 Death of father, Harry
1939 Norwich, Norfolk County, England
1951 Death of sister, Alice
1959 Death and Burial

Occupation: shoemaker (1911)

Records:

1891 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941

Variations of Surname: none

Military Service:

On 1 SEP 1914, Harry traveled to Lowestoft and enlisted with the Suffolk Regiment to fight in World War I. He was stationed at the Gibraltar Barracks in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk County, England.

Harry must have been sent overseas. Like other military records from World War I, the ravages of time have taken their toll. This page shows where he was posted and the coinciding dates.

The second entry, dated 23 SEP 1915 to 24 APR 1918, is marked with what looks like the initials BEY. On the website, The Lincolnshire Regiment, I found that BE stood for the country of Belgium.

I then discovered that The Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, was fought from 7 APR 1918 to 29 APR 1918. Could the Y stand for Ypres?

Another page of Harry’s military record shows that he was wounded on 9 APR 1918. He had been shot in the left knee.

On 2 DEC 1918, Harry was honorably discharged from service. He received the Silver War Badge and King’s Certificate.

Spouse:

Lilian Rose Gray:

Lilian was born on 24 FEB 1901 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died on 27 APR 1987 in Norwich, Norfolk County, England.

Probate:

Lilian’s father was William Gray. He was born on 15 SEP 1864 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1945 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England.

Lilian’s mother was Eliza Maria Folgate. She was born on 28 DEC 1875 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1948 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England

Lilian had three brothers and sisters:

Edward Charles Gray (1903)
Marion Ellen Gray (1907)
Frederick William Gray (1909)

William had previously married Emma Jacobs in 1892 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

Alice Isabella Gray (1897)

Emma Jacobs was born in 1873 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1899 in Beccles, Suffolk County, England. Emma was 26 years old when she died.

Notes:

The surname, Oxborough, originated in Norfolk County, England. It appears in church registers as early as the mid-16th century. As the world population grew, these Oxborough ancestors moved to other counties in England. By the late 19th century, some had immigrated to Canada and Australia.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

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