01. George's Personal Notes

The Annals of David George Tustin

Background

I was born on Thursday, the twenty-eighth day of September 1916 at around 1.00 – 1.30 pm. My birth place was Crooke Hall Lodge in what is now known as Dawson Lane; in those days it was known more familiarly as Leyland Lane as the road led directly from Whittle-le-Woods to Leyland. My birth took place during one of the most intense battles of World War I, the battle of the Somme, which commenced on July 1^st 1916 and lasted till November of the same year. The first day’s casualties amounted to forty thousand, mostly British, many being in action for the first time and killed almost immediately on going into action. Many of the men were volunteers who had responded to Lord Kitchener’s appeal for a million men.

George at 9 months

My father was David Tustin, a groom by trade. He was born on 20^th July 1878 and died on 2^nd January 1966. He was the youngest survivor of the family of John and Alice Tustin. David was born at Bourton on the Hill, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, the address being Kyte or Kite Lane. My mother was Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Penery Cadwallader, born on 20^th December 1880 and died on 1^st August 1946. Father and mother were married in St. Wulfram’s Church, Grantham, Lincolnshire on 27^th November 1901. Mary Elizabeth was born at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, but later as a young girl moved to Grantham, where her father Penery became a publican of the Blue Pig in Grantham, which is still in use at the present time. Mary Elizabeth was one of sixteen children but presumably, some must have died in infancy. Mother had four brothers who reached adulthood, although the eldest, William, died of war wounds received during World War I, serving in Gallipoli. His son was also killed in the same area. Two sisters, Kate and Anne, also lived to adulthood. Mother’s brothers who survived to adulthood were Bill, the above mentioned, Tom, never married, Herbert, Harry (Henry) and Ernest. William and Tom served in the Boer War in South Africa and were in the siege of Ladysmith until it was relieved.

My grandparents were, on father’s side, John Tustin, born 13^th September 1838, died aged 71 on 10^th May 1910 and Alice (nee Taylor), who died aged 55 on 19^th May 1896. On mother’s side, her father was Penery, died aged 65 on 19^th September 1914 and Mary, his wife, died aged 66 on 27^th December 1914 (nee Coley). My father, David, volunteered for the army a few weeks after I was born. He was aged 38, quite old for serving. He joined what was the Royal Field Artillery, later becoming part of the Royal Artillery (R.A.). He saw service very quickly and was in France by Christmas of that year (1916). He was demobbed in June 1919.

Continue to 02. Baptism to Choirboy