Name
Ernest Ball
1888
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
10/09/1917
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
44364
South Wales Borderers
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 65 to 66
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Preston memorials, Not on the Hitchin memorials, We are not aware of any memorials in Poynders End
Pre War
Ernest Ball was born in 1888 in Clayton, Burgess Hill, Sussex, son of William and Caroline Ball and baptised on 24 December 1888 at St John's Church, Burgess Hill, Sussex.
On the 1891 Census the family were living in Newport Road, Clayton, where his father was working as a Bricklayer and they remained there in 1901.
Ernest married Lily Dorothy Andrews in 1910 in the Hitchin district (which includes Preston) and their son Leonard Ernest was born on 27 August 1910.
On 1911 Census, he was living at Hitchwood Cottages in Preston with his wife and son Leonard aged 7 months. The head of the household was William Andrews, his wife's grandfather. Ernest was working as a bricklayer.
Ernest was employed by Mr Hugh Seebohn at Poynders End.
Wartime Service
Ernest enlisted in Hitchin and initially joined the Royal Engineers, (reg. no.180753), later transferring to the 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers.
The Hertfordshire Express dated 29th December 1917 reported that Ernest’s wife had received the official news the previous week that he had been missing since December 11th. The report expressed the hope that he would be found as a prisoner of war, bad sadly that was not the case and he was presumed to have been killed in action on 10 December 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele.
He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
Additional Information
His father's address was given as 51 Newport Road, Burgess Hill, Sussex.
His widow received a war gratuity of £5 10s and pay owing of £10 3s 3d. She also received a pension of £1 0s 5d a week for herself and her son and later lived at Poynders End, Preston, Herts.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Philip Wray - www.prestonherts.co.uk/page137.html
