Sapper. Royal Engineers. Regimental number 183607.
Also served with the Durham Light Infantry with the regimental number 76718.
Early life
Jonas was born on the 8th of March 1878 and his parents were John Thornton and Eliza Thornton née Pollard who were married at All Saint’s Church in Otley on 10th July 1875.
John was a widower when he married Eliza, having been married to Nanny Pickles on 11th November 1871, but she died about six months later on 14th June 1872 aged 21 and is buried in the family grave at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Haworth. We found no children from this marriage.
On the 7th of November 1879, Jonas was aged about 18th months when he was baptised at All Saints Church in Otley. His sister Emma who had been born just three weeks earlier on 15th October was baptised in the same ceremony.
We could not find any further record of Emma and we suspect she died quite young.
When Jonas was aged three in the 1881 census, they were living at the Gay Lane Estate in Otley. John was aged 34 and a fitter at a printing machine works, Eliza was 26 and Jonas’s older sister Susannah was aged four.
His father John died at the age of 44 in the first quarter of 1891, not long before the census. His death was registered in Bradford.
By the time of the 1891 census they were living at 65, Portland Street in Horton, Bradford, Jonas was aged thirteen and an ink grinder at a printer’s. His widowed mother Eliza was aged 38; his fourteen year old sister Susannah was a printer’s embosser. The three youngest children were John W. aged seven and Charles aged 5 months. They were both at school and the baby was John R. aged just eight months.
Jonas was married to Emma Shackleton in the second quarter of 1899, registered in Keighley.
Their first child Annie was born in the last quarter of 1900, registered at Keighley.
In the 1901 census they were living at number 4, Clarendon Street in Haworth, Jonas was aged 23 and a mason’s labourer, Emma was the same age and a cotton weaver. Annie was aged just one year.
Their second child was John and he was born in the second quarter of 1902. tragically, Annie died aged just two at around the same time. Her death was recorded at Keighley in the second quarter of the year under the name Annie Shackleton Thornton.
George was their third child, born in the second quarter of 1903 and Ivy was their fourth child, born in the last quarter of 1905.
In the 1911 census they were living at 56, Sun Street in Haworth and Jonas was a stone mason. He and Emma were both aged 33 and had been married for twelve years. According to the census they’d had five children and only three had survived. We know about Annie but have not been able to identify the other child who died. Their three surviving children were John aged nine, George Harry aged eight and Ivy aged six who were all attending school.
There are a number of children with the Thornton surname born and died in Keighley around that time but one likely child may be Susey Pickles Thornton who was born in and died in 1904. Her first name Susey was also Jonas’s grandmother’s name and her middle name of Pickles might be connected with Nanny Pickles who was Jonas’s father’s first wife. Given that Jonas and Emma’s first child Annie also died young it would be doubly tragic if this was the case.
War service:
Jonas would have been aged 36 when war broke out in 1914. His medal records were all that we could locate on his war service and he did not receive either a 1914 or 1914-15 Star, indicating that he did not serve overseas until early 1916, suggesting he was attested through the Derby Scheme. He was also married and had several children at that time, which would further delay his actual call up.
Jonas served as a Private with the Durham Light Infantry with the regimental number 76718 and later as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers and the regimental number 183607.
We have no date of discharge, but he did survive the war.
Looking into Jonas’s service number we have found seven other men with similar numbers, two of whom are listed with the 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. Because of this we suspect he also served with the 11th Service Battalion (Pioneers) of the Durham Light Infantry. We believe he trained and then served overseas with them first and later transferred to the Royal Engineers. As a stone mason he would have had skills which could be very useful to them.
Post war
Jonas was a member of No. 185, Woodlands Lodge of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, evidenced by his name as one of the members who served and returned from the war, on their Haworth Roll of Honour which is now on the boardroom wall at Wyedean Weaving in Haworth. This roll lists him as one of the members who served and returned from the war.
In the 1921 census Jonas was aged 43 and living at 22, Sun Street in Haworth with his wife Emma, aged 44 and on home duties. Also with them were their son John aged 19, daughter Ivy aged 15 and Harry Shackleton, a boarder aged 49 who was Emma’s older brother.
Jonas was employed as a stone mason by Fred Waterhouse of 98, Devonshire Street in Keighley and this business was based at Luton Street, which runs off West Lane in Keighley.
John was a wool sorter for Messrs Collingham, worsted spinners of Perseverance Mills on Low Street in Keighley and Ivy was a worsted spinner at Merrall and Sons Limited of Haworth.
Harry was a gas meter inspector for Haworth Urban District Council.
In the 1939 Register taken at the start of the Second World war, Jonas was aged 61 and still working as a stone mason and waller, which was heavy work. He was living at number 8, Surgery Street in Haworth which is located at the bottom of Brow Road.
Also living with him were Annie Pickles (Thornton) aged 59 and on unpaid domestic duties, plus Elsie Pickles (later Barber) aged 16 and employed as a cotton spinner. Emma is not mentioned in the register at this address.
Emma appears to have died at the age of 65 in 1945 and Jonas married Annie Pickles around the same time, with Emma’s death and Annie’s marriage to Jonas being recorded in the second quarter of 1945 at the Keighley Registry Office.
We did not find a locally registered death for Jonas but there is a record at Sheffield of a Jonas B. Thornton who died in the third quarter of 1966 aged 88.
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
1881 England Census
1891 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
1901 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
1911 England Census
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
1921 England Census
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Photo by kind courtesy of the Thornton family.
