Joseph Henry Seccull (1895 - 1915)

Born 27 Apr 1895 in Aynho, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Died 25 Sep 1915 at age 20 in Loos-en-Gohelle, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France

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Biography

Joseph Seccull served in the British Army in World War I
Service started: 1913
Unit(s): Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Service ended: 25th Sep 1915 (KIA)

Joseph Seccull was Killed in Action at Loos, France on 25 September 1915 during World War I.

Joseph Henry and his twin brother Prince Albert were born in Aynho, Northamptonshire, England 27th April 1895. Their parents, Henry and Sarah had six children already, but managed to get by on Henry's earnings from working alongside his father, a stonemason. Disaster struck the family when Henry died suddenly on 25th February 1897. Sarah was unable to support her family alone, and was forced to apply for relief from the Parish. The family were subsequently admitted to Brackley Workhouse. The elder children either found work in service, joined the military, or emigrated as soon as they were able. Sarah re-married to Arthur Melton, a carrier. Albert and Joe remained at the workhouse for several years, until they were placed on the Shaftesbury Homes training ship Arethusa, a fairly stern regime but certainly a much brighter prospect for them than anything which the workhouse could offer.

Upon reaching adulthood, Joe followed the example of elder brother Ernest and became a soldier, joining the Royal Warwickshire Regiment sometime in 1913. Joe is recorded in the Leamington Spa Courier as having competed in at least one boxing tournament at the Warwicks' Budbrooke Barracks, losing on a foul to a Private Cooper on 4th June 1914.

As a regular soldier, Private 2516 Joseph Henry Seccull would have been sent into action relatively early. He was killed in action on 25th September 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos, in which the Royal Warwickshire Regiment was engaged. As was the case for many of the fallen, Joe has no known grave, but is recorded on the Loos Memorial.

Sources

• "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2F3Z-QL9 : 1 October 2014), Joseph Henry Seccull, 1895; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Brackley, Northamptonshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
• "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9Y3-L1S : 20 May 2019), Joseph Seccull in household of Amy Seccull, Brackley St Peter, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Brackley subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.