40484 Pte John Henry Hooson, 8th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment.
Born in Burnley in 1895, John moved with his parents to Skipton, Yorkshire when he was young. Employed at Broughton Road Shed, Skipton, he also played in goal for Niffany Rovers FC, and he was also a member of the local ‘Skipton Territorials' - the 6th West Riding Regiment - at the time of the outbreak of war. As a territorial, John voluntarily made himself available for overseas service in the first days of the war. After training at Ealing and Doncaster, John was transferred to the North Staffordshire Regiment and saw service during the Irish Rebellion of 1916. He was sent to France in September 1916. He was reported missing at the end of the Somme battle and his date of death was confirmed as 19 November 1916 - but not until almost a year later. John's body was later recovered and he is now buried in Regina Trench Cemetery, France.
19 November 1916
Research by David O'Mara, Croonaert Research Services.
