Hedley Shone is the brother of Colin Shone, please click on the link to read his story. Hedley was born in the December quarter of 1918, the son of Walter & Jessie Shone, (nee Davies) who had married in the June Quarter of 1905 in a Civil Ceremony (Flintshire (Mold) HAW/02/E81). Hedley was Baptised on the 29th of May 1919 Hedley s/o Walter & Jessie SHONE (nee Davies), Ewloe Place, Buckley, Miner.
I have no information Hedley’s childhood and teenage years, except for the 1921 census, so any information gratefully received.
I believe that sadly Walter died in the December quarter of 1919, age 38 years, (Flintshire (Mold) HAW/12A/65) so Jessie was left to bring up the boys, the youngest, Hedley, age 1 year old.
I find the family on the 1921 census, living at 1, Ewloe Place, Buckley, Hawarden, Flintshire. Jessie Shone was now aged 39 years and 10 months old and doing ‘Home Duties.’ Walter Shone, her son, was 15 years and 11 months old and was working as an Underground Labourer at George Watkinson Ltd., Colliery. Both had been born in Ewloe, Flintshire. The rest of the children, all born in Buckley, were Leonard Shone, 11 years and 1 month old, Clifford Shone, 9 years and 11 months old, Collin (sic) Shone, 7 years and 2 months old and Hedley Shone, 2 years and 8 months old.
Please follow Colin’s story for the family history, but we see Jessie, she is seen living at 15 Oakfield Road, Hawarden, Flintshire on the 1939 National Register taken on the 29th of September 1939. This source gives us her birth date of the 25th of September 1880 and as most women who do not have a job, especially married women, she is said to be doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties,” although in this case Jessie is widowed. In the household is Clifford Shone, born on the 29th of August 1912 and was a Packer Annealing in the Dipped Sheet Mills (Probably John Summer’s & Sons) and he is single although he does marry in the December quarter of 1939 to Hannah Hughes in St. Mary’s Church, Mold. (Flintshire (Mold) C16/7/59). Hedley is shown on this source, so he mustn’t have enlisted* at that moment. Hedley’s date of birth is shown as the 21st of November 1917 and he was a Painter in the Aircraft Factory and single.
*Conscription was for men who were over the age of 20 years. Hedley was 22 in 1939. So, he may have enlisted or was conscripted.
Please click on the link to read about the R.A.M.C. on Colin’s page, I do wonder if Hedley went into the R.A.M.C. because of Colin and his death.
https://www.qaranc.co.uk/british_military_hospital_egypt_bmh_alexandria.php
British Military Hospital Egypt BMH Alexandria
The history of BMH Alexandria Egypt including events in the Second World War such as the battle of El Alamein
Excerpt from the above: –
Another account in the book “The Roses of No Man’s Land by Lyn MacDonald” comes from VAD nurse Kit Dodsworth of No. 19 General Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt about how she heard of the Armistice being signed after a busy day caring for victims of an influenza outbreak that cost many lives.
Below is a photo of 19 General Hospital Egypt from a postcard marked with the date 5/10/1915. Laurence McDonald found this postcard among his late grandmother’s effects. The message on the reverse is headed ‘On Active Service’. The signature is unfortunately illegible. His grandmother was living in Aylsham, Norfolk in 1915 and would have been 19 years old.
19 General Hospital Egypt – (Photograph In the Folder)
I have downloaded a PDF of a Diary that an Officer in the R.A.M.C. wrote and it includes the time he was at the 19th General Hospital in Fayid, Egypt – A Doctor Goes to War – 19th Gen Hospital, Egypt 1942 – 1945, I can send it to you if you are interested, as it describes what was like working there. (Starts from page 192 on the PDF (Part IV Field General Hospital in the Middle East.)) https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b1875420x#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&z=-0.6848%2C-0.0744%2C2.3696%2C
Also Downloaded another PDF with photographs of British Military Hospitals throughout the world, including Fayid, Egypt. (Page 212 – 220 on the PDF. – Circa 1950’s – Countess Mountbatten of Burma visiting Fayid.) https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b18829442#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=65&z=-0.0895%2C-0.037%2C1.1791%2C0.7406
There is a photograph of 19 General Hospital below, which was where Hedley was stationed, albeit a photograph which was taken in 1915, but would probably have been much the same 24 years later. It is just to give an idea where he died.
The Casualty List (Page 12) tells us that he “Died,” so was not wounded, but probably died of a tropical disease, sadly we do not know anymore, but if you would like to get his Service Records, the you can apply , as family, to:- https://www.ctp.org.uk/military-disclosures-addresses
Army
Disclosures 1 (MP 520)
Army Personnel Centre
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow
G2 8EX
Tel: 0345 600 9663
If anyone can shed any light on Hedley’s life or death, please get in touch with the website, so his sacrifice won’t be forgotten, and he will be remembered for perpetuity.
Both Hedley and Colin were sadly missed by Jessie and the family as they made sure that their names were added to the WW2 War Memorial at Hawarden.
Jessie survived till 14th of July 1951 – Hawarden, Flintshire
GRANT HIM, O LORD, ETERNAL REST AND LET LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON HIM
