I deplore war but I believe it is valuable to remember past conflicts and learn from them. And the people who endured them should not be forgotten either.

Today, one hundred years on, I wish to remember my great-uncle, John Rimmer, my grandmother’s brother.  Jack lied about his age to enlist in the 18th Horse Yeomanry, Kings Liverpool Regiment, leaving his father and two sisters behind in Southport when he went off to war. Serving as a driver in France, he was wounded and was returned to England where he died from his wounds in the Kitchener Hospital in Brighton on 20th October, 1918, aged 20. His eldest sister, Mary Jane, travelled from Southport to Brighton to bring his body home for burial.   His name is recorded on the Kings Liverpool Regiment Roll of Honour in Southport.

Kings Liverpool Regiment Roll of Honour

Private John Rimmer (Jack)

Born: 20th January, 1898 (Accrington, Lancashire)

Died: 20th October, 1918 (Kitchener Hospital, Brighton)

Buried: Southport

Private, 18th Battalion Horse Yeomanry, Kings Liverpool Regiment #267375

John Rimmer’s grave