Thomas Morris Barnett – 10 Eight Acres

The Barnett family were living at 10 Eight Acres in 1901 and 1910. The head of the household was Alderman Barnett who had a rather bewildering selection of occupations – as a young man he was a wheelwright then a gardener, in 1901 he was a baker and grocer and in 1911 a gardener again but meanwhile he is described a shopkeeper in Kelly’s Directory! There certainly was a baker along Eight Acres in the 1890s so perhaps Barnett took on the property turning it into a shop while at the same time continuing his preferred occupation?

Alderman Barnett had married Leonora Morris in 1892 and there were 4 boys in the family all born in Stamford. In 1911 John 17 was an apprentice electrician at the Electric Light Works, Thomas 16 a fitter while Cecil 13 and Alfred 6 were at school.

John and Cecil both joined the 4th Lincolnshire Regiment in November 1914 so it is possible that Thomas joined up at the same time although not the same regiment. John served in France and had moved up through the ranks to Sergeant by 1917. He suffered from trench foot and was gassed but survived the war returning to 10 Eight Acres early in 1919.

Little is known about Thomas’ war record but he was awarded the 1914-15 Star so must have served abroad before the end of 1915. He died as a result of an accident on 15th February 1919 at which time he was serving in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force attached to the Locomotive Department of the Royal Engineers. His Sgt Major spoke very highly of him in a letter to his mother. His name is on the Town Memorial together with three older cousins who had lived nearby in Foundry Road.

Cecil was 16yrs old when he joined up in 1914 so he was not sent abroad until 1917. Only a couple of months after he arrived he suffered gun-shot wounds to his thumb and was admitted to hospital. He spent a few weeks on Furlough then in June 1917 was returned fit for duty. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal in March 1918 while he was with the 4th Lincolns at Saltfleet. He was demobbed a couple of weeks after his brother’s death and probably arrived home before he knew about it.

In 1921 Cecil married Ruth Gant of Spilsby. Their daughter Cecily was born in Stamford in 1918 and married Ian Mercer in Stamford in 1951 but Cecil and Ruth may have moved to Spilsby as they both died in that area – Cecil in 1983 and Ruth in 1985.