Douglas Dobbs

Douglas Dobbs, born on August 22nd 1899 and was the son of Eugene and Eliza Dobbs living at 23 Bath Row. In 1911 he had three siblings, two older brothers Henry 18, Albert 14 and a younger brother Roy aged 6. He also had a sister Elsie aged 6. His father Eugene was listed as a cowkeeper and later as a dairyman.

When war broke out their lives changed. Henry aged 21, an apprentice painter joined the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire regiment and Albert joined the Territorials.

Henry was killed on November 16th 1916 in France. He left a widow Ethel whom he had married in April 1914.

When Douglas joined the Navy in 1917 he gave his occupation as a cotton packer. He was only 5ft 3 ins tall with dark brown hair and grey eyes. He served firstly on the Victory then on HMS Canada. The ship was commissioned in 1915 and saw action in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 – Douglas would not have been there as he only enlisted in 1917.

When he was demobbed in 1919 he returned to Stamford and he married Edith Foreman in December 1926. He was listed as a butcher at 13 St Peter’s Hill in Kelly’s Directory of 1930, he died in 1953.

His younger brother Roy ran the dairy business.