John Henry, Arthur Edward and Joseph Edwin Jennings – 11 Foundry Road

There were 8 children in this family who were living at 11 Foundry Road in 1901 and 1911. Their mother died in 1909 leaving their father, a coachsmith (working for Hayes) to look after 6 children under 12 years. In 1911 the eldest daughter had left home and Robert the eldest son was working in Huntingdonshire. John the eldest at home was 15 years old and working as an errand boy for a grocer. The other children were all at school.
Sometime between 1911 and 1914 Robert, the Boys’ father, moved to Albany Road, Camberwell. Our 3 Boys however were still working in Stamford and living at My Cottage, Foundry Road apparently with Mrs Bingham when they joined up. She may have been a relative, a friend or just keeping a lodging house but she notified all their details to the Town Hall in 1919. Their elder brother also served in the army.

Robert Frederick born about 1894

The eldest brother of these 3 Boys joined the Hunts Cyclists in 1914 and then served in the Scottish Horse and the RFA as a shoeing smith. By 1917 he was attached to the Machine Gun Corps as a cold shoer.

A cold shoer’s job was to replace shoes on horses, mules and donkeys without needing any of a blacksmith’s heavy equipment such as a forge and anvil – impractical on the front line. A cold shoer would use the nearest suitable size from a batch of ready-made horseshoes.

He reached the rank of Corporal but was discharged in 1919 having suffered from malaria.

John Henry born 1895

John had joined the Territorials in Feb 1914 before the War began. He became an Infantry Sergeant in the Lincolnshire Regiment and served in France. He was discharged in November 1918 presumably wounded. At some stage he worked for John Godfrey & Co in Stamford.
Arthur Edward born 1897

Arthur worked for the Co-Operative Society in Stamford but joined up in February 1916 and served in the Labour Corps. He was demobbed in January 1919.

Joseph Edwin born 1899

Joseph was also employed at the Co-Operative Society in Stamford. He joined the Royal Lancashire Regiment in 1917 as soon as (or even just before) he was 18 years old. He served in France and in 1919 he was still serving in the Army of Occupation in Germany.