Herbert Kirby – Oats & Musson, High Street

Oats and Musson was a new department store and in 1911 many employees lived on the premises including Herbert Kirby’s parents who were porter and housekeeper respectively. They were the only married couple and Herbert the only schoolboy.

Herbert was born in Stamford in 1898 and grew up there: his father had previously been a railway platelayer and they had lived in Wharf Road. However, when he joined the Leicester Pioneers in 1915, it was from an address in Leicester. He seemed to be a tall and fit young man but had several periods off sick in 1916 and 1917. When he was old enough he became a machine gunner in the 8th battalion Leicester Regiment.

He went missing in May 1918 and died in Germany in September 1918.