John T Toon– 9 Priory Buildings, Brazenose Lane

John’s parents, Charles and Jane Toon (nee Hill), were married in 1890 and had 7 children of whom 4 had died before 1901. Charles was a furnace tenter at an iron foundry in 1901 and a furnace-man in the foundry of the agricultural implement works in 1911. In 1901 the family – parents and 3 children – were living at 34 St Paul’s Street. By 1911 they had moved to 9 Priory Buildings on Brazenose Lane where some of the family were to remain into the 1960s.

In 1911, John was 14 years old and an errand boy for a greengrocer. His brother Charles was 19 years old and working at a nursery garden. Younger sister, Florence, was 12 years old and still at school. The children were all born in Stamford.
John was taken on as an iron moulder, however he enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps in December 1915. His brother Charles had enlisted in the 4th Lincs Regiment in May 1915 and served in Egypt, France and Belgium and was wounded in June 1917.

John meanwhile continued working as a moulder until the Posting Board examined him in September 1918 and decided he should be mobilised. His physical status was A1. As the War ended almost straight away he may never have actually served abroad and he was demobbed in February 1919.
John didn’t marry until he was 33 years old in 1929. His bride was Ivy Fisher. They had a son and a daughter and probably continued to live in Stamford. Either his father or his brother, Charles, lived at 9 Priory Buildings up until World War 2.