John Chapman was born circa 1887 in Middleton St George, Durham, the second of the four children of John George Chapman (1860-1941) and Florence Gertrude Chapman née Bent (1863-1950). On the 1891 census that was taken on 5 April 1891 he is shown as a three-year-old boy visiting a lodging house at 17 West Beach, Lytham, Lancashire, with his mother, his maternal grandfather Peter Bent, aged 63 years and who was a bank manager, his maternal aunt Mary A. Bent, aged 29 years and his three siblings: Rachel Chapman (1886-1977) aged 4 years, Geoffrey Chapman (b.1888) aged 2 years and Marjorie Chapman (1890-1940) aged 5 months. His father was recorded as a coal & iron merchant residing at their home in Middleton St George, Durham, together with a cook.
He attended University College London where he obtained his B.Sc. He gained his commission in the army and was serving as a Captain in the 21st Battalion, Manchester Regiment, when he was killed in action on 14 July 1916. His body was buried near where he fell, but was subsequently exhumed on 25 October 1920 and reburied in Plot 2, Row C, Grave 8 in the Danzig Alley British Cemetery, Carnoy-Mametz, Somme, France.
Probate records confirm that his home address had been Oak Beech Grove, Harrogate, Yorkshire and had died on active service as a Captain in H.M. Army between 14 & 16 July 1916 in France. Administration was granted to his father, a gentleman, on 1 January 1917 and his estate totalled £1,802-1s-1d. On 23 January 1917 his father was sent some of his army effects totalling £113-13s-4d and a final payment of £8-7s-6d on 14 April 1917.
His medal card fails to show which medals he was posthumously awarded, but he would have been entitled, as a minimum, to both the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal. He is also commemorated on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website that incorrectly shows his year of birth as 1889, on the Commonwealth War Grave Commission's website which gives age as 27 years, but which we would calculate he was nearer 29 years of age and on the Harrogate Obelisk war memorial in Prospect Square, Parliament Street, Harrogate.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
