Howard St. John Jefferson was born on 21 January 1894 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the second of the six children of George David Jefferson (1863-1937) and Rebecca Gorham Jefferson née Kettle (1864-1918). The 1900 United States Federal Census shows him residing with his family in Groton, Massachusetts.
He and his whole family left Boston, Massachusetts, and arrived in the Port of Liverpool on 26 July 1907.
He was shown as a 17-year-old student on the 1911 census return form that was completed by his father, living in a 12 roomed property at 22 Bardwell Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, with his parents, five siblings: Ruth Margaret Jefferson (1892-1970), Gorham Kettell Jefferson (1895-1959), Kenneth Stuart Jefferson (1899-1965), Hamilton Jefferson (1897-1917), Francis Howard Vose Jefferson (1900-1937), a 12-year-old schoolboy visitor called Mani Visutr Kosa from Bangkok, Siam (now called Thailand), together with a domestic house-maid. The census form shows that he and his five siblings had all been born in the USA but were recorded as 'British by Parentage'. Although his mother had been born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was 'British by Marriage' as his father had been born in Ontario, Canada. His father described his own occupation as 'Private means'.
At the outbreak of World War One in September 1914 he enlisted in Putney as a Private in the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders), service number 2417 and initially entered Egypt on 7 May 1915 forming part of the 2nd Division. According to Wikipedia, the division was dismounted in August 1915 for service at Gallipoli. His regiment left a squadron headquarters and two troops (about 100 officers and men) in Egypt to look after the horses. His dismounted regiment embarked at Alexandria aboard the Caledonia on 14 August 1915 and sailed for Lemnos where it trans-shipped to HMS Doris and continued to Suvia Bay, Turkey, where a fresh landing on the Gallipoli peninsula was under way. His regiment landed on the morning of 18 August 1915 and went into reserve positions at Karakol Dagh. It moved to 'C' Beach, Lala Baba, on 20 August 1915. On 21 August 1915 it advanced to Chocolate Hill under heavy fire and took part in the attack on the Turkish positions on Hill 112 (the Battle of Scimitar Hill) The Yeomanry brigades advancing in squadron columns 'presented such a target as artillerymen dream of' and suffered heavy casualties as they 'stumbled blindly forward into battle'. Promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal he was killed in action, aged 21 years, on 5 September 1915 and as he has no known grave he is commemorated on Panel 21 of the Helles Memorial, Çanakkale, Turkey.
By 15 March 1916 his father had been sent his army effects totalling £8-4s-9d and on 20 August 1919 his £3-10s-0d war gratuity was also sent to his father who was living at 35 Bryanston Street, Marylebone. He was posthumously awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is shown as Jefferson H. St John LCpl on the Quebec Chapel war memorial at the Church of The Annunciation, Bryanston Street, Marylebone and as L/Cpl H. St. J. Jefferson on the St Bartholomew's WW1 memorial. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website and the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
