From Football to War and Home

One of the oldest Burton relatives I can remember interacting with as a child is Uncle Horace, my adoptive Grand-uncle; the brother of my Grandad Burton, George Henry Burton. Grandad died in 1952 before I was born[1] so I never met him but I remember Uncle Horace well.

Horace Burton was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England on 26 Jul 1887[2] and played football with the Leicester Fosse Football Club. This club was the forerunner of the current Leicester City Football Club. 

Despite the outbreak of the First World War, the Football League continued for the 1914-15 season. Horace played Wing Half in the 1914-15 Leicester Fosse Squad. He played in 31 League Matches, 1 FA Cup Match and scored 1 League Goal[3].

When the Football League was suspended at the end of the 1914-15 season for the duration of the War, Horace joined the Leicestershire Regiment and, at some stage, became a prisoner of war[4][5]. 

“Over fifty players from Leicester Fosse Football Club fought in that War. They served in a variety of regiments, including the famous Footballers’ Battalion. Four Fosse players were decorated during the conflict, and 11 were killed in action”[6].

Horace survived the War and returned home to Melton Mowbray. He never married. For many years he lived at 68 Salisbury Avenue, Melton Mowbray with his unmarried sister, Emily (known to me as ‘Auntie Mick’) and their lodger, Albert Cyril Dexter (known to me as 'Uncle Cyril')[7][8].

Auntie Mick and Uncle Horace at 68 Salisbury Avenue, Melton Mowbray (and Spot their dog)

Horace died at Melton Mowbray in 1969[9] at the age of 82.

Notes

[1] George Henry Burton was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England on 6 April 1879. He died in 1952 at the age of  73:

• Birthdate - The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/6049i Image via Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.

• Birth - Birth registered Melton Mowbray 2nd quarter Volume 7a, page 303 - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office Image via FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

• Death - Death registered Melton Mowbray 4th quarter Volume 3a, page 768 - General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 3a; Page: 768 Image via Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007.

[2] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/6049j Image via Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.

[3] Leicester Fosse Squad 1914/15 via Football and the First World War [Website]. 

[4] See Note 3.

[5] Leicester Fosse Players Served in the First World War via Football and the First World War [Website]. 

[6] Leicester Fosse And The First World War: Part One via Leicester City Football Club (LCFC) [Website].

[7] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/6049j Image via Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.

[8] Author's first hand personal knowledge

[9] General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 3a; Page: 1035 Image via Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007.