John Augustine Postle

WWI Roll of Honour

By Lynette Wray

John Augustine Postle

Military History:        

Regiment:
Machine Gun Corps (formerly Army Service Corps (Expeditionary Force))

Rank:
Private

Service Number:
103646

Date of Enlisting:
11.1914

Date of death:
30.5.1918

Cemetery/ Memorial:
Marfaux British Cemetery, Departement de la Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France

UK Cemetery/Memorial:
Buntingford War Memorial

John enlisted in the Army Service Corps in November 1914 and served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 1915.  He was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in 1917 and was killed in action at Chaumuzy-sur-Marne on 30th May 1918.

He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

He is buried at Marfaux British Cemetery, Departement de la Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France and commemorated on the Buntingford War Memorial.

John’s Commanding Officer wrote: “I have known Private Postle for a long time, and I regret very much to have to give such awful news to you – his mother. He was a very good fellow and a thoroughly honest fellow, and I can assure you his comrades miss him very much.”

Family History:

Date of Birth:
24.4.1893  

Birth Place:
Ashwell, Hertfordshire

Residence:
Barkway, Hertfordshire

Marriage:
Single

John was the second son of Charles Frederick and Caroline (nee Dawes) Postle.  He was born in Ashwell, Hertfordshire on 24th April 1893 but lived in Buntingford, Hertfordshire and was educated at Buntingford School. Before enlisting John was a butcher living in Barkway, Hertfordshire.

Commentary:

Other references:

The MGC saw action in all the main theatres of war, including France, Belgium, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Salonika, East Africa and Italy. In its short history the MGC gained an enviable record for heroism as a front line fighting force. Indeed, in the latter part of the war, as tactics changed to defence in depth, it commonly served well in advance of the front line. It had a less enviable record for its casualty rate. Some 170,500 officers and men served in the MGC with 62,049 becoming casualties, including 12,498 killed, earning it the nickname ’the Suicide Club’.