224572 Pte. John Steven "Monty" Mantova British Army 12th Btn. Manchester Regiment from:Manchester My grandfather John Stephen Mantova was half Italian. He was a private with the 12th Btn Manchester Regiment from 1914. He served in many places including the Somme.
We know little about his war-time story as he didn´t like to talk about it. His number was 4343, but he was sent home on several occasions with wounds to his arms, legs, chest and back. Some of these were massive holes that a cloth could be put through to clean the wounds.
Eventually in 1915/16 he was transferred as unfit for active duty to the Royal Engineers, working out in Mesopotamia (Iraq) helping build new roads, probably using prisoners or war and deserters. His number there was 251026.
Before the war he trained as a stone mason, but when he returned home and was demobbed in 1919, he was unable to carry out his trade as he could no longer lift or use the tools. From 1919 until 1960 he gave 41 years of faithful service to the City Corporation of Liverpool as a tram conductor, for the last three years as a bus conductor when the City scrapped its trams the last one going out of service in 1957.
He was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914/15 Star, but these later were stolen. He died in October 1980.
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