Pte. John Joseph Henry "Topper" White
British Army Home Guard
from:Brentwood, Essex
My Grandfather, John White joined the Army at Stratford on the 25th July 1901 at the age of 18 years, 8 months old. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment, as a Bandsman Drummer. His Regimental number was 6503 and he carried this number within the 2nd Boer War, where he gained the Queens South Africa Medal and 2 clasps- Cape Colony and Orange Free State to when the numbers were changed in 1920, when it was changed to 5998017. On return from the Boer War, John was posted to India. He served throughout the 1st World War in the 2nd Battalion and was gassed on the Somme gaining all three medals. He earned 2 good conduct chevrons and was awarded a marksman's badge too. Family stories have been told that John was also a stretcher bearer, as Drummers were reported to have been and he also played the cornet, as again, Drummers would have had to do.
John was discharged from his career in the army on the 5th July 1922 as being no longer fit for war service, due to his chest problems resulting from being gassed on the Somme. However, John did not let this stop him becoming a Special Constable for over 10 years, where he lived in Brentwood, Essex. At the outbreak of WW2 he joined the Home Guard and won the WW2 Defence Medal.
John married and had 4 Sons. John died from complications after being gassed on the Somme resulting in his death in 1950, aged 67 his death certificate stating that his cause of death was (1) emphysema, (2) chronic Bronchitis (3) Gassed on the Somme.
