Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

Horace Watson Haines was born in Laceby, Lincolnshire on 23 June 1896 to parents William Henry, a grocer and Georgiana Maria (nee Watson).  The family lived at the Post Office, High Street, Laceby and in 1911 Horace was assisting in the shop. Horace had a brother, William Alan, who died at a year old in late 1896.

In November 1915, Horrace applied to serve with the Royal Flying Corps but his application was not approved.   A few weeks later, Horace aged 19 years 6 months, attested on 11 December 1915.  He was mobilised on 11 November 1916 into the Army Service Corps, Mechanical Transport.  Horace transferred to the Machine Gun Corps on 16 December 1916 and served with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 26 June 1917 to 21 January 1918.  He had several minor misdemeanors on his charge sheet including being confined to barracks for two days for having dirty buttons on parade on 31 July 1918.  In September 1918 Horace was temporarily transferred to the Military Foot Police and was promoted to Lance Corporal.  He was discharged on 14 January 1919 as being ‘no longer physically fit for war service’, suffering from a debility, which today is known as chronic fatigue syndrome.  Horrace was diagnosed with a 30% disablement and awarded a pension of 8/3d from 15 February 1919 to be reviewed after one year.  He was awarded the British War and Allied Victory Medals.

Horace married Beata Shaw in Ormskirk, Lancashire in September 1922 and they had three children Alwyn and William (1925) and Amber (1927).  In 1939, he was still living at his childhood home, and is listed as a sub postmaster and auxiliary postman.  Horace was postmaster at Laceby from 1920 – 1963. http://lacebyhistory.com/node/107

His father had held the position as sub postmaster in Laceby from 1905 to 1920.

Horace died on 12 August 1973, aged 77.  He was living at 12 Cemetery Road, Laceby.

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