Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

Wallace Ewert Massey was born in 1884 at Atcham, Shrewsbury, Shropshire to parents James, a shoemaker, and Jane (nee Cookson) Massey.  In the 1891 Census Wallace, aged 6, was living with his parents and four siblings in Hunter Street, Shrewsbury, but by 1901 the family had moved to 28 Maddox Buildings, Shrewsbury.

On 24 April 1905, Wallace was married in Shrewsbury to Hannah Hudson from Market Deeping, Lincolnshire and in 1911 they were living at 9 Quarry View, New Street, Frankwell, Shrewsbury with their children Eric George (aged 4) and Kenneth Ronald (aged 3).  Wallace’s occupation is listed as a boot repairer.  The census states that they had four children, but only two were still living in 1911.  They went on to have four further children between 1912 and 1919.

Wallace attested on 2 December 1915, and joined the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and was mobilised on 30 May 1916.  In February 1917, he transferred to the Royal West Kent Regiment and to the Essex Regiment in March 1919.  He served with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 31 May 1917 to 10 January 1918.

He was discharged from East Preston Military Hospital near Worthing, Sussex on 6 March 1919 with 40% disability due to ‘nurasthenia’, which was attributed to his war service.  He received a weekly pension of 11s (shillings) plus an allowance of 9s 8d for five children from 11 June 1919.  He was awarded the British War and Allied Victory medals, the King’s Certificate and Silver War Badge.

Wallace died in Shrewsbury in 1937 at the age of 52.

Please get in touch if you can you tell us more about Wallace and his family.