Friends of the Family part II
Private David Henry Maxwell Machine Gun Corps
1914-18 British War Medal. Victory Medal.
The Man David Henry Maxwell was born between April and June 1888 in Leamington Spa, son of Henry, a Tailor, Railway Porter, Labourer and Corporal in the Royal Labour Corps respectively and Sarah Jane nee Toone. He had one sister Florence Ethel and a step brother, Edgar Horace Reeve Toone and 1891 the family were living at 223 Bolton Street, Bordesley, Birmingham where they were lodging, together with David’s Uncle, Daniel Toone, and with whom his father Henry worked as a Railway Porter. By 1901 the family had returned to Leamington and lived at 21 Rushmore Place where David now aged 12 was attending school and in 1911 were living at 58 Queen Street. David married Alice Chamberlain in the County of Warwick between July and September 1912 aged 23 and they had two sons Arthur Henry Maxwell, named after his Grandfather and born on 27th July 1913 and Horace Edgar Maxwell, born on 30th April 1920 and named after his maternal step uncle Edgar Horace Reeve Toone, his Grandmother's child by a previous marriage and adopted by his Grandfather. David enlisted into the Machine Gun Corps at the outbreak of World War 1, service number 57638, but no detail is known of his service. Following the Armistice he was awarded the British War and Victory Medals, the War Medal is sadly missing and so this is listed as a broken group, although an erased one has been added. David became a furniture Salesman in later life and sadly Alice died very young in 1927. He lived with his parents and sons at 28 Queen Street, Leamington Spa but he also died young aged only 53 on 27th June 1941 in Warneford Hospital, Leamington Spa. His cause of death was given as Coronary Thrombosis, a heart attack and following his death Arthur and Horace went to live with their Aunt and Uncle Florence Ethel (Flo) and William H (Bill) Pears. David’s son, Arthur Henry Maxwell married Violet Emma Colley between October and December 1943 aged 30, living at 28 Queen Street and later the Old Police House, Cubbington. He died in August 1992 aged 79 and had one son John A Maxwell born in 1945, who is still alive and living in Evesham. Horace never married and enlisted into the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers during World War II but died of wounds whilst working as a Japanese Prisoner of War on the Burma Railway in Thailand on 14th June 1943 aged 23.
The Story For the detailed background to this research See Henry Maxwell, David's Father.
Medal Details:
- 1914-18 British War Medal: Erased.
- Victory Medal: 57638 PTE.D.H.MAXWELL. M.C.G.
Page last updated 2 Sep 15