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Those Who Came After The Original 500

Pte Stephen Peyton
Royal Newfoundland Regiment
Regt # 2514
WW I
Donated by Benson Hewitt

Private Stephen Peyton, # 2514, Barr’d Islands
First Newfoundland Regiment

I do not remember the Peyton name in Barr’d Islands, but according to Witcher’s From English Roots… a Henry Peyton (a second generation Peyton), his wife Delilah, and their nine children lived there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of their sons, Stephen, is the topic for this piece.

On the 14th of April, 1916, with the war raging in Europe, he enlisted in the First Newfoundland Regiment, and took an oath ‘that he would be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the Fifth… and that he would, as in duty bound , honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty … against all enemies…’ He was just eighteen, 130 pounds, and five feet, six inches. To put that in a little perspective, he was the age of a present grade twelve student, but probably looked around sixteen. He was given the number 2514.

On the 19th of July, 1916, he embarked from St. John’s on the S.S. Sicilian for the United Kingdom. He embarked for the British Expedition Forces on the 30th of November, 1916, and joined the battalion on the 12th of December, 1916. On March 9th, 1917, he signed a will with these words “In the event of my death I give the whole of my property to my brother, R (Richard) Peyton, Barr’d Islands, Fogo District, Newfoundland.” The making of a will does not seem to be mandatory, as this is the first one I have coma across. In most other cases it said that the soldier had died ‘intestate’. One has to wonder what property an eighteen-year old young man was talking about, or what might have prompted his making the will. He was wounded in battle on the 23rd of April, 1917, admitted to the 8th Casualty Station, France the next day, and died the same day.

On May 4th, 1917, Mrs. Delilah Peyton received this telegram;

“Regret to inform you Records Office, London, today reports No. 2514, Private Stephen Peyton, died of wounds at Eight Casualty Clearing Station, France, April 24th.”

This note was appended for the operator:
“This message is not to be sent until receiving office notifies that message to Reverend H. Scott, Fogo, has been delivered and acted upon.”

A letter dated January 22nd, 1917, from Captain & Paymaster, Officer i/c Records, stated:

“I enclose herewith cheque $25.59, being the balance due you as administrator of the estate of the late Private Stephen Peyton. I also enclose letter of administration.”

On November 12th, 1918, Richard Peyton from Barr’d Islands sent this letter to J.M. Howley, Captain & Paymaster, Officer i/c of Records:
“About eleven months ago I received a letter saying that there was $257.00 due to me of my brother’s money, the late Stephen Peyton, and I swore before Magistrate Peters at Botwood, that I was the brother of the late Stephen Peyton , and he wrote for me to get the money for me. That was January 22nd. 1918. I received the cheque of $25.59 and that is all I have received. I want to know the reason why I cannot get the rest of the money what is due to me. Will you please write and let me know how much money you have sent or if you have sent any more than $25.59 or not? I want to find out as quickly as possible,

Someone had scrawled on the bottom of this letter; $25.59 sent to R. Peyton, Barr’d Islands.

Richard Peyton, Barr’d Islands, Fogo District, received this reply date December 2nd, 1918:
“With reference to your letter of November 12th, regarding your brother’s estate, I beg to inform you that the amount of his estate was $25.59, and I am unable to understand how you were notified that it was something over $250.00. Probably you can forward a copy of the letter you received with the person’s signature, so that we can look up further particulars.”
The letter was from the Lieut. for Paymaster.

On January 10th, 1919 Richard Peyton, now living in Norris Arm, wrote another letter, this time to J.R. Bennett, Colonial Secretary;:
“ Dear Sir; I want to find out about my poor brother’s just debts, Stephen Peyton, of Barr’d Islands who died in this late war on April 24th, and willed all his property to me, Richard Peyton. I have only received 25.59 with the will last winter. Is that all his property? I received a letter a little over a year ago saying there was 257.00 due me from Stephen Peyton. I have been writing and can’t get any answers about it. Will you please, sir, kindly let me know more about it? Where it has been sent or not. I think it is only just and right for me to get it. I am the Richard Peyton of Barr’d Islands. Will you kindly reply? Answer to Norris Arm. I am living in Norris Arm this winter. I have the will to show, if required.

There may have been some conflict between Richard and his mother. Perhaps there was some conflict betwe4en Stephen and his mother. She was still living and raising three of her children. Meanwhile, she had married Charles Mercer of Joe Batt’s Arm, and Stephen probably felt no further obligation. Regardless, she felt in some way deprived, and wrote this letter (dated April 20th, 1920) to the Minister of Militia: Dear Sir:
I am writing you now concerning my dear son, Pte. Stephen Peyton, who gave his life for the Empire. He enlisted on April 14th, 1916, and died of wounds on April 24th, 1917. I have never received any money since he enlisted and I don’t know the reason, as all the other mothers around here have been getting money from their boys all the time, ever since they enlisted. I am the only mother around here that had a son enlisted in the army or navy, and didn’t receive any money, and I need it so bad. He was my only unmarried son, besides a small sickly boy. I think it is so hard that I never received the recompense. I think there must have been an error somewhere to see all the money all the other mothers are getting and I need it worse than they do for I have three fatherless children and I haven’t received one cent since my dear boy went away. I am married to the second husband but I think I am entitled to my poor boy’s money, all the same. I am writing you to see what you can do for me for I know there is a lot of money due to my poor boy as well as to the other boys. Trusting that you will help me out in this matter, I remain yours very sincerely. Delilah Peyton

At this time she was married to Charles Mercer, but she signed her name Mrs. Delilah Peyton. She may not have been aware that most of the other men who had enlisted specifically requested that a certain amount be deducted from their pay, and it usually went to their mothers. Stephen didn’t do this. Also, it seemed that if a mother was the sole dependent of an enlistee, that particular mother was entitled to a fairly large sum if her son died during the war.

A reply to this letter dated June 18th, 1920; from the Chief Staff Office also explains this: Mrs. Delilah Peyton, Joe Batt’s Arm:
“ Dear Madam:- I reply to your letter of April 28th, 1920, in relation to pay matter in connection with Private Stephen Peyton, deceased, I would state that he had made an allotment payable to the Bank of Nova Scotia, and no allotment payable to any relative. It is presumed, therefore, that he did not consider that he was in any way the support of any relative. In accordance with practice, the allotment, as well as the balance of his pay, ceased at the date of death. The unused balance of his pay, amounting to $25.59, was paid to you on January 15th, 1918. I regret there are no further payments due on account of his estate.

You will note that there is an obvious error in this letter. The payment of $25.59 was sent to his brother, Richard. I am wondering if his mother’s remarriage, which he may have found out while overseas, prompted him to make a will specifically making his brother, Richard, his benefactor. We’ll never know. I am also assuming that the amount of $257.00 was in some way the $25.59, but perhaps poorly typed, initially.

His mother acknowledged receiving the Memorial Plaque given to her as the next of kin of one who had fallen in the War. There are no other records of medals.

Pte. Stephen Peyton’s name, belatedly perhaps, like all others from Barr’d Islands, Joe Batt’s Arm and Shoal Bay has been engraved on a suitable War Memorial erected between Barr’d Islands and Joe Batt’s Arm in 2010.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks still, bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
John McCrae

 

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