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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, Barrd Islands I do not remember the Peyton name in Barrd Islands, but according to Witchers 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. Johns
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, Barrd 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. A letter dated January 22nd, 1917, from Captain &
Paymaster, Officer i/c Records, stated: On November 12th, 1918, Richard Peyton from Barrd
Islands sent this letter to J.M. Howley, Captain & Paymaster, Officer
i/c of Records: Someone had scrawled on the bottom of this letter; $25.59 sent to R. Peyton, Barrd Islands. Richard Peyton, Barrd Islands, Fogo District,
received this reply date December 2nd, 1918: On January 10th, 1919 Richard Peyton, now living in
Norris Arm, wrote another letter, this time to J.R. Bennett, Colonial
Secretary;: 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 Batts 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: 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 didnt 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
Batts Arm: 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 mothers remarriage, which he may have found out while overseas, prompted him to make a will specifically making his brother, Richard, his benefactor. Well 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 Peytons name, belatedly perhaps, like all others from Barrd Islands, Joe Batts Arm and Shoal Bay has been engraved on a suitable War Memorial erected between Barrd Islands and Joe Batts Arm in 2010. In Flanders Fields the poppies blow |
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