Eldest son of Henry and Mary Ayers Born 4th June 1896
1901 Census aged 5 living at The Three Crutches Public House, Crutches Lane Strood with his parents and younger sister. His father was the Foreman of a Cement Works. The family were living with Mary’s father and mother John and Alice Howes, John was the Publican. The brother in law of John Howes was also registered there as was a boarder.
1911 Census Not listed
14th January 1908 he enrolled at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School in Form 2. His father is noted as Licensed Victualler of 2 Station Road, Strood. Aubrey had previously been at a private school. He left the school from Form U3a on 14th May 1910.
1911 Census Unable to find any of the family listed.
Military Career
Enlisted as a Trooper in 2nd Life Guards in Windsor on 4th December 1914, service number 3606
Trade – Butcher residing in Cliffe
Height 5ft 10inches, weight 154lbs, chest 37 ½ inches. Fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair.
Appointed Lance Corporal 2.5.16, reverts to Trooper 3.8.16
Home service from 4.12.14 to 13.2.17
His Sick List shows that he had three spells in 2nd Life Guards Hospital with Influenza in 1915 and 1916
Embarked France 14.2.17
He died on 26th February 1917 of Bronchial Pneumonia in No 9 General Hospital having been admitted on the 15th February
His effects total £3 18s. 4d. which was left to his father, listed as Harry Ayers of 2 Station Road Strood.
2nd Life Guards wrote to his Father at the Amalgamation Hotel, Station Road in March 1919 asking for details of living relatives but it is his mother that signed the document as the sole relation.
He is buried in St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France
http://www.everymanremembered.org/profiles/soldier/515696/
Sources
Ancestry.com sources
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
1901 Census Class: RG13; Piece: 719; Folio: 98; Page: 21
Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008
National Army Museum; Chelsea, London, England; Soldiers’ Effects Records, 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333; Record Number Ranges: 439001-440500; Reference: 245
Find My Past sources
National School Admission Registers & Log-books 1870-1914 C/ES/306/4/7/2/3
Passenger Lists leaving UK 1890-1960
British Army Service Records WO 400 – The Household Cavalry 1801-1919 1856 Jan 01-1919 Dec 31 WO 400 89
Other sources
De Caville Index http://foma-lsc.org/wwi/detail.php?Entry=135
Research
Biography compiled by Sean Ryan
Thank you, Deborah! We’ll update this soon.
hello, the family name was misspelled as Ager in 1911 census – see lifestory on IWM