Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
John was the second of eight children of George and Sarah Tyler, one of his brothers being Albert who was also killed in the war. George’s father was a blacksmith. After leaving school he probably worked at various labouring jobs. However, in his early twenties, John appears to have moved to Loughborough. The reason for this significant change in his circumstances may be related to him meeting his future wife, Jane Harvey, who was a barmaid in her mother’s ‘beerhouse’ in Loughborough in 1901. When they married, in 1904, John was 23 and Jane was aged 29. By this time he was already a combat experienced soldier having fought in the Second Boer War (Oct. 1899 – May 1902) in 11th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry with service number 22947, for which he had been awarded the campaign medal with five clasps Orange Free State; Transvaal; Tugella Heights; Relief of Ladysmith and Laing’s Nek. In Loughborough he worked for Patent & Co, wine merchants as a “carman” or delivery man and he was also in the Army Reserve. He was recalled to the colours probably in 1916 under the Derby Scheme into 4th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment with service number 203178. We do not have his precise movements but he would have taken part in the Battle of the Somme but the Battalion was thankfully in reserve for the attack on Gommecourt on 1st July 1916. There was further fighting to be endured in that long drawn out encounter which only ceased on 18th November. The winter of 1916 was terrible – cold and wet and conditions in the trenches appalling. In April 1917 the Battalion moved north towards Lens, an area of slag heaps and ruined buildings fighting all the way. There was no specific action on the day that John Henry died – 9th November 1917 so it is possible that he died of wounds incurred a few days earlier. He was buried in Le Philosphe Cemetery, Mazingarbe where one can still see the slag heap in the background. He is commemorated on Hallaton War Memorial and also the Loughborough Carillon Tower. On the fourth anniversary of his death, his widow Jane posted the following memorial notice in the Market Harborough Advertiser: “In loving memory of my dear husband, Pte. J. H. Tyler, killed in action Nov. 9th. 1917. ‘A mournful home, a vacant chair, Tells us of one we loved so dear.”

Information (including photographs) kindly provided by Dennis Kenyon.