Selected Biographies

Ranson, Albert ‘Bertie’ John – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1890.  Parents: Edward Ranson (Coconut Mat Maker) and Harriet [née Oakley] (Coconut Mat Stitcher).  Family Connections: Brother to Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Bertie Ranson [b1888], Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895], and uncle of George Edward Ranson [b1926].  Home: Back Meadow, Smaley Lane, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), 109 Bergholt Road, Colchester, Essex (1921).  Occupation: Coconut Mat Weaver (1911), Turner and Fitter (1921).  Married: Mabel Stearns in 1914.  Service Record: Although no definitive military record has been found Bertie may have been conscripted as Pte.26292 with Suffolk Regiment.  If this assumption is correct, he served in 2^nd and 7^th Battalions, both units seeing action on the Western Front.[1]

Ranson, Alfred Edward – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 3.4.1876.[2]  Parents: Edward Ranson (Coconut Mat Maker) and Harriett Maria [née Oakley] (Coconut Mat Stitcher).  Family Connections: Brother to Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888] Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895].  Home: Liston Lane, Long Melford (1881), Back Meadow, Smaley Lane, Long Melford (1911 to 1939).  Occupation: Bricklayer’s Labourer (1911), Carter of pig food and refuse from Stafford Allen and Sons, Herbal Oil Distillery [1917], Agricultural Labourer for Stafford Allen (1921), General Labourer (1939).  Service Record: At the Melford Military Service Tribunal in June 1917, Stafford Allen and Sons applied for exemption from conscription on Alfred’s behalf, which was granted on the condition his situation remained unchanged.  In April 1918 an earlier appeal made by the military representative for a revision of Ranson’s certificate of exemption was granted, implying that his conscription should have followed shortly after, however no definitive military record has been found.[3]

Ranson, Bertie – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 21.12.1888.[4]  Parents: William Ranson (Horsehair Weaver) and to Emma [née Taylor].  Family Connections: Father to Sidney Ranson [b1923] and brother of Sidney Ranson [b1885]; also, cousin of Harry George Ranson [b1885], Bertie George Ranson [b1895], Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896], and brother-in-law of William Henry Smith [b1890], Frederick Smith [b1894] and Thomas Curtis Smith [b1905].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1891), Spring Gardens, Cock and Bell Lane, Long Melford (1901 to 1921), 13 Martins Rise, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Flour Miller (1911), General Carter for Frederick Branwhite & Son, Corn Merchants (1921), Refuse Carter (1939).  Married: Grace Emily Smith in 1919.  Service Record: Bertie enlisted as Pte.26292 with 7^th [Service] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, later transferring to 2^nd Battalion, both units seeing action on the Western Front.  Private Ranson was wounded twice, first on 27.12.1917 possibly near Cambrai and on subsequently on the Somme on 13.5.1918.[5]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1954.

Ranson, Bertie George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 18.11.1895.[6]  Parents: George Ranson (Pork Butcher, later an Innkeeper) and Harriet [née Grice].  Family Connections: Half-brother to Harry George Ranson [b1885], and uncle of Clifford George Ranson [b1899] and Percy Herbert Ranson [b1900]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1891] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896].  Home: King William IV Inn, Little St Marys, Long Melford (1901 and 1911), St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Baker (1911), Galenical Maker for Stafford Allen and Sons, Distillers of Herbal Oils (1939).  Married: Ivy Sillitoe in 1928.  Service Record: Bertie enlisted as Pte.S4/043926 with the Army Service Corps.  He was posted to Egypt from 18.7.1915, receiving his discharge in July 1919.[7]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1981.

Ranson, Bertie John ‘Jack’ – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 28.10.1891.[8]  Parent: Ruth Anna Ranson.  Family Connections: Nephew of Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895].  Home: Living with George Ranson (grandfather) at King William IV Inn, Little St Marys, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), St Marys Street (1921 to 1939), Hall Street, Long Melford [1954].  Occupation: Turner and Fitter (1911), Fitter’s Mate for Stafford Allen & Sons 1921), Galenical Maker for Stafford Allen, Distillers of Herbal Oils [1939].  Married: Bertha Ethel Boyden in 1918.  Service Record: Bertie is recorded at his marriage as serving with the Royal Engineers,[9] however no definitive military record has been found.  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 30.5.1954.[10]

Ranson, Clifford George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 11.5.1899.[11]  Parents: Herbert Ranson (Bricklayer) and Emma [née Foreman].  Family Connections: Brother to Percy Herbert Ranson [b1900]; also, nephew of Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895].  Home: Westgate Street, Long Melford (1901), 121 Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (1911).  Occupation: Bricklayer’s Labourer (1911) to [1917].  Service Record: Clifford was conscripted on 11.6.1917 as Pte.53975 with 9^th [Reserve] Battalion, The Prince of Wales’s Own [West Yorkshire] Regiment, transferring to 227^th Infantry Battalion, then 52^nd [Graduated] Battalion, West Yorkshires.  His final transfer appears to have been to 15^th/17^th [Service] Battalion [Leeds Pals and Bantams], West Yorkshires being posted to France from 31.3.1918 as part of 93^rd Brigade, 31^st Division.  The Battalion saw action during the Battle of the Lys and was particularly badly mauled during a fighting retreat to Hondeghem and Hazebrouk on 15.4.1918, losing 330 men either killed, wounded, or missing.  On 28.6.1918 the 93^rd Brigade launched an attack on German held strongpoints at La Becque Farm.  The dawn action was a complete success taking the enemy by surprise, allowing for the Farm to be quickly occupied and 90 prisoners being captured.  Many of the casualties were caused however by the heavy artillery barrage by the British not being lifted soon enough, which together with enemy fire resulted in the death or wounding of 170 men.[12]  Died: Clifford was killed during this attack and is commemorated, together with 11,000 others with no known grave, on the Ploegsteert Memorial [panel 3 and 4], Belgium, and on the Long Melford War Memorial.[13]

Ranson, George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 20.9.1888.[14]  Parents: Edward Ranson (Coconut Mat Maker) and Harriett Maria [née Oakley] (Coconut Mat Stitcher).  Family Connections: Father to George Edward Ranson [b1926] and brother of Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895], and brother-in-law of Edward Charles Groome [b1887] and Thomas Alfred Viner [b1883].  Home: Back Meadow, Smaley Lane, Long Melford (1901), Military Barracks in Egypt (1911), 4 Smaley Meadow, Long Melford (1921 to 1939).  Occupation: Soldier (1911), Bricklayer’s Labourer (1921), Railway Labourer (1939).  Married: Amelia Minnie Groome in 1919.  Service Record: George enlisted in 1904 as Pte.6660 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.  He re-enlisted as Pte.7139 with ‘C’ Company, 1^st Battalion, Suffolks serving in Egypt and the Sudan up to August 1914.  He was posted to France from 6.1.1915 as part of 84^th Brigade, 28^th Division and was captured on 15.2.1915, when his company was sent on a bombing raid to relieve The Buffs who were occupying ‘O’ Trench near the Belgian village of Sint-Elooi, four miles south of Ypres.  The men of ‘C’ Company were ordered to hold the position until morning to allow the rest of their battalion time to dig new trenches 100 yards to the rear.  Fierce fighting overnight left many Suffolks dead, the survivors being captured and sent to a Prisoner of War Camp at Münster in Germany.  George was also to spend time in a camp at Chemnitz in Saxony before being repatriated following the Armistice in 1918.  He was finally discharged in March of the following year.[15]  During the Second World War George was a member of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in 1942.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[16]  Died; Sudbury, Suffolk in 1944.

Ranson, George Edward C. – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 29.9.1926.[17]  Parents: George Ranson (Labourer) [see above for details] and Amelia Minnie [née Groome].  Family Connections: Nephew of Albert Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896].  Home: 4 Smaley Meadow, Long Melford (1921 to 1939).  Service Record: George was a member of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard, his name being recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[18]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1976.

Ranson, Harry George – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 8.6.1885.[19]  Parents: George Ranson (Innkeeper) and Harriet [née Theobald] (Pork Butcher).  Family Connections: Half-brother to Bertie George Ranson [b1895], and uncle of Clifford George Ranson [b1899] and Percy Herbert Ranson [b1900]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896].  Home: St Marys Street, Long Melford (1891), Westgate Street, Long Melford (1901), 27 Wellesley Street, Ipswich, Suffolk (1911), 92 Back Hamlet, Ipswich (1916), 12 Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (1921 to 1939), Craigmore, 18 Hollow Road, Bury St Edmunds [1965].  Occupation: Assistant Baker (1901), Baker (1911 to 1921), Baker and Grocer (1939).  Married: Maud Mabel Reynolds [d1924] in 1908 and Fanny Elizabeth Paget in 1927.  Service Record: On 19.12.1916 Harry was issued with a certificate by his local Military Service Tribunal granting him exemption from conscription ‘so long as he continues in employment as a baker’.  It is not known if his certificate remained valid until the end of hostilities, however no definitive military record has been found to suggest otherwise.[20]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 8.5.1965.[21]

Ranson, Oakley John ‘Jack’ – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.4.1886.[22]  Parents: Edward Ranson (Coconut Mat Maker) and Harriett Maria [née Oakley] (Coconut Mat Stitcher).  Family Connections: Brother to Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Bertie Ranson [b1888], Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895], and uncle of George Edward Ranson [b1926].  Home: Back Meadow, Smaley Lane, Long Melford (1891 to 1911), 11 Southgate Street, Long Melford (1921 to 1939).  Occupation: Coconut Mat Worker (1901), Horsehair Packer (1911), Boiler Stoker for Stafford Allen & Sons (1921 to 1939).  Married: Adrienne Gladys Oakley in 1913.  Service Record: Jack enlisted in 1903 as John Ranson Pte.6064 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, being discharged in 1909.  He is believed to have served with 1/5^th Suffolks in Egypt and Palestine during the First World War, however no extant military record has been found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1970.[23]

Ranson, Percy Herbert – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.10.1900.[24]  Parents: Herbert Ranson (Bricklayer) and Emma [née Foreman].  Family Connections: Brother to Clifford George Ranson [b1899]; also, nephew of Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895].  Home: Westgate Street, Long Melford (1901), 121 Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (1911 to 1921), 98 York Road, Bury St Edmunds (1939).  Occupation: Plumber (1939).  Married: Rose Elizabeth Manning in 1925.  Service Record: Percy served as part of the British Army of Occupation on the Rhine; however, his unit is not known as no extant military record has been found.[25]  Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1999.

Ranson, Sidney – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1885.  Parents: William Ranson (Foreman of Horsehair Weaving Looms) and Emma [née Taylor] (Horsehair Weaver).  Family Connections: Brother to Bertie Ranson [b1888]; also, cousin of Harry George Ranson [b1885], Bertie George Ranson [b1895], Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896].  Home: St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1891), Cock and Bell Lane, Long Melford (1901), Barossa Barracks, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot, Hampshire (1911).  Occupation: Moulder in Ward’s Iron Foundry (1901), Soldier (1911).  Service Record: Sidney enlisted in 1904 as Pte.6498 with 3^rd [Militia] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, being discharged in 1905.  He re-enlisted before 1911 as Pte.7140 with 2^nd Suffolks, posted to France from 30.8.1914 as part of 8^th Brigade, 3^rd Division and being stationed in the Ypres Salient from December 1914.  Died: Private Ranson was killed in action on 18.3.1916, on ‘The Bluff’ near Sint-Elooi, four miles south of Ypres.  His battalion had only just retaken this feature from the Germans a fortnight earlier, sustaining 250 casualties in the process.  Sidney is buried in Spoilbank Cemetery [grave ref: I.D.18], Ypres, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium and commemorated on the Long Melford War Memorial.[26]

Ranson, Sidney – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 20.8.1923.[27]  Parents: Bertie Ranson (Carter) [see above for details] and Grace Emily [née Smith].  Home: 13 Martins Rise, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Motor Engineer (1939).  Married: Magdelene Kerr Lang in 1947.  Service Record: During the Second World War Sidney was a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[28]  Died: Sudbury on 21.1.1997.

Ranson, Sidney ‘Joseph’ – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.8.1896.[29]  Parents: Edward Ranson (Coconut Mat Maker) and Harriett Maria [née Oakley] (Coconut Mat Stitcher).  Family Connections: Brother to Alfred Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888] and Albert John Ranson [b1890]; also, cousin of Sidney Ranson [b1885], Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895], uncle of George Edward Ranson [b1926] and brother-in-law of Thomas Alfred Viner [b1883].  Home: Back Meadow, Smaley Lane, Long Melford (1901 to 1921),[30] 10 Back Lane, Long Melford (1939), 28 Cordell Road, Long Melford [1987].  Occupation: Coconut Mat Worker (1911), Bricklayer’s Labourer (1921), Galenical Maker for Stafford Allen and Sons, Distillers of Herbal Oils (1939).  Married: Lily Ellen.  Service Record: Sidney enlisted in December 1914 as Pte.2805 with 1/5^th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment and was posted to Suvla Bay, Gallipoli in August 1915.  Within hours of landing his unit was moved forward into frontline trenches on the south face of a steep and rocky hill called Karakol Dagh.  At dawn two days later the Suffolks and the three other untested battalions of 163^rd Brigade were ordered to secure the heights to the east.  Advancing nearly a mile through a hail of Turkish artillery and machine gun fire, by the end of the day the enemy had been held at bay and a secure forward defence line established.  When Sidney and his comrades were finally relieved by fresh troops after three gruelling days, they were found in a sorry state, having baked under the searing heat they had run desperately short of drinking water and been plagued by swarms of flies attracted by the dead and dying around them. When the Roll was called it was found the Suffolks alone had lost 186 men either dead or wounded with a further 150 laid low by dysentery.  After four months of grinding stalemate the British Government decided to evacuate all Allied troops to Egypt.  He was issued with a new service number as Pte.240760 and in 1917 took part in the Palestine Campaign, where he was wounded, probably in March or April during the Battles of Gaza.[31]  During the Second World War he was a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10^th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942.  His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[32]  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 6.2.1987.[33]

Related Biographies

Ely, William Arthur – Born: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 7.8.1889.[34]  Parents: Arthur Edward Ely (Tailor) and Charlotte [née Windwood].  Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895]; also, cousin of Walter Richard Warren [b1892].  Home: Bakers Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk [1889], Raingate Street, Bury St Edmunds, (1891 to 1901), 11 Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds (1911), 99 Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds [1914].[35]  Occupation: Wood Fitter (1911).  Married: Olive Angelina Ranson of Long Melford in 1916.  Service Record: William enlisted as Pte.240021 with 1/4^th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, rising to the rank of Company Sergeant Major, being later transferred as CSM.235477 to 1^st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment as part of 62^nd Brigade, 21^st Division.[36]  Died: William was killed in action on 22.5.1918 and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial [panel 23 & 24], Pozieres, Picardie, France.[37]

Viner, Thomas Alfred – Born: Marylebone, London on 24.4.1883.[38]  Parents: Samuel Viner (Shoemaker) and Hannah Maria [née Corbett].  Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Albert Edward Ranson [b1876], Oakley John Ranson [b1886], George Ranson [b1888], Albert John Ranson [b1890] and Sidney Joseph Ranson [b1896].  Home: 12 Richmond Street, Marylebone, London (1891), 29 Lyons Place, Marylebone (1901), 14 Luton Street, Marylebone (1911), 44 Heathstan Road, East Acton, Middlesex (1939), Havelock Close, White City Estate, London [1950].  Occupation: House Painter (1911).  Married: Frances Emma Ranson of Long Melford in 1905.  Service Record: Thomas enlisted in 1915 as Gnr.65699 with the Royal Field Artillery, being posted to France on 19.7.1915.[39]  Died: Shepherds Bush, London on 19.11.1950.[40]

Warren, Walter Richard – Born: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 31.12.1892.[41]  Parents: Walter Joseph Warren (Groom) and Jane Elizabeth [née Ely].  Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Harry George Ranson [b1885] and Bertie George Ranson [b1895]; also, cousin of William Arthur Ely [b1889].  Home: 53 Raingate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (1901), Barossa Barracks, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot, Surrey (1911), 10 Westly Road, Bury St Edmunds (1939), 26 Exeter Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk [1973].  Occupation: Assistant Master at Guildhall Feoffment Boys’ School in Bury St Edmunds [1921], Teacher at Silver Jubilee Senior Boys’ School in Bury St Edmunds [1931], Registered as Assistant Schoolmaster (1939).  Married: Olive Angelina Ely née Ranson of Long Melford in 1923.  Service Record: Walter was a private with 2^nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment in 1911.  During the First World War he served as Cpl.8086 with the Suffolk’s 1^st Battalion, being posted to France on 16.1.1915 as part of 84^th Brigade, 28^th Division and seeing action between April and September at the Battles of Gravenstefel, St Julien, Frenzenberg, Bellewaarde and Loos.  By the end of 1915 his unit had been shipped to Egypt, then on to Salonika until the end of hostilities in 1918.  He received his discharge in April 1919.[42]  During the Second World War Walter was a member of the Observer Corps.[43]  Died: Felixstowe, Suffolk on 10.11.1973.[44]

Notes – [1] His unit is based on evidence from a family photo shown to the author.  For possible units see Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329].  [2] 1939 Register.  [3] For the Tribunal’s rulings see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 27.6.1917 and 24.4.1918.  [4] 1939 Register.  [5] Soldiers’ Documents and Pension Claims, First World War [TNA – WO 364] and Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329].  [6] Baptism Register 13.2.1896, St Catherines Mission Church, Long Melford.  [7] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [8] Baptism Register of 30.12.1891 for Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [9] Marriage Register 5.1.1918, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [10] National Probate Calendar.  [11] Baptism Register of 24.8.1899 for Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [12] For details of 15^th/17^th West Yorkshire’s movements in 1918 see War Diary [WO 95/2361/4].  For a complete narrative of the attack on Le Becque Farm see 93^rd Brigade Headquarters’ War Diary [WO 95/2360/4].  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [13] Commonwealth War Graves Commission record and British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 file [ref: 744152]. [14] Date of birth from Baptism Register 2.10.1888, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [15] See the Suffolk Regimental Gazette, January 1916, which gives the movements of the Battalion for the first year of the War.  My thanks to Rod Gibson of Haverhill for bringing this publication to my notice.  Also see 1^st Suffolk’s War Diary [WO 95/2277/3] and Murphy, Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. R. The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927 [London: Hutchinson and Co, 1928], pp.52-55 for further related information on this period.  See also his Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record [WO 97] up to 1904 and George’s Prisoner of War Record in International Committee of the Red Cross [file ref: PA20572], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [16] Published by Marten & Son, Ltd., of Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1946.  [17] 1939 Register.  [18] Marten & Son op. cit.  [19] 1939 Register.  [20] My thanks to ‘10cluckinghens’ via Ancestry.com for bringing Harry’s exemption certificate to my notice.  [21] Date of death and address taken from the National Probate Calendar.  [22] Baptism Register of 6.6.1886 for Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [23] Chelsea Hospital British Army Service Record [WO 97] up to 1909.  [24] Date of birth taken from the 1939 Register, however the Admission Register of 5.4.1904 for St Catherines Infants School, Long Melford records his birth date as 18.8.1900.  [25] What little is known of Percy’s military career is to be gleaned from a note in his brother Clifford’s Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363].  [26] For details of this and other actions during Private Ranson’s time at the front see 2^nd Suffolk’s War Diaries [WO 95/1424/1 and WO 95/1437/1] and Murphy, Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. R. The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927 [London: Hutchinson and Co, 1928], pp.56-60, 72-74, 82-85 and 133-140.  See also his Commonwealth War Graves Commission record, British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 file [ref: 274436], Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [27] 1939 Register.  [28] Marten & Son op. cit.  [29] Baptism Register of 4.10.1896 for Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [30] He is recorded as Joseph Ranson on the UK Census for 1901 and 1911.  [31] For details of 1/5^th Suffolk’s time in Gallipoli see War Diary [WO 95/4325] and in Egypt and Palestine see War Diary [WO 95/4658].  Another account of the Battalion’s exploits during the Great War can be found in Capt. A. Fair [mc] and Capt. E. D. Wolton [compiled by] “The Suffolk Regiment”: the history of the 1/5^th Battalion [London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1923], pp.13-107.  For report of Sidney’s injury see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 23.5.1917.   See also his Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [32] Marten & Son op. cit. [33] National Probate Calendar.  [34] Baptism Register of 30.8.1889 for St Marys Church, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.  [35] Some addresses from the Electoral Roll.  [36] For the movements of the Lincolns see War Diary [WO 95/2154].  See also his Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923, Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [37] Commonwealth War Grave Commission record and British Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 [ref: 740712].  [38] 1939 Register.  [39] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [40] National Probate Calendar.  [41] 1939 Register.  [42] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  [43] 1939 Register.  [44] National Probate Calendar.