Arthur Charles Braddock who was born near to Coalville in 1877 lived at Clarendon Park Road in Knighton, in 1891 at the age of 14 he was a Bottler of Ale & Stout. In 1898 he married Ruth Jacques and the couple moved to Old Church Lane.
By 1911 the couple had four children, Ernest Edward was born in 1899 was the oldest, he was followed by three sisters, Florence, Ada who was born in Yorkshire and Gwendolen. The family were living at 155 Sheridan Street.
In October 1914 it was reported in the Leicester Daily Post that Ernest aged 15, who was a Tramway Parcel Boy was in court. He was summoned to the Juvenile Court charged with throwing stones in Knighton Drive at the horse-chestnut tree. He was ordered to pay the costs.
The 1918 Absent Voters List shows Ernest was in the Somerset Light Infantry, it also shows that his father Arthur was also serving in the army, in his early 40’s after working as a Carpenter and Joiner, he was in the Royal Engineers, service number 466897.
Ernest was Killed in Action on 5th April 1918, he is buried at Haute-Avesnes British Cemetery in France. A small cemetery with only 150 casualties, 142 Commonwealth and 8 German graves, it was started in July 1916 by the 51st (Highland) Division. His inscription reads ‘Thy Will Be Done From His Sorrowing Mother, Father & Sisters’.
His father was still serving in the Army and was on the Absent Voters List in 1919. By 1939 he had moved to 13 Sandygate, Wath-Upon-Dearne, in Yorkshire and died in 1953, aged 76.
His mother Ruth was still living at 155 Sheridan Street with two of her daughters in 1939. Her middle daughter Ada had married Walter Jennings in 1935. Ruth died in 1949 aged 73.
