In 1889 George Henry Gibson, a Shoe Clicker from Wellington in Northamptonshire marriedAmelia Toon from Copt Oak, who was a Dressmaker. They started married life living in Western Road and went on to have seven children although two died in infancy.
The family were living at 99 Cavendish Road in Aylestone in 1901. At the time George and Amelia had three children, John Alex born in 1893, Arthur Gordon born in 1897 and Agnes Minnie born in 1899. Also living with them was Amelia’s mother, Eliza Toon aged 77 and her widowed cousin Jacob Toon aged 29, who was a Grocers Van Man.
By 1911 they had moved across the road from St Michael and All Angels Church at no. 7 Scott Street. Oldest son John who was 18 was now working as a Hosiery Hand, Arthur was 14 and Agnes was 12, two more siblings now joined the family, Beatrice Ivy born in 1903 and Marjorie born in 1905. Amelia’s mother had died before the 1911 census and Jacob had remarried and moved to his own home.
While working as a Shoe Hand, Arthur enlisted on 5/2/1915 and Embarked from Folkstone on 23/12/1915. By 19/1/1916 he was ‘in the field’ in France. He was Killed in Action on 12/5/1916, he was 19. His death was reported in the Leicester Journal on 9/6/1916 under the Roll of Honour.
He is remembered on the Loos Memorial, which commemorated over 20,000 men with no known grave, who fell from the first day of the Battle of Loos until the end of the War. His name is also included on his parent’s gravestone, which is in need of some restoration, at Welford Road Cemetery. It’s behind the gravestone which commemorates another man on the St Michaels War Memorial, Francis Frost.
Arthur’s older brother enlisted 11/6/1915 to the Royal Field Artillery, but survived the war. Agnes Minnie married Wallace Hubbard in 1926. Wallace lost two brothers in the War, Charles and Percy Hubbard are also remembered on the St Michael’s War Memorial. The two youngest sisters, Beatrice and Marjorie were both unmarried and in 1939 they were still living at no. 7 Scott Street.