John Thomas born in 1892 was the youngest child of John Phipps from Walton on the Wolds and Annie Elizabeth Spence from Leeds, who married on Christmas Day 1877. They started their married life living on Filbert Street and would go on to have 7 children but 1 died in infancy.
In 1881 John Snr was a Dairyman and the family were living at Lansdown Road in Aylestone at the Blaby Dairy. Annie was a dressmaker and the couple had three children, John Henry born 1878, William born 1880 and Annie born 1881.
By 1895 they had moved to 6 Knighton Fields Road West, the Leicestershire Directories list John Phipps and Son’s as ‘Cow keeper’s and Grazier’. By 1901 two of his sons William and Joseph who was born in 1883 were working with him. His third son, John Thomas aged 19 was also assisting in the Dairy by 1911. Their daughters, Annie and Florence born in 1889, were working in the Shoe trade.
On 24/3/1913 John married Ada Elizabeth Faulkner who lived at 37 Thirlmere Street near to Filbert Street at St Andrews Church. Her father was later to become a Postman.
John died of wounds on 25/10/1918 at the No 1 Australian General Hospital and is buried at St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen in France. During the war there were a number of Commonwealth camps and hospitals stationed around Rouen, the war dead from these hospitals were buried in St Sever Cemetery, by September 1916 it became necessary to begin an extension, the last burial took place in April 1920.
Probate of John’s will was granted on 4/6/1919, he left an Estate with a Net Value of £425, the Executors were his brother William and Henry Langton a Pig Dealer living at 649 Aylestone Road.
John’s widow, Ada moved to The Lodge Farm in Wigston Magna, she died on 9/2/1925 aged only 36. The Probate stated that she was a ‘Widow without child and without Real Estate’. She left a personal estate of £312, her Next of Kin was her father Thomas Joseph Faulkner a General Dealer of 37 Thirlmere Street.
John’s older brother, Joseph, who was living at 201 Duncan Road in Aylestone, enlisted to the Labour Corps, 297th Reserve Battalion on 5/12/1917 at the age of 35. After only 83 days he was discharged on 25/2/1918 due to a Fistula in ano as he was physically unfit.
