Lewis Ernest Dyball (1895-1916) of Martham

Lewis is listed on Martham War Memorial along with his first cousin Leslie Ulrick Dyball.

Lewis was born in 1895 in Martham as the first child of Edgar Ernest Dyball & Elizabeth Rose, nee King. He came from a very large family and had at least thirteen siblings.

Lewis was listed under the name Louis in the 1901 census when he was five and lived with his parents at Hemsby Road, Martham. His father was a farm labourer. By the time he was 15 in 1911 he was a GPO telegraph messenger and still lived with his parents at Black Street which at the time was known as Church Street.

Lewis was an agricultural labourer when he enlisted at Norwich on 10^th September 1914 with the 9th Battalion Norfolk Regiment. He gave his date of birth as 6^th December 1894 when in fact it was 1895. He may have done this to pretend he was older and ensure he could join the army. His military serial number was Corporal 15937

He served in England from 10th September 1914 to 29th August 1915 and in France with the British Expeditionary Force from 30th August 1915 to 9th January 1916 when he was hospitalised in Etaples with bronchitis. Whilst in England he was posted to 10th Battalion on 14th February 1916 and served with that Battalion until 1st March 1916 when he was posted to 9th Battalion and returned to France. He was promoted to Acting Corporal on 2nd September 1916. His Battalion formed working parties under the tunnelling corps between 1st & 4th December 1916 at Mazingarbe-Marie, France during which time they did not see any action so as he died on 1st December it is assumed it was from wounds he suffered earlier.

He was buried in Woburn Abbey Cemetery, Cuinchy, Pas de Calais, France, plot I, row E, grave 20.

With thanks to https://roll-of-honourorg.selvi.co.uk/ for supplying some of the above information

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