Samuel Budby

War Service

Private Samuel Budby was Regimental Number 13004946 in the Pioneer Corps 73 Coy. Aux Mil. He died on the 17th June 1940.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission states that Samuel died in the sinking of the RMS Lancastria. This was a Cunard liner that had been requisitioned by the UK Government. She has received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops (Operation Ariel) and was just off the French port of St Nazaire when, having taken on an unknown number of civilian refugees and troops (estimates range from 4,000 to 9,000 on a ship of capacity 1,300), she was sunk during an air raid. Loss of life was estimated to be between 3,000 and 5,800 casualties. This was the largest single ship loss of life in British maritime history.
He is remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial.

Family Life

Samuel was the son of Frederick and Eliza Budby and had been baptised at Woodkirk Church on June 16th 1895.
In 1901 he was living with his family at 43, Faith Street, South Kirkby. Frederick was a coal miner and they had four children – Sarah (b 1893), Samuel (b 1895), George W (b 1898) and Harold (b 1899).
By 1911 the family had moved to 21, Bright Street, East Ardsley and had added Eliza (b 1902), Tom (b 1903), Alfred (b 1906), James (b 1908) and Annie (b 1911). They had also lost three children during their 19-year marriage.
Samuel married Mary Clayton in 1919. I couldn’t find any records of children born to them.
Samuel appears on the electoral rolls in 1921 when he and his family were living in Carr Gate. Samuel’s wife Mary Jane appears in the electoral roll in 1923 when the couple were living at 5, Middleton Park Crescent, Hunslet. They continued to live at that address until 1928, but after that they disappeared from the register, although there was a Mary Jane Budby living in Glasshoughton in 1929. Samuel’s father Frederick was still living in Carr Gate while his brother George lived at Bunker’s Hill, Wrenthorpe.

Dunkirk memorial