Young Vause

War Service

Young Vause entered the army on 6/7/1915 being enrolled in the 3rd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers - not the only Brotherton man in that regiment. He was assigned the service number 22891. At the time he was 5’8” tall (above average) with a chest of 35”.
The 3rd was a reserve battalion formed in August 1914: in Newcastle on Tyne. A training unit, it remained in UK throughout the war. Moved to East Boldon in August 1914, then to Sunderland.
His records show that Young was based ‘At Home’ from 6/7/1915 to 28/2/1916.
He is recorded as being absent for 9 days between 26/12/1915 and 3/1/1916 - between Christmas and New Year.
On 29/2/1916 he was transferred to the 9th battalion and joined the BEF in France until 17/6/1916.
The 9th were part of 52nd Brigade, 17th (Northern) Division.
15/4/1916 - Influenza
2/5/16 - admitted to 13th S.H. (hospital?) Boulogne
17/6/16 - on ship for England - Typhoid fever.
18/6/16 to 16/6/1917 - home
2/4/17 - Alnwick, charged with neglect of duty whilst on piquets and as a result was ordered extra piquets.
In military terminology, a picket (archaically, picquet [variant form piquet) refers to soldiers or troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance.
7/6/1917 – 4/8/1917 – France.
10/6/17 arrived in Etaples to join 2/5th N.F.
31/7/1917 joined 5th Pioneer Battalion Labour Company. An early solution to the vast demand for labour was to create in each Infantry Division a battalion that would be trained and capable of fighting as infantry, but that would normally be engaged on labouring work. They were given the name of Pioneers. Although initially considered non-combatants, they often performed their duties in forward areas, often under heavy fire. Life in the Labour Corps could be as bad as that enjoyed by front line troops;-they were often under continual shellfire for months at a time.
4/8/1917 – to England.
31/3/1918 transferred to Labour Corps 474 Agricultural Company, York. – service number 546588.. They were manned by soldiers of low medical grade (most having been downgraded after wound, sickness or injury) and employed on farms. The agricultural industry had lost a very high proportion of its men to the services and this was a way to provide manpower.
2/4/1919 – Demobilised and placed on ‘Z’ List reserves

Family Life

Young Vause was born in Brotherton in 1893 and his parents were John Richard Vause and Emily nee Chadwick. Both families had inhabited the village for several generations.
Although the name Vause can be traced back to the 1700’s the earliest direct ancestors of Young to be traced to date were his grandfather George Vause born in the village in 1814 – 1880 and grandmother Marianne (nee Hill) 1818 - 1897. In some of the census transcripts the name has been written as Vauss and Dause and are obvious mis-readings of the handwritten source.
In 1871 George was living in Church Street with Marianne and son John Richard. George had been born in Burton Salmon and was a ‘Butcher’.
The Chadwicks have an even longer verified association with the village with the earliest direct ancestor of Young being his great-great-great-great grandfather John Chadwick(e) 1715 - 1781. As he was born in Brotherton it is likely that the link with the village extends into the 1600’s and perhaps further into history.
John married Sarah Thornton of Brotherton (1719-1789) in 1740 and one of their children was also called John Chadwick (1750 – 1821). He married Mary Bell from Birkin (b. 1752) in 1773.
In 1775 their son Matthew was born and he married Hannah Wadsworth of Sherburn in 1790. Their son Stephen (1820 - 1906) married Ellen Rebecca Rockett. In 1857 Emily was born and married John Richard Vause in 1874.
The fortunes of the Chadwicks can best be traced by following Stephen through 7 Census phases.-
In 1841 he was living with his parents Matthew and Hannah in the High Street and was employed as a ‘Labourer’.
1851 - Matthew had passed away the previous year and Stephen was with his mother and worked as an “Ag Lab”.
1861 - By then he was married, Emily was 4 years old and he was still an ‘Ag Lab’. Curiously he is said to live in a Grocer’s Shop but none of the occupants were so described.
1871 – Stephen’s fortune seemed to have taken a turn for the better as he was described as a ‘Licensed Victualler’ - a Pub Landlord - in the High Street. Living in the pub with the Stephen, Ellen and Emily were three others. Ann Ripley was a domestic servant whilst John Longbottom and his son James were lodgers. Next door was George Austwick and family.
1881 - Was still a ‘Licensed Victualler in the High Street and on this occasion the name of the pub is given as The Ship’. This was still in existence almost 100 years later. By then he and Ellen were living alone.
1891 - Although still a ‘Pub Landlord’ the family situation had changed somewhat as Stephen and Ellen were by then accompanied by Emily and husband John Richard Vause and 8 children. They went on to have 14 children and, uncommonly for the time, all survived into adulthood. The eldest two boys were both of employable age with George Stephen a ‘Postman’ and John Allen a ‘Cart Driver’. John Richard himself was described as a “Coal Boat Leader”.
1901 - several changes had occurred over the last ten years with Ellen passing away and Stephen leaving the licensed trade. John Richard - possibly with help from his father-in-law - had made the transformation to a ‘Farmer’ and was living at Mill Farm. By then he and Emily had completed their brood of 14 with 11 still living at home. George Stephen and Harry Hill were working on the farm and Lucy Minnette was a House Maid.
1911 - Emily had passed away in 1908 and the family were still engaged in farming. Nine of the children were still living at the Farm whilst George Stephen and Harry Hill, both having married, were living a short distance away on North Road. Young was working on the farm.
After the War
Whilst stationed in the York area Young’s postal address was given as Bolton Percy Post Office, this is only a short distance from Copmanthorpe.Young Vause married on 21st December 1918 but there is some conflict of information. On the Brotherton.org.uk web site in the Chadwick family tree it states that he married Laura Heley of Copmanthorpe and had two children named Irvin and Rene.
However, a search of the All England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005 elicits just one entry and the name of Young’s wife is Laura Henley - the date is the same as above. In fact, this is the only registered marriage between a Vause and Henley in the 90 years covered by the index.
A search of All England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 for the birth of an Irvin Vause draws a blank as does a similar one for Rene Vause.
A further search of the All England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 for births with the father’s surname of Vause and mother’s maiden name of Henley reveals three entries-
Frank I Vause born 1919 registered in Hemsworth - possibly Frank Irvin.
Margaret I Vause born 1921 registered in Pontefract - possibly Margaret Irene (Rene)
John L Vause born 1923 registered in Pontefract.
John Richard Vause died at the age of 90 outliving his wife by some 35 years.
Both Young and Laura Vause passed away in 1979, the deaths being registered in Pontefract.
Additional information
In ‘Memories of Brotherton’, by Robert Milner published on www.knottingley.org recalls various members of the Vause family.
• John Richard Vause lived in a large house at the top of the entry to manor Farm. When I was young it seemed as if he had a bit of money. He would ride around the village on a hunter type horse. He was a stiffish fellow with a round red face. He would wear polished leather wraps around his calves. He kept a horse in a field next to the folly, near to where it meets the old A1.
• Young Vause lived in Pasture Lane with his kids, Irvin and Rene. They also moved to Foxcliffe when it was first built. Irvin later joined the police force. When I was about 16 years old I would cut Young Vause’s hair. He gave me an old cut throat razor which had an ivory handle.