2nd Works Company, Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment)
Donald Page was born at Bishop’s Cleeve in 1878 and was the son of William (1835-?) and Harriett Ann (née Mills; 1861-1883).
William Page was a farmer and at the time of the 1891 Census the family lived at Pigeon House Farm and in 1901 they were at Church Farm, both in the Bishop’s Cleeve/Southam area.
It would appear that Donald worked with his father on the farm. It has not been possible to find Donald in the 1911 Census records.
According to Soldiers Died in the Great War Donald enlisted at Bristol and almost certainly he was conscripted in the Spring of 1916.
According to his entry in the Register of Soldiers’ Effects, held at the National Army Museum, his estate was not entitled to a gratuity upon his death, as he had served under six months.
He was posted to the 2nd Works Company of the Wiltshire Regiment and in July 1916 may well have been in basic training at Hilsea Drill Field Camp, part of Hilsea Barracks at Portsmouth.
A piece in the Hampshire Telegraph of 14 July 1916 carried a report of the inquest into his death.
Evidently Donald was generally considered to be in good health but was very deaf and complained about his ankles.
On Sunday, 9 July 1916, a corporal visited his tent at 9.50pm, to take the roll call. He found Donald to be sitting on his blankets having a smoke. A fellow private stated that not long after the corporal had departed Donald suddenly laid back and gave three deep breaths.
The Medical Officer attached to Hilsea Barracks was summoned but Donald had died by the time he arrived. A post mortem discovered abnormalities in his heart and other organs: his heart was enlarged and death was due to fatty degeneration within it.
Private Donald Page was 38 years old when he died and unmarried. He was buried in the churchyard of St Michael’s, Bishop’s Cleeve on 14 July and a standard CWGC headstone marks his grave.
He is commemorated on the Bishop’s Cleeve War Memorial.
Researched by Graham Adams 4 September 2020