Jesse Herbert Lester was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in 1873. The second of six children, his parents were John and Annie. At the time of his son’s birth, John was a labourer in an iron foundry, and the family lived at 6 Havelock Street, to the south of the town centre.
By the time of the 1891 census, the family had grown, and moved to the next road – 90 Mortimer Street. John had changed trades, and was employed as a wool dyer, with Annie, and their two eldest children also working in the cloth industry. Jesse, now 18 years old, was earning money as a cloth presser.
In 1892, Jesse too the plunge and joined the army. He had already been volunteering for the 1st Wiltshire Rifles, and took the opportunity to see the world by enlisting in the Royal Artillery. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 123lbs (55.8kg). His medical notes recorded brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. They also identified a scar on the underside of his left forearm.
As a Driver, Jesse enlisted for a period of twelve years. During this time he saw the world, serving more than four years in India, and three in South Africa. His papers note two occasions where he forfeited a day’s pay, although his misdemeanours have been lost to time.
On 26th May 1904, having been back on home soil for eighteen months, Driver Lester’s contract came to an end, and he chose to return to civilian life.
Like so many of his peers at the time, Jesse moved to South Wales for work. On 28th March 1903, he returned home to marry, but gave his address as Nant-y-Moel, Mid Glamorgan. His new wife was Eliza Clark, and the couple married in their parish church in Trowbridge.
Nant-y-Moel was where the newlyweds relocated to, Jesse’s job as a miner obviously paying him more than any equivalent role back home. The couple moved in to 43 Brynogwy Terrace, and had two children, William and Edith.
When war broke out, Jesse was quick to enlist, joining the Royal Field Artillery on 1st October 1914. Attached to the 3rd Glamorgan Battery, Driver Lester spent the first year of his service on home soil, gaining a promotion to Bombardier in the process.
In November 1915, the unit moved to France. During their short spell there, “For drunkenness and neglect of duty”, Jesse was demoted to Driver once more.
On 5th February 1916, Jesse’s unit left Marseilles, bound for Egypt. They arrived in Alexandria five days later, and Driver Lester would spend the next ten months there. In October he was admitted to hospital with heart disease. The condition warranted a return to Britain, and ultimately led to his discharge from duty, with a Silver War Badge. Jesse returned to civilian life once again on 22nd December 1916.
At this point, Jesse’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 28th November 1918, at the age of 45.
It seems likely that, in his absence overseas, Eliza and the children returned to Wiltshire. She buried her husband in Trowbridge Cemetery, a short walk from where she was living, at 2 Havelock Street.
