John Heber Kempton Gladstone Steer was born in Froyle on 11th September 1896, the son of Ezar and Ellen (née Mayhew) Steer.

In the 1911 Census the family were living at Bamberous (now known as Bambers) Lane, Lower Froyle. Although Gladstone’s (as he was known) father had been an Odiham man, he married a Froyle girl and lived and died in Froyle, bringing up 10 children in the process.

Like his brothers and sisters, Gladstone would have gone to Froyle School. His sister, Adelaide, the baby of the family, died aged 8, of diphtheria. Her death is mentioned in the school log book.

Gladstone enlisted in Winchester, and joined the Hampshire Regiment, as 21363 Private John Steer. He was serving, as a Lance Corporal, with X Company, 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, when he was killed in action in France, on 16th June 1918. He was 21 years old.

[Gladstone, according to the Alton Gazette of July 15th 1918, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for ‘keeping a whole patrol of the enemy at bay for a long time, enabling help to come up, which saved his company from destruction.’ - however NO official record has been found to substantiate this]

He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Lance Corporal Gladstone Steer was laid to rest in Le Grand Hasard Military Cemetery, Morbecque, France, Plot 4. Row C. Grave 6.

Source: “The Remembered Ones of the Great War”, 2014, The Alton and Villages Local History Forum (with permission)