John Biswell, known as Jack, was born in Leverstock Green, Hertfordshire on Sunday, 11th October 1896 and baptised with his older brother Harry two years later on Sunday, 26th September in Holy Trinity Church in the village. John was the second child born to Harry (Henry) Biswell and Louisa Bonnick, of ‘Belconey’, Leverstock Green. Harry and Louisa had eight children in total who were: Harry, John, Gertrude, Jessie, Charles, Bessie, Florence and Dorothy May. His brother Harry also fell in the Great War only seven weeks before Jack, on the 6th May 1916. His next-door neighbour in Leverstock Green had been Benjamin Oakley who was killed just six months earlier. The biographies of Harry and Benjamin also appear on this site.

The Biswell family lived at 18 ‘Belconey’ in Leverstock Green for many years and all the children were born there, except Jessie and Charles who were born in nearby Cupid Green. ‘Belconey’ was one of the poorest areas of Leverstock Green in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It consisted of a long terrace of about 10 meagre dwellings, along with two pubs ‘The Mason’s Arms’ and ‘The Plough’ (which still stands today).

When Jack was born his father was a Bricklayer’s Labourer and by 1911 a ‘Brickmaker’ working in the nearby brickfields next to Maylands Woods. Fourteen-year-old Jack had also started work with G.B. Kent & Sons in its Apsley Brushworks where he was employed as a ‘Brush Maker’.

Jack enlisted the day after war broke out on the 5th August 1914 travelling to Bedford to attest (the Hemel Hempstead recruitment office on the Marlowes did not open until two weeks later). He joined the Bedfordshire Regiment and was immediately sent to begin training before embarking for France three months later. He disembarked at Le Havre on the 11th November 1914 and joined the Battalion in the field on the 24th of the same month. He was quite possibly the first recruit from Leverstock Green to go to the Front and see action in the trenches.

He spent Christmas in the trenches and the Battalion war diary records the following: "25 Dec 1914 Christmas cards from Their Majesties the King & Queen distributed to all ranks of the Battn. Also present from Her R. Highness Princess Mary. Cold & frosty day. Quiet day. Germans semaphored over that they were not going to fire. Hard frost all day." A private diary by a battalion member records fraternisation between men of B Company and the Germans in No Man's Land.

In April 1915, Jack fought at Hill 60 where the Bedfords incurred appalling casualties with over 100 men killed and several hundred more wounded in the first five days alone. The battle lasted from the 17th April until the 7th May and at some point, Jack was wounded although it is not known how seriously or for how long he took to recover.

By July 1916 the Battalion was east of Mametz and making preparations for the 15th Infantry Brigade attack on the town of Longueval as part of the Battle of Delville Wood. Starting on the 27th July, the 1st Bedfords attacked but soon found that they were held up due to heavy artillery fire and as a result progress was almost impossible. The war diary records terms such as “a hurricane bombardment” from the enemy positions when ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies try to improve their position. The whole of the 15th Brigade was unable to achieve the objectives set and due to the appalling casualty rates had to retire battalion by battalion over two days.

The total casualties incurred by the 1st Bedfordshires were nine Officers and 303 O.R. from twenty-three Officers and 807 O.R., almost 38% of the men taking part in the attack.

Jack was posted ‘Missing’ and later confirmed to have been killed on the first day of the attack Thursday, 27th July 1916.

His situation was reported in the Hemel Gazette the following October.

In 1918 an ‘In Memoriam’ notice was posted in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette which read: “Biswell – In loving memory of Jack Biswell, 1st Beds, killed in action July 27th, 1916. I will remember thee while the light lasts and in the darkness I will not forget thee. Nellie, Bexhill - on – Sea”.

One Nellie Hadland is believed to be the mother of Jack’s son, John Longueval Hadland born on the 27th November 1916 in Leverstock Green, four months after Jack’s death. John was given to a Foundling Hospital and he was renamed and fostered by a family in Kent. It is believed that Nellie emigrated to Canada in the 1920’s.

He is commemorated on the Leverstock Green War Memorial in the village.

Jack is Remembered with Honour on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, Pier and Face 2C.  

He was 24 years old when he died

Jack was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.