Sapper John Henry George Hayman
Tyne Electrical Engineers, Royal Engineers
Accidental death
Date of Birth: 1885
Place of Birth: Teignmouth, Devon
Date of Death: Died 25 March 1918 aged 33
Buried: Teignmouth Cemetery, Devon
Sapper John Henry George (Harry) Hayman age 33.
Born Teignmouth in 1885 the youngest son of John, a mason, and Selina Hayman. In 1891 and 1901 the family were living in Holland Road, by 1901 he was working as a stone mason.
The 1911 census showed him living with his wife Rose and daughter at 11 Myrtle Hill, Teignmouth; he was working as a carpenter. He had married Rose Edwards in 1908
Harry enlisted at Newton Abbot, serving with Tyne Electrical Corps, Royal Engineers as a Sapper , service number 466627. He died in a distressing gun accident involving a live wire in Yorkshire on 25 March 1918 and was buried in Teignmouth Cemetery on 30 March 1918.
"Death of Spr J H G (Harry) Hayman, R E took place at gun station in Yorkshire. 25 March 1918 Youngest son of Mr J J Hayman, builder leaves wife and daughter. Funeral on sat from Myrtle Hill."
Teignmouth Post
29 March 1918
The Tyne Electrical Engineers Battalion
This battalion of the Royal Engineers served in air defence roles and installing electric generators and telephones for camps, signal stations and hospitals.
Zeppelin Airship LZ 18. By Unknown - Weltrundschau zu Reclams Universum 1913, Public Domain,
German airships called Zeppelins dropped bombs on the UK in night-time air raids in January 1915.
After that the engineers setup Anti-Aircraft (AA) searchlights across Britain to work with the guns of the Royal Artillery.
Searchlight in WW1. The people's war book 1919. Scanned image
Some of the Tyne Electrical Engineers joined the British Expeditionary Force in France, using search-lights to detect enemy raiding parties in No-Man's Land.
It was successful but showing a bright light drew heavy fire from the enemy, and earned the men the nickname of 'the suicide brigade'.
After the Somme each of the British armies in France had men of the Tyne Electrical engineers to work with them, installing electric generators, telephones and other utilities such as drinking water pumps for the camps and hospitals.
