13830, Private, 2/7th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
Lincolnshire Star, Saturday 9th September 1916
WOUNDED TWICE – Private B. BOON of the 9th Lincolns, has just been home on sick leave, having been wounded twice. The first time was in the battle of Loos, where he was wounded by shrapnel in the hand, and the second time on the first day of the big push at nine o’clock at night and with the exception of one foot was completely buried through a shell bursting in the trenches. He was dug out by a sergeant and found to have received a shrapnel wound in the face and a wrenched shoulder. He has been in hospital ten weeks at North Devon and Northampton, and has now been sent to Grimsby. He is a son of Mr and Mrs BOON of King Street, Winterton.
Hull Daily Mail, Saturday 28 July 1917
"News has been received by Mr and Mrs Boon of King Street, Winterton, that their son, Pte John Benjamin Boon, was killed in action on July 9th. He joined the army in October 1914, and has twice been wounded, the first time on September 26th 1915, when he was buried by a shell and again on July 1st 1916. He was home in January 1917 to commemorate his 22nd birthday having six days leave, but that was the last time his parents saw him. Capt E. Carr of the Lincolns, writing to Mrs Boon says:- It is perfectly impossible for me to express my sorrow or to hope to alleviate your grief by mere words, but I feel sure it will be a great consolation for to you to know that your son died a heroic death while performing an act of gallantry. Our trench was being very heavily shelled when your son, hearing that a man had been buried alive by a shell further up the trench, at once went to dig the man out. It was while doing this that he himself was killed instantaneously by a shell. He undoubtedly saved the life of the man by his unselfish bravery. I can only say that in losing your son I have lost a man I can never replace. He was one of the best men we have ever had, and your grief at his loss is shared by every man who knew him. I am not permitted at present to communicate the exact place of his burial but it was in the vicinity of Arras.”
Lincolnshire Star, Saturday 9th September 1916
WOUNDED TWICE – Private B. BOON of the 9th Lincolns, has just been home on sick leave, having been wounded twice. The first time was in the battle of Loos, where he was wounded by shrapnel in the hand, and the second time on the first day of the big push at nine o’clock at night and with the exception of one foot was completely buried through a shell bursting in the trenches. He was dug out by a sergeant and found to have received a shrapnel wound in the face and a wrenched shoulder. He has been in hospital ten weeks at North Devon and Northampton, and has now been sent to Grimsby. He is a son of Mr and Mrs BOON of King Street, Winterton.
Hull Daily Mail, Saturday 28 July 1917
"News has been received by Mr and Mrs Boon of King Street, Winterton, that their son, Pte John Benjamin Boon, was killed in action on July 9th. He joined the army in October 1914, and has twice been wounded, the first time on September 26th 1915, when he was buried by a shell and again on July 1st 1916. He was home in January 1917 to commemorate his 22nd birthday having six days leave, but that was the last time his parents saw him. Capt E. Carr of the Lincolns, writing to Mrs Boon says:- It is perfectly impossible for me to express my sorrow or to hope to alleviate your grief by mere words, but I feel sure it will be a great consolation for to you to know that your son died a heroic death while performing an act of gallantry. Our trench was being very heavily shelled when your son, hearing that a man had been buried alive by a shell further up the trench, at once went to dig the man out. It was while doing this that he himself was killed instantaneously by a shell. He undoubtedly saved the life of the man by his unselfish bravery. I can only say that in losing your son I have lost a man I can never replace. He was one of the best men we have ever had, and your grief at his loss is shared by every man who knew him. I am not permitted at present to communicate the exact place of his burial but it was in the vicinity of Arras.”