Joseph Covell was born in Metheringham in 1899 and moved to Frieston Heath with his family about a year later.
Joseph joined 1/8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers in Feb 1917. On 5th April 1918 he was reported missing, presumed captured. He died as a Prisoner of War on 27th Sep 1918 (aged 19) and was buried at Denain German Military Cemetery. His grave was later lost, but there is a Commonwealth War Graves headstone there.
Covell Family
Robert Covell (Joseph’s father) married Mary Anne Tomlin in 1885. He seems to have moved between farms quite frequently (as was common for a yardman/foreman) before settling down to work for Mr Caswell on Frieston Heath. Robert died in 1932. Robert and Mary Anne had 11 children:
Aubrey born abt 1886 Great Ponton
Noah born abt 1887 Stainby
Arthur born abt 1889 Stainby
Emma Anne born abt 1890 Colsterworth
Fred born abt 1891 Spittlegate
Alfred born abt 1893 Hornsby
Ruth born abt 1895 Silk Willoughby
Kate born abt 1897 Metheringham
Joseph born 1899 Metheringham (see above)
Robert born abt 1900 Frieston Heath
Henry born abt 1902 Frieston Heath
Aubrey married Alice Tinker at Nettleham in May 1916. When he was called up 4 months later he was a farm waggoner, living at North Cottages, Nettleham Road, Lincoln. Initially he joined 3rd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment at Grimsby but in December he transferred to the Machine Gun Corps at Bovington. Whilst in Dorset he moved again, to the Tank Corps. He served in France and was de-mobbed at Harrowby in 1919, moving to Ryland, near Welton (north of Lincoln).
Noah was fined for being drunk and disorderly in Sleaford in 1926.
Arthur married Ruth (nee Godson) in 1918. She’d been born in Caythorpe (one of brothers was John Godson) but had gone to Oldham to work as a servant in and married her first husband (Tom Morton) there in 1914. Ruth died suddenly in Dec 1918, 2 weeks after the birth of their daughter Minnie.
Emma was a 15 year old ‘monitress’ at Byards Leap School when she pleaded guilty to stealing a florin in 1904.
Fred also served in WW1 and was injured in the knee by shrapnel in Nov 1917.
Robert was summoned for stealing money in Caythorpe in Dec 1915 (aged 15).