Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Joshua Johnson of Hallaton, Leics., and the husband of May Gladys Darwent of Lozelles, Bimingham, Warwks. Records show that Ernest disembarked on the 9th September 1914 with the British Expeditionary Force.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Ernest’s link with village was through his mother whose maiden name was Fox, a Hallaton family. By 1901 the family had split and Ernest was living with his mother in London. He was working as a warehouse clerk. Finding the job mundane, he joined the 1st Bn. Leicestershire Regiment in 1905 with service number 7788. Initially based in England, he nonetheless had some interesting experiences. One was being part of the Guard of Honour at the unveiling of the Leicester Boer War Memorial in July 1909. The other was being sent to York fully armed to confront trouble in a national rail strike of August 1911. Then followed a spell in Ireland. On the outbreak of war on August 4th 1914, they came back to England and were shipped to France on 8th September. Involved in the early fighting he partook of another unusual experience – the “Christmas Truce”, when against orders British and German soldiers fraternised on Christmas Day. The high command was not amused! Sometime in 1915 he had been caught in a gas attack and was badly affected and discharged from the Leicestershire Regiment on 9th January 1916. After convalescent leave, he was posted to a Home Service Battalion guarding ports, bridges and so on. On 10th April 1917 he married Mary Gladys Darwent of Birmingham in St Michael and All Angels Church, Hallaton. On 31st July 1917 the Home Service Battalions were converted to the Royal Defence Corps and Ernest was enrolled in that with anew number, 60991 in the rank of corporal. He was not a well man and his lungs had obviously been badly affected by the gas. Later that summer he was admitted to 5th Northern General Hospital, Leicester an old lunatic asylum, which is now part of the University of Leicester. He died on 30th September 1917 with his wife at his side. As he was still in the army he was accorded a Commonwealth War Grave Commission registry and is buried in the cemetery in Theddingworth and also commemorated on Hallaton War Memorial.

Information kindly provided by Dennis Kenyon.