Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Ted Potterton was born on 26 March 1890 in Oadby, Leicestershire, England (GRO reference: Jun 1890 Blaby 7a 37), the son of Leicestershire couple William Henry and Ellen J. Potterton (nee Granger) who had married in 1881 in same district.
When the 1891 census was taken, Ted and his family were living at 23, Lawn Terrace, Oadby, Leicestershire. His 37-year-old father was employed as a 'Pressman Boot and Shoe'. His mother was aged 30 and looked after Frances aged 9, Emma aged 5, William Henry aged 3 and one year old Ted, who had been recorded as 'Fred' by mistake. Three years later Ted's brother Frank was born.
By 1901 the family had moved to Beaumont Street, and while Ted's father was still working as a shoe pressman, his mother was now working at home as a glove stitcher. Ted's 15-year-old sister Emma was working as a hosiery frame worker and his 13-year-old brother William was working in the shoe trade. Ted, aged 11 and Frank aged 8, were attending school. His eldest sister Frances married the next year but was not living with the family when the 1901 census was taken.


The 1911 census records Ted's family living at 36, Beaumont Street, Oadby, Leicestershire. Only his parents, brother Frank and sister Elsie (shown as Eliey) were recorded. Ted could not be found in the census and had probably emigrated to Canada by then.


Aged nearly 26, Ted attested on 2 March 1916 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada into the 79th Overseas Battalion. During his medical, Ted was measured at 5 feet 11½ inches tall with a 43 inch chest, with an expansion of 3 inches. He was described as having a ruddy complexion with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Also it was noted that he had a sailor girl tattooed on his right arm while on his left, a French dancer along with a horse head and a horseshoe. He gave his occupation as a farmer, address as Deloraine, Manitoba and his religion as Church of England. His father, W. H. Potterton of 36, Beaumont Street, Oadby, Leicestershire, England was his next of kin and he signed his attestation paper with an X as his mark.


The 79th Overseas Battalion sailed for England in June 1916 where the men were sent as reinforcements to other Battalions, and as Ted's gravestone shows that he served with the 43rd Battalion he was presumably transferred to that Battalion. The 43rd Battalion was in the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division and fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Vimy Ridge (9 to 12 April 1917).


The next record we have of Ted is his marriage to Caroline Emma Hedges in Christ Church, Epsom on 30 May 1917. Caroline, a domestic servant, was born in Epsom on 3 October 1897, the daughter of Joseph and Emily Jane Hedges of 76, Bracken Path, Epsom Common. Ted gave his address as Woodcote Park Camp, Epsom. Woodcote Park was convalescent camp run by the Canadians, so it seems reasonable to assume that Ted was wounded on the Somme or at Vimy Ridge, and that he met Caroline whilst recovering from serious injury.


The couple had had just over five months of marriage, during which time Caroline had become pregnant, before Ted was killed on 7 November 1917. Ted had been transferred to a unit called the 'Canadian Railway Troops' at their depot at Purfleet, Essex, which the Canadians had taken over in 1916. Ted went to the railway station to see off a friend on the 9.30pm train, when he slipped between the platform and train onto the track and was killed.


Ted's body was returned to Epsom and buried on 16 November 1917 in grave D481 in Epsom Cemetery. Originally a cross was erected on his grave before being replaced by the well known CWCG gravestone.


On 25 April 1918, Ted's widow Caroline gave birth to their daughter and had her baptised Teddie Jessamine Potterton at Christ Church, Epsom on 2 June 1918.


In 1921 Caroline (recorded as Emma) and daughter Teddie returned from Canada; the reason for their visit is unknown but it is possible that Ted's personal affairs in Canada needed attention from his widow.


Ted's widow Caroline Emma did not remarry and died aged 86 in 1984 in Exeter, Devon. Their daughter Teddie married Charles William Greenslade in 1939 in Bromley, Kent, and they had a son Keith in the first quarter of 1943. Charles William, a Corporal in the Parachute Regiment was killed on 19 September 1943, aged 26, during the allied invasion of the Italian mainland. Teddie then married John R Norman in the June quarter of 1947 in the Exeter registration district. She died in 1997 also in the Exeter registration district.

http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/WarMemorialsSurnamesP.html#PottertonT
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Submitted by B. Bouchard 2016