Way back in 2010 I wrote an article about the history of one of Clarendon Park’s businesses – W T Hind, dispensing chemist of 76-78 Queens Road (currently the daftly named Well Pharmacy) and 44 Montague Road (which is the Montague Road frontage to the same shop). In the article I mentioned Horace William Hind, son of William Tom Hind who founded the business in 1888.
Recently I was lucky enough to find this postcard sent to Horace William on the occasion of his 9th birthday in 1903. It reads “Wishing you many happy returns of your birthday from Grannie” and is addressed to Queens Road. Incidentally, the postcard was sold from America. I wonder how it found its way there?
Horace William was the eldest child of pharmacist William Tom Hind (1866-1944) and Lizzie nee Smith (1871-1967), next door neighbours who married at St Peter’s Church in Belgrave in January 1894. He was baptised at St John the Baptist, Clarendon Park, as were his siblings Arthur Henry (1897-1989), Frederick Leonard (1900-1978), Edith Evelyn (1903-1988), Kathleen Muriel (1907-1986) and Eric Austin (1913-1989).
“Grannie” of the birthday postcard was either Horace’s paternal grandmother Jane Wilson Hind, nee Warner (1842-1912), or his maternal grandmother Martha Smith (c1848-1931). Both lived next door to each other at numbers 53 and 55 St Peter’s Road respectively.
Horace attended Wyggeston School and afterwards studied to become a pharmacist like his father. He began medical studies at Leicester Municipal Technical School in September 1913 and was still a student when he joined the 1/4th Leicestershire Regiment on the 1st September 1914 as Private 2548. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal in May 1915. Between April and October 1915 Horace sustained a number of injuries and was hospitalised several times, including once for influenza.
Described by his superior officer as “a fine manly young fellow, liked by all who knew him,” Horace was posted wounded and missing following the charge of the Midland Brigade on the Hohenzollern Redoubt. It was first hoped that he was a prisoner of war but on Christmas Eve 1915 the Leicester Evening Mail reported “Mr and Mrs W T Hind, of East Avenue, Clarendon Park, have received information from the Territorial Record Office that the War Office have announced the death of their eldest son, Corporal Horace William Hind, of the 1/4th Leicesters. He fell in the great encounter on October 13th. Corporal Hind, who was 20 years of age, joined the Territorials when war broke out. He was an old Wyggestonian.”
Horace’s poor parents had a difficult time with the military authorities, who initially sent the personal effects of a different soldier, Corporal Ockenden, instead of Horace’s watch, fountain pen and New Testament which they were expecting. It must also have been upsetting in 1925 when Horace’s exhumed body was re-buried at Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery, Souchez, near Arras.
Evidently someone remembered Horace fondly enough to keep hold of his 9th birthday postcard.