BORN – Oswestry
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation
JOB – Labourer
UNIT – 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
RANK – Lance Corporal 10057
THEATRE – Somme / Transloy Ridge, 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. 12 October 1916
DIED – KIA 12 October 1916 (CWGC gives date as 17 October 1916). Aged 22.
BURIED – Thiepval Memorial (grave unknown). (CWGC)
Daniel Rigby was born in Spring 1895 at Oswestry. He was the second youngest of 11 children of Thomas and Ruth Rigby. His father was a builder’s labourer. He was brought up living at Compass Yard on (102) Willow Street, Oswestry. In 1901 the family had moved to Church Place off Church Street but by 1911 had moved back to Compass Buildings. Daniel, his father and 4 brothers were all working as bricklayer’s labourers. Daniel enlisted in the regular army joining 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, possibly in February 1914. Another brother, James, was also a serving soldier. At the outbreak of war he was in India probably with 2 Bn KSLI; Daniel would have been in Ireland with 1 Bn KSLI. Daniel went over to France with 1 Bn KSLI on 10 September 1914.
Daniel was KIA on 12 October 1916 at Transloy Ridge during the Somme Offensive. (CWGC records his death as 17 October 1916, military records give 12 October, the latter is more likely correct and also ties in with the battalion War Diary). His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
In the Border County Advertiser, 10 May 1918, is a notice for a James Rigby, KSLI listed as missing on 21 April 1918, and stepson of ‘Mrs Rigby 3 Southall Buildings, Oswestry’. The notice also records that ‘Mrs Rigby’ has had three sons KIA during the war. Apart from Daniel no other ‘Rigbys’ are recorded on local memorials and rolls. No positive identification has been made of the other men or brothers.
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