What a sad story this is ....... John William Helman was born in Satara, Bombay, India on 27 June 1896, according to his service record, but nothing has yet been found in the army or regimental birth records. He was the eldest son of Colour Sergeant Ernest William Helman of the Middlesex Regiment, and his wife Mary née Delany, of Southampton, who married in Gibraltar in 1891, according to army marriage records. The parents came to Guernsey while their son was "quite young", probably in about 1900, and the family lived at 2, Trent Cottages, Castel Hill. There appears to be no family connection with the island, but Col. Sgt. Helman's regiment had been posted to Guernsey at an earlier stage. After the family's return to the island, Mr Helman was employed as a gardener at Les Queux Manor Vineries, Castel, while a local newspaper report described John as having been "a promising pupil at St Joseph's R.C. School under Mr McDade". Helman's service record (service number J26947) indicates that he started as Boy, Second Class on H.M.S. Vivid, on 20 September 1913, and he is described as being 5'2" tall with a 32 "chest. HMS Vivid was the R.N. onshore barracks at Plymouth, and was later renamed HMS Drake. He was promoted to Boy, First Class on January 13 1914, and was then appointed to H.M.S. Victory as Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday. He stayed on Victory until 22 November of that same year, when he moved to HMS Excellent, the gunnery school for the Portsmouth area. Helman was promoted to A.B. on 24 August 1915, on H.M.S. Emperor of India, an Iron Duke Class Dreadnought Battleship, completed in 1914. On 23 February 1918 Able - Seaman Helman was one of six seamen from H.M.S. Emperor of India who volunteered for special services. His service record also shows that he went AWOL at about this time, but was recovered and sent back. http://www.greatwarci.net/navy/guernsey/helman/helman-1.htm
