Tottington, Bury: Love Letters

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John King was a farmer's son from a small holding called Old Bates Farm in Tottington north of Bury. He volunteered for war work in Coventry in 1915, which is where he met his sweetheart Beaty Springford who was from a small village near Swindon in Wiltshire. John eventually joined the army in 1917, and was killed in April 1917. His family have kept his love letters which paint a vivid picture of John being parted from his beloved Beaty. After John’s death in France, Beaty later married in 1920, had two children and after her first husband’s death, married his brother and had a further two children. She was last heard of in Plymouth. John King’s family still live in Tottington and treasure a box of letters and keepsakes that remind them of their dear John. Location: Tottington, Bury BL8 3LJ Image: John C King, courtesy of his family