b. ? 1862 Derbyshire. d. 29/01/1937 Derbyshire.
DATE OF EM ACTION: 30/09/1910 East Markham, Nottinghamshire.
Little is known about the life of general labourer John Wapplington. What is known is that he was born in Derbyshire in 1862, and by the time of the 1911 Census he was living in Tuxford, near Newark, Nottinghamshire with his wife Charlotte, and their two sons and three daughters. Nothing else is known about his life. It is believed he died in Derbyshire on 29th January 1937.
EM CITATION:
On the 30th September, 1910, John Wapplington and another labourer, named Albert Templeman, were engaged in sinking a well atEast Markham, Nottinghamshire, and had fired a shot in order to blast the rock at the bottom. After an interval, during which they testedthe air with a lighted lamp and found no gas, Templeman went down the well and struck the rock with a crowbar. Immediatelyafterwards he cried out that he was feeling dizzy, and asked Wapplington to lower a ladder and rope. He did not wait to fasten a ropearound himself, but tried to mount the ladder, and fell back when he was half way up. Wapplington, calling for help, went down toTempleman’s assistance; but found that he could not lift him, and came up in a dazed condition. After a rest of a quarter of an hour, hebravely made another attempt; but called out that he could not attach the rope to Templeman, as he was overcome by the gas. Hemanaged, however, to reach the top before becoming unconscious. Frank Smith, foreman, then came to the spot with other men, and,fastening the rope round his body, went down the well, and succeeded in getting the rope round Templeman, by which means he washauled up. Smith reached the surface in a state of collapse, though he soon recovered. Templeman was found to be dead.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
