12816 Lance Corporal Cecil Howard Viney
9th(Service)Battalion
Devonshire Regiment
1st July 1916
Born in Tiverton Devon in 1896. His parents were Samuel Viney(1860-06/04/1941) and Mary Jane(also known as Polly) Rice(1861-1945). They were married in 1881.
He had 3 brothers;William Harold(1886-1908),
Charles Herbert(born in 1890) and Arthur Leonard
(23/06/1892-24/05/1992). He also had 2 sisters;
Lilian May(born in 1888) and Ada Mary(born in 1894).
In the 1901 census the family were recorded as living at
1 Elm Terrace,Leat Street Tiverton Devon. Cecil's father was employed as a Clerk at a lace factory.
In the 1911 census,the family were still living at the same address.Cecil was still at school and his father was now the foreman at a silk lace finishing manufacturers.
He enlisted in Tiverton and his date of disembarkation into France was on 27/07/1915.
He was killed in action on 01/07/1916.
On the 14/07/1916 the Western Times reported that
"Private Cecil Howard Viney,Devon Regiment,son of
Mr & Mrs S Viney of Leat Street Tiverton is unofficially reported as been killed in action".
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star,the British War 1914-1918 and the Allied Victory medals.
All these medals were returned on 19/01/1922 after being refused by his next of kin.