Notes
Due to his highly complicated family background having not been realised when the 1994 version of the Roll of Honour was compiled, Horace was mistakenly listed on it twice: once as 'H. S. MAYS', and again as Horace Steven Mays MARSTON. The 'Horace Marston' entry listed his address as 3 Milton Terrace, and wrongly stated he died in May 1918 serving in the Lincolnshire Regiment; the entry under 'H.S. Mays' listed his address as 1 Milton Terrace, and stated he died of wounds in France in the same Regiment (on an unspecified date).
Having been born illegitimate in Helpston, Horace's birth was actually registered under his mother's maiden name, Crowson; he was baptised in Helpston on 30/6/1895 as the son of "Emma Crowson, single woman". On 11/7/1895 Emma's older sister, Rosetta Crowson, married Stephen Mays at St Botolph's Church in Helpston; the couple raised Horace as their son.
On the 1901 census Horace was listed as the son of "Rose" and Stephen Mays, at 8 South View, Peterborough. On the 1911 census he was listed as "Horace Stephen Crowson", lodging at Willoughby Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire. ("Steven and Rose Mays" were then living at Burghley Street, Bourne). Although Horace was recorded on the 1911 census under his legal surname Crowson, he evidently enlisted under the surname 'Mays', as all his military records are under that surname.
CWGC records that Horace Steven Mays, 201388 of the Lincolnshire Regiment, died on 18/4/1918, and is buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery in Belgium. His 'father' Stephen Mays having died in 1914, Horace's 'mother' Rosetta had married John Marston in 1915. The Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects record that "Horace Stephen Mays", 201388, died of wounds in Belgium, and that his mother, "Rose Marston" was his legatee.
A consequence of Horace's background/history is that the 1994 version of the Peterborough Roll of Honour listed him twice, i.e. both as Horace Marston and again as Horace Mays. As this Roll included those two separate entries for him, our transcript of it (i.e. Names records) must do likewise.
(The same misunderstanding re Horace's surname had briefly led to him being listed twice when the original version of the Roll was being drafted in 1921; however, the compiler of that version realised the duplication, and had crossed through and voided one of the entries before it was presented; unfortunately, he crossed off the wrong one, so Horace is listed on that Roll under the surname Marston). JK