John William Charlton (1887-1944)
Miner from Seaham Harbour volunteered in the Australian Imperial Force
By the age of 13, John William Charlton had followed his dad and big brother down the pit and was working as a pony driver underground. He was born on 1 May 1887 in Seaham Harbour, the fifth of the six children to Aaron and Mary Ann (nee McAndrew). Mary died in 1895, leaving Aaron to marry again, a widow called Eliza Hays who already had a son of her own. Aaron and Eliza would go on to have another two children, to complete their large extended family.
John left England for Australia to work in the mines of New South Wales. On 5 January 1916, he volunteered to join the Australian Imperial Force at West Maitland. He turned up at the army depot for basic training on 28 January but just over 2 months later, on 8 April 1916, he was discharged for family reasons. His army records give no details of the family crisis which allowed John to resign.
John remained in Australia and when the Second World War broke out in 1939, he again volunteered, joining the Army Citizen Military Forces (the Australian Army Reserve) at Adamstown, New South Wales (NSW).
He died in 1944 in Newcastle, NSW.
Civil Parish: Seaham
Birth date: 01-May-1887
Death date: 1944
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: New Seaham (1891 census)
22 Coke Street, Seaham (1901 census)
Employment: Miner
Family: Parents: Aaron Charlton, Mary Charlton (nee McAndrew)
Stepmother: Eliza Hays
Siblings: Edward Charlton, Louisa Charlton, Thomas Charlton, Dora Charlton, Lily Charlton
Half Siblings: Reginald Charlton, Ethel Charlton
Stepbrother: Stephen Hays
Military service:
SERN DEPOT
Discharged from Australian Imperial Force after 2 months on personal grounds
Army Citizen Military Forces (World War Two)
Gender: Male
Contributed by Kelloe Visitor, Trimdon Station