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John English (1873-1962)


Major with 9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry


John English was born in Heddon on Tyne on 22 April 1873 into a mining family. Initially an apprentice driver [1891 census], he became a mining engineer and the 1911 census sees him as a colliery manager living in Chopwell. In 1900, he had joined the 5th Volunteer Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, which became the 9th Battalion (Territorial Force) in 1908 and by 1912, had risen to the rank of Major.

In 1910, John English married Laura Agnes Beryl Marshall, known as Beryl. They had their first child, John, in 1912. As an officer of 9DLI, Major English, by now living at North Leam, Felling [1914 Durham Directory], departed for France and Flanders near the end of April 1915, not long before Beryl gave birth to their second child, a daughter, also named Beryl. A third child, Ian, was born in 1919, and he went on to also become a major with the DLI, in the 8th Battalion, and serving in the Second World War.

John English wrote many letters home to his wife, certainly throughout May 1915 these were almost daily, addressing her as Berelio, and showing great affection. He told stories of German planes coming down, a busy Holy Communion with the altar and chancel rail constructed of bacon boxes, and men milking cows under shellfire. Yet in spite of the turmoil going on around him, John never seemed to let it spoil his appreciation of what the country might be like if the war wasn’t on, and on more than one occasion, saying how much Beryl would love it. On 6 May 1915, he wrote:

‘It is 11.30am on a lovely hot morning and I am lying on a blanket in a beautiful green grass field all dotted with dandelion and a herd of cows grazing all round. I am sitting under the shade of a tree with chocolate to eat and papers to read and nothing to do. This is the strenuous life I like and if you had only been here. We are always wishing for something to drink. I never drank their water as I am suspicious about it, now, just at this moment, a man and his wife have come into the field shouting oranges. What luck and what yells of delight. I must resume after having eaten four. What fun it is trying to beat these hawkers down. He charged 1d each for them. We asked him why he was not a soldier and he produced his papers, he is exempt on account of a lamed leg. The men of D Company are in the next field separated by a wire fence and it is dotted with fruit trees in full bloom. They have washing hanging up everywhere and bivouacs erected and really the scene is quite a pretty and peaceful one, still we can hear the guns booming in the distance and as for aeroplanes we have ceased to take any notice of them.’

This experience has now been immortalised in a new hymn, Oranges, by Carol Ann Duffy, with music by Orlando Gough, premiered on 16 July 2016.

In August 1917, Major English was transferred to the Territorial Force Reserve. He survived the war, and remained with the territorials. In March 1921, he received the Territorial Decoration, and relinquished his commission, retaining the rank of Major, in September of the same year.

In civilian life, John returned to the collieries of the north east, living at North Leam, Felling, though it is noted on the 1939 register that he was acting as an air raid warden. He died on 8 April 1962.

Civil Parish: Heworth

Birth date: 22-Apr-1873

Death date: 8-Apr-1962

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: North Leam, Felling

Employment: Mining engineer and colliery manager

Family: Wife: Laura Agnes Beryl English, nee Marshall, known as Beryl
Children: John (born 1912), Beryl (born 1915), Ian (born 1919)

Military service:

5th Volunteer Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
Second Lieutenant, 20 June 1900
Lieutenant, 26 June 1901
Captain, 1 May 1905
9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, 1 April 1908
Major, 12 August 1912
Transferred to the Territorial Force Reserve, 18 August 1917
Relinquished commission, 30 September 1921

Medal(s): 1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Territorial Decoration, London Gazette 31 March 1921

Gender: Male

Contributed by Durham County Record Office