Person

From a member of the family:

The story of four brothers who all went to war from their home in Third Street, Quaking Houses:

Alfred, James, Samuel and John all served with the Durham Light Infantry during the First World war. Alfred was killed in France in April 1918.

John was gassed in the trenches and his health was affected for the rest of his life. Samuel and James returned physically unharmed but carried the memories with them always.

Alfred is buried in Foreste cemetery near St. Quentin, France. Although talked about and remembered by his family, no one has ever visited his grave. 16 April will be one hundred years since his death. Having sought much information from a variety of sources it now falls to me, his great-niece, to make the journey to France on behalf of his family.

I have many photographs of the boys, their medals and other memorabilia sent by the boys to their parents from France. Also, photographs of my grandfather John convalescing in Saltburn after the war. I also have a gold watch given to James by his fellow workers at the Louisa Pit, Stanley after the end of war. I therefore will visit his grave on 16 April 2018 on behalf of his deceased brothers and parents and with me will take, I hope, some English soil , a piece of coal and a photograph. In doing this I will have kept faith with my family and honoured the brother that did not come home.

Further information:

Alfred’s service record shows that he enlisted during the early days of the war: 29 August 1914. He joined the 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and was first in France on 20 July 1915. He was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital on 1 February 1917, “whilst on pass from France.” In July of that year he was also treated for trench fever at 23rd Field Ambulance.

It seems that the fog of war may have affected reports of Alfred’s death. According to his service record, he was reported missing on 23 March 1918 and was later struck off on 11 June 1918. It is then listed that he died of tetanus on 16 April 1918. It seems that the family were in contact with the Army, in an effort to find out what happened to Alfred for some time. Alfred’s service record contains a formula letter from the Army stating that they did not have any information about Alfred’s death, dated October 1918. On the section that was left blank for relatives to fill in any information that they might have found, Alfred’s father explained that they had received the information that Alfred was dead from the Berlin casualty lists and that they had informed the army of this six weeks previously.

Civil Parish: South Moor

Birth date: 1892

Death date: 16-Apr-1918

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 61 Long Row West, Chopwell (1901 census)
7 Fell Row, Burnhope (1911 census)
89 Pine Street, South Moor (Army Service Record)
30 Third Street, Quaking Houses, near South Moor (1919, Army Service Record)

Employment: Miner, putter (1911 census)

Family: Father: John Gibson
Mother: Elizabeth Gibson
Brothers: Samuel Gibson, John W Gibson, James Gibson, Robert Gibson
Sisters: Susanna Gibson, Jessie Gibson, Elizabeth Gibson (Army service record, 1911, 1901 and 1891 census)

Military service:

11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Regimental number: 17503
Attested: 29 August 1914
Disembarked France: 20 July 1915

Medal(s): 1914/15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal

Memorial(s): South Moor Memorial Park, gates
Saint George’s Church, Park Road, South Moor, plaque

Gender: Male

Contributed by Julie, Wakefield