Photo: Brian Pirrie
25062 Corporal
J. Reay
Durham Light Infantry
18th November 1917 Age 40
God thought fit
To take him home
And with his will
We must comply
Son of the late John and Mary Ann Reay, of Consett; husband of Mary Jane Reay, of 17, Durham Rd., Blackhill, Co. Durham.
Paul Heatherington has submitted the following:-
John was born in Consett in 1877. He was the second child of John Reay from Cumberland and Mary Ann (née Graham) from Walker in Northumberland. John’s siblings were Mary, Elizabeth, Emma, Thomas and Wilfred.
In 1891, the family were living at 19 Buddle Street, Consett. At the age of fourteen, John was already an iron worker.
On the 13th May 1899, John married Mary Jane Snowdon at Lanchester Registry Office. Their daughter Frances Mary was born the following year.
In 1901, they were living at 17 Durham Road, Blackhill and John was a general labourer. After Frances, the couplehad seven more children: John William, Thomas Wilfred, Margaret Elizabeth, James Edward, Hilda and the twins Dorothy and Annie (born on the 17th September 1916).
The family still lived in the same house in 1911 and John was now a cogging charger at the steelworks.
John enlisted at Consett on the 28th April 1915. At that time, he was 5’ 10½’’ tall and had a chest measurement of 39 inches. He joined the Durham Light Infantry and became a Corporal. In October 1916 he incurred an injury to his left elbow and was discharged as unfit for service. He died athome on the 18th November 1917 and is buried in Blackhill Cemetery.
John Reay is remembered at Shotley Bridge on S27.03
