Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Christopher Edmund Dolphin, one of 3 children was the only son of Edmund Dolphin and Margaret Raw born 1858 and 1854 respectively at Muker, near Richmond in Yorkshire they married in 1891 at Burnley. Two years later they were living at Quebec, County Durham, where their daughter Elizabeth known as Betsy was born in 1893. Christopher 1895 and his sister Margaret Hannah 1897 were born at Witton-le-Wear where they lived in 1891 at Beech Road, Witton Park. Edmund was employed as a coal miner/hewer and was joined by Christopher at the age of 16 employed as a putter below ground. By 1911 they had moved to Old Cornsay, later that years Edmund Dolphin died aged 53 years.
Christopher enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, October 14th 1914 and was assigned to the Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 1264. He was posted to the 20th (1st. Tyneside Scottish) Battalion which initially trained at Newcastle before moving to Alnwick camp in the grounds of Alnwick castle, January 29th 1915. They were transferred to Ripon, Yorkshire in June 1915 where they joined the 102nd Brigade, 34th Division and moved for final training in late August to Salisbury Plain, they departed to France in January 1916, concentrated at La Crosse near St. Omer. After undergoing a period of trench familiarisation they were moved to the Somme in preparation for the forthcoming offensive due to commence June 29th 1916, which because of bad weather did not take place until July 1st 1916. At 7.28 a.m. July 1st 1916 two huge mines were detonated in the explosive packed tunnels under the German lines, one to the north, the other to the south of the village of La Boisselle, near Albert. The 20th Battalion had 500 yards to cross under machine gun fire before reaching the German lines, 26 Officers and 564 men lost their lives, they successfully captured Scots and Sausage Redoubts. In 1917 they fought during the 1st and 2nd Battles of the Scarpe and the Battle of Arleux during the Arras Offensive. In August they were in action at Hargicourt where the battalion made little progress in the main advance to the Hindenburg Line.
Having risen through the ranks during his service the now Lance Corporal 20/1264 Christopher Edmund Dolphin was killed in action, September 8th 1917. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,337 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France, commemorating servicemen from Britain and South Africa who died on the Somme before March 1918 and who have no known grave. He was 22 years old and single.
His brother-in-law Thomas Whitfield also served during the Great War and survived the conflict.
It was his mother Margaret, as sole beneficiary, who received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal. Margaret Dolphin nee Raw died in the district of Lanchester in 1931 aged 77 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Christopher Edmund Dolphin is remembered at Cornsay on C116.01 and at Satley on S116.01
