Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Andrew Carter was born 1893 in Craghead, Stanley, one of 5 surviving children, (5 deceased), 1 boy and 4 girls born to George and Susannah Carter. His father was born 1865 in Northumberland and worked all his life as a miner, his mother was born 1870 in Water Houses, Durham. After their marriage they settled in Craghead. At the age of 18 Andrew was employed as a coal miner-putter.
He enlisted in Spennymoor 1914 and was assigned as Private 18434 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. His service record was destroyed, as were many, during the blitz of WW2, however, his Medal Roll Index Card states that May 25th 1915 he was posted to the Balkans and at some point was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 96th Brigade, 32nd Division of the 4th Army which served on the Western Front in France for the duration of the war. Andrew was taken prisoner, whereabout and circumstances unknown.
Private 18434 Andrew Carter Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers died as a German Prisoner of War, October 25th 1918, He is officially listed as having died of wounds, many prisoners of war were, when in fact, they died of starvation, sickness, accident and sheer neglect, no record of where he is buried exists. He is commemorated on the Cologne Memorial, Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany along with 19 other P.O.Ws and 6 others who died of drowning and all of whom have no known grave. Andrew was 25 years of age and single. In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace. Andrew Carter is remembered at Craghead on C120.01, C120.02 and C120.04
