Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Ellis was born 1875 at Tyne Dock, South Shields, one of 4 known children, 2 boys and 2 girls, born to Joseph Ellis and his wife Ann. In 1891 the family were living at 14, Owen Street, Westoe, South Shields, Joseph was employed as a trimmer, John was still a scholar.
John joined the British Army, October 1st 1903, assigned to the 1st. Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. The Battalion arrived in India in 1907 and moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi, January 22nd 1907 and on to barracks in Kuldana for training. It was mobilised for the Mohamand Field Force, April 29th 1908, entrained for Peshawar to replace the Northumberland Fusiliers and the Munster Fusiliers who were to be withdrawn from the field force due to an outbreak of cholera. They remained in the line until November 1908 when they returned to Kaldana. John served in India until the 1st Battalion was withdrawn in 1911 and posted back to England where he transferred to the reservists.
John took up employment at the North-Eastern Railway Company at Tyne Dock but at the time of the outbreak of war in 1914 he was working as a miner at Craghead Colliery, married to a girl by the name of Mary and had two children. When war was declared August 4th 1914, as a reservist, he was recalled to serve in his old battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. John was enlisted in York and assigned to the 1st Battalion as Private 7265. The 1st Battalion was prepared and landed at Saint-Nazaire, September 10th 1914 attached to the 18th Brigade, 6th Division for service on the Western Front. Private 7265 John Ellis West Yorkshire Regiment was killed ten days later, September 20th 1914, during the Battle of the Marne (September 6-12th 1914). His sacrifice is recorded on the La Ferte’-sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France which commemorates 3,740 officers and men of the British Expeditionary Force who fell in the battles of Mons, La Cateau, Marne and Anise between August and early October 1914 and have no known grave.
John’s widow Mary received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and the children and his awards of the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. John was 39 years old.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Ellis is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 and C120.04 and at South Shields on S86.051
