Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Martin was born 1890 in West Pelton, near Beamish, County Durham, one of 5 known children, 3 boys and 2 girls born to Andrew Martin 1846 born in Ireland and his wife Mary Wiilkinson native of Durham. William’s parents were married in the district of Chester-le-Street, March 1888. His father worked at the colliery as a hewer and in 1901 they were living at 1 Eden Square in the parish of Urpeth.
William was living at 25 Railway Street in Craghead when the Great War began. He enlisted in Stanley, September 1914 and was assigned to the Durham Light Infantry, 8th Battalion as Private 2118. The 8th Battalion was part of the 50th Norhtumbrian Division, they moved to Boldon Colliery in early August, then Ravensworth Park and the battalion was in Newcastle upon Tyne by October. Mobilised they landed at Boulogne April 17th 1915 as after the failure of British attacks at Neuve Chapelle the Germans’ were preparing to attack Ypres. The newly arrived battalions of the regiment without any, “nursery”, period were deployed as needed in the northern sector on the salient. William had his first experience of battle April 19th 1915 and the battle intensified in the coming days as the Germans’ attacked Ypres, April 22nd. Private 2118 William Martin Durham Light Infantry was killed in action on the Ypres salient April 26th 1915. He has no known grave, his sacrifice is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing which commemorates 54,394 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died on the Ypres salient whose bodies have never been found, up to a cut-off point of August 15th 1917. William was 25 years old and single.
His father Andrew as his sole beneficiary received all moines due to him, a pension and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William Martin is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 and C120.04
