Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John William Kirkpatrick born 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1893 at Whitehaven, Cumberland, was the only son of Richard Kirkpatrick of Whitehaven and Mary Parker of Flimby, near Maryport, both in Cumberland, born 1869 and 1871 respectively. They were married in the district of Whitehaven in 1893, once married he left his employment as a coachman to work below ground at the colliery as a stable man. They had taken into their home at 21, Senhouse Street, 3-year-old John Blair, listed as a nurse child, in modern day terms a foster child, sometimes but not always children listed as such were illegitimate, by 1911 John Blair had been adopted by them. In 1911 they were living at Watson Arch Grange Street, Richard Kirkpatrick was employed as a foreman cab driver, John William (17) worked as a labourer at the coke ovens, John (12) was a scholar.
Between 1911 and the outbreak of war in 1914 John William Kirkpatrick had migrated alone to the north east settling in the district of Leadgate, County Durham. He enlisted at Barnard Castle in 1914 assigned as Private 24602 Durham Light Infantry, joining his regiment at their barracks at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland. Travelling by train the new recruits left Newcastle for Aylesbury where they were divided into the 14th and 15th Battalion. Private Kirkpatrick was posted to the 15th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and moved to Halton Park as part of the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. Halton Park had been offered to the War Office by Alfred de Rothschild as a training camp. The bad weather, lack of khaki uniforms, dummy rifles and too few officers meant training was little more than basic drill, however in December 1914 both the 14th and 15th Battalions moved to High Wycombe where they were issued with uniforms and rifles and proper training began. Early April 1915 they returned to Halton Park to occupy newly built wooden huts, their training intensified and finally they were moved in July 1915 to Whitley Camp near Aldershot for final training. September 10th 1915 the 15th Battalion departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Boulogne in France still attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. Two weeks later still inexperienced and unprepared the 14th and 15th Battalions were sent into battle at Loos, September 25th 1915, in the first major offensive by the British on the Western Front. They arrived on the Loos front after a long march, wet, tired and hungry the 14th and 15th moved forward across the old British front line reaching the old German line the following morning at about 2 a.m. Later that morning they attacked only to be driven back by machine gun fire. During the first two days of battle the 15th Battalion lost over 450 men. After spending winter in the trenches at Armentieres they were moved south to the Somme in September, the division participated in the final stages of the battles at Flers-Courcelette September 15th-22nd and Morval 25th-28th. April 9th-May 15th 1917 they were involved in the intense fighting on the Arras front however the 15th Battalion made little headway facing not only barbed wire but machine gun fire resulting in heavy losses with very little gain and failure in capturing the German front line.
Private 24602 John William Kirkpatrick Durham Light Infantry was killed in action June 9th 1917 and interred at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Somme, France, grave I. E. 39. He was 22 years of age and single.
His father Richard Kirkpatrick received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at his home address of 3, Watson’s Yard, George Street, Whitehaven, Cumberland. He commissioned at a cost of 7 shillings 10 pence an additional inscription to be added to his son’s military headstone, it reads, “Death Divides But Memory Clings.”
Richard Kirkpatrick died in 1944 aged 74 years, Mary Kirkpatrick nee Parker aged 74 years in 1946, both registered in the district of Whitehaven, Cumberland.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John William Kirkpatrick is remembered at Iveston on I5.01 and at Leadgate on L65.02
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 146
