Paul Heatherington has submitted the following:-
William was born in Blackhill in the summer of 1894. His father was Dobson Gradon, a watchmaker and jeweller, born in Blackhill. Dobson’s parents had a grocery shop at 47 Durham Road, Blackhill. William’s mother was Margaret Moffatt Gradon (née Wardhaugh), born in Shotley Bridge. Margaret’s father had a tailor’s and drapery business at 20 Front Street, Shotley Bridge. William was the first child in his family. His younger siblings were named George Moffattand Margaret Moffatt. The family home was Northwood Villa in Queens Road.
In 1911, William, at sixteen years of age, was assisting in his father’s business. The business was based in Blackhill and had a branch at Shakespeare Street in Consett.
William enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry on the 1st December 1915. He gave his occupation as ‘jeweller and optician’. He was 5’ 7’’ tall, with a chest measurement of 39 inches, and he weighed ten stone.
William initially served as a Private and was mobilized on the 8th February 1916. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in March 1916 and Corporal in May of the same year. He served for two years in England before being posted to France on the 13th February 1918.
William was posted as ‘missing’ on the 26th March 1918. The army later stated that it was believed that he had become a prisoner-of-war. On the 12th January 1920, they wrote to his parents stating that ‘for official purposes he was regarded as having died between the 28th May 1918 and the 28th August 1918’.
William Reginald Gradon is remembered at Shotley Bridge on S27.03
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 227 as Cpl. R.W. Gradon and in the Battalion History
