Ploegsteert Memorial
Ploegsteert Memorial
Brenda McMahon has submitted the following:-
Richard was born at Heighington in 1898. He was the son of John and Mary Elizabeth (nee Horner) who married at Auckland that same 1898 and went on to have 3 children all of whom survived childhood.
Richard’s siblings were Elizabeth, Florence and Robert.
In 1901 the family were living in Heighington Village where their father, John, was a joiner at the railway works.
By 1911 the family had moved to Merrington where life appears to be much as before. John was still a joiner but now working in folks’ houses rather than at the works. Living with them was also John’s widowed father Richard, a 74-year-old state pensioner formerly a joiner. The children were all at school.
Richard enlisted into the army at Ferryhill. His service records are not available so information about his service is limited although he did serve in several battalions of the Durham Light Infantry including 18th, 12th and 8th.
On 21 March 1918 the Germans began a series of attacks along the western front. This offensive was known as Kaiserschlacht or Kaiser’s battle. On 21 March 1918, when the German Army attacked on the Somme, the 50th Division, including 1/8 DLI, was in reserve. Rushed forwards to the front, the battalion was soon in retreat, along with the rest of the division. Fighting on the River Lys in April further reduced the strength of the battalion. Then on 27 May, the 1st/8th Battalion DLI was destroyed in fighting on the River Aisne.This was the battalion’s last battle. In June, the surviving soldiers were sent to other battalions and the battalion was finally disbanded in France on 6 November 1918.
Medals: British War Medal and Victory Medal
Richard Graham is remembered in Kirk Merrington on K26.01 and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 83
