Hooge Crater Cemetery
Hooge Crater Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Joseph Coates, one of 5 children was the only son of Thomas Coates born 1872 at Reeth, near Richmond in Yorkshire and Sarah Cook native of Cramlington, Northumberland, born 1874. Thomas had migrated to the north east with his family between 1881 and 1891 settling at High Grange, district of Bishop Auckland, where he and his father William were coal miners. He met and married Sarah Cook in 1896 who gave birth to twins Gladys and Thomas during the 1st quarter 1897 at Shildon, County Durham, Hilda Mary born in 1898, and her siblings Edith Rebecca 1900 and Florence May in 1903 were also born there. In 1901 the family were living at 10, Dean Street, Thomas supported his family employed above ground at the colliery as a coke drawer. Their eldest daughter Gladys Coates died in 1905, she was 8 years of age and buried November 13th 1905 within the parish of Shildon, (the family were Wesleyans). They had moved by 1911 to 35, Brown Street, Thomas was still the only breadwinner, now a valve-man at the coke ovens, Joseph (14) was not employed, neither he or his sister Hilda (12) attended school, only Edith Rebecca (10) and Florence May (8) were scholars.
When war was declared August 4th 1914 Joseph was only 17 years of age. In 1916 he was living at 11, Church Street, Shildon employed at the colliery as a fireman. He was called up February 26th 1916 and as Private 4827 assigned to the 3/8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry a training unit of the Territorial Force. The battalion amalgamated with the 3/5th, 3/6th, 3/7th and 3/9th in August 1916 to form the 5th Reserve Battalion. Soon after Private Coates, August 27th, was transferred to the 1/8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, with a change of service number, as Private 203158 he departed with the British Expeditionary Force for the Western Front joining his regiment in the field. Whilst in the field he was posted to the 13th Battalion D.L.I. attached to the 23rd Division fighting on the Somme. They participated at the Battle of Thiepval September 26th-28th 1916, Le Transloy October 1st-18th including the capture of Le Sars. In 1917 they transferred to the salient in Belgium where they fought at the Battle of Messines June 7th-14th and during the third British attack of the Third Battle of Ypres at the Battle of Menin Road September 20-25th 1917.
Private 203158 Joseph Coates was killed in action, September 20th 1917, his body buried on the battlefield by his comrades and marked with a cross bearing his name and military details. Post war at the request of the French and Belgian Governments isolated graves and small concentrations were brought into larger cemeteries. In a small concentration at map reference J. 19. a. 9. 9. were found the remains of 8 soldiers, the crosses marking their graves were no longer present. By means of a disc they were each identified as Pte. 1976 G. W. Barr 1/5 D.L.I., L/Cpl. 43716 J. Lake 13/D.L.I., Pte. 11172 W. Bowen 10/R.W.K., and by means of a disc and a ring Private 203158 J. Coates. Of the remaining men one was identified as D.L.I. name unknown and the other unidentified not only in name but also regiment. They were brought into Hooge Crater Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium, for reburial with all honour and reverence by an Army Chaplain. Private Coates is at rest grave XIII. E. 13. alongside his comrade Lance Corporal J.E. Lake of Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
His father Thomas Coates of 11, Church Street, Shildon, County Durham, received all monies due to his son and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Thomas Coates died aged 56 years in 1928, registered in the district of Bishop Auckland.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Joseph Coates is remembered at Shildon on S122.01 S122.19 and S122.19
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 254
