Belgian Battery Cemetery
Belgian Battery Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Joseph William Douglas was born at Willington, County Durham in 1893 and married Sarah Ann Richardson in the district of Durham in 1913, with whom he had a son William E. Douglas born 1915.
Joseph William Douglas enlisted assigned firstly as Private 2091 to the 1/6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry part of the 50th Division and allotted to the Tyne Defences, then transferred to the 1/7th Battalion part of the coastal defences, however he did not depart for the Western Front in 1915 with the battalion. After the first rush of men to enlist the War Office, August 6th 1915, asked the County Durham Recruiting Committee to raise a battalion of pioneers who would be trained to dig trenches as well as fight. Private Douglas was transferred to the 22nd (Pioneer) Battalion with the new service number 203224.
March 1916 the 22nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry moved to Scottish Camp at Catterick for intensive training, departing to France June 16th 1916, only a few weeks before the commencement of the Battles of the Somme, programmed to commence June 29th but delayed due to bad weather until July 1st 1916. On July 2nd the battalion joined the 8th Division to work carrying supplies to the forward lines and wounded soldiers back for treatment. In preparation for the Third Battle of Ypres the battalion was sent to Belgium and had been deployed all summer digging new communication trenches and a light railway. This work cost almost 100 casualties, including many injured by mustard gas. Their dedication was recognised by the author Wilfred Miles when he wrote of the Durham Light Infantry’s Service Battalions, “No troops contributed more than the Pioneers to the hard-won successes in Flanders during the summer and autumn of 1917”.
Private 203224 Joseph William Douglas Durham Light Infantry is listed as, “deceased”, July 14th 1917, cause unspecified and buried at Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery, West-Vlaanderens, near Ypres, Belgium, grave 1. F. 13. He was 24 years of age.
His widow Sarah Ann received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their son and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 10, Bainbridge Avenue, Willington, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
He is remembered in Willington on W120.02 and W120.03
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 182
