Willington Cemetery
In Willington Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:-
In Loving Memory
Of
JOHN BELL
Of Station Cottages Willington
Who Died 6th April 1918
Aged 85 Years
And Of Grandsons
Pte RALPH BELL HIRD
Who Fell In Action In France
10th October 1916 Aged 28 Years
Pte HENRY NORMAN HIRD
Who Fell In Action In France
11th October 1918 Aged 21 Years
Sons of FRANK & MARY JANE HIRD
Who Gave Their Lives For Others
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Ralph Bell Hird was born at Bank Foot, St. Helen’s Bishop Auckland, County Durham, where he was baptised March 6th 1888, one of 6 children of whom only 4 survived, he was the 2nd born of 3 sons and had 3 elder sisters. Agnes Sarah the eldest born 1880 died aged 19 years in 1899, Mary Isabella born 1883 died aged 22 years in 1905. His father Frances Hird, known as Frank, born in North Yorkshire at Scorton in 1857 married, October 18th 1879, in the district of Durham, to Mary Jane Bell born 1859 at Barnard Castle, County Durham. Newly married they settled at Langton near Darlington where Frank worked as an agricultural labourer and where Agnes Sarah was born. By 1891 they had moved to Bank Foot where he had changed occupation and was now a plate layer for the railway. Still employed by the railway he had been transferred to Helmington Row ten years later and living as West Durham Cottages, eldest son John William (15) was a cow boy and agricultural labourer. All of their surviving children had left home by 1911 with the exception of Henry Norman (14) who worked at the colliery as a letter boy, they had taken into their home at 4, Railway Cottages, Mary Jane’s widowed father John Bell (77), who despite his age was still employed as a railway plate layer for the railway, Frank was now a railway fireman.
Ralph Bell Hird, despite having married at Bethel Chapel, North Road, Durham City, July 23rd 1910, to Mary Elizabeth Mundell born 1890 at Willington, in 1911 was living at No.2 Dunn’s Yard, Commercial Street, Willington as a boarder with his brother John William, his wife Edith and their daughter Florence Mary. He was employed, as was his brother, as a coal miner. Ralph’s wife Mary Elizabeth was still living with her parents James and Ann Mundell at 8, Boyne Street. She gave birth to 2 children James, April 15th 1911 and Edith Mary, August 18th 1913.
Leaving his employment as a miner Ralph enlisted at Durham, September 8th 1914 assigned as Private 16049 Durham Light Infantry. September 16th he was one of over 4,000 recruits who left Newcastle-upon-Tyne by rail bound for Bullswater Camp, Surrey. There they were divided into 4 battalions the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Private Hird was assigned to the 12th Battalion and began his training wearing his own clothes before blue serge uniforms were issued and in late October 1914 obsolete rifles. Rain by November had made the Bullswater Camp unusable and the 12th and 13th Battalions were transferred to barracks at Aldershot and later to Ashford in Kent and finally to Bramshott in Hampshire.
February 1915 they received khaki uniforms and leather equipment finally arrived, by July rifle training was complete and the battalion was ready for overseas service. Private Hird departed for France, August 25th 1915 as part of the 68th Brigade, 23rd Division arriving the following day and within days the battalion was in the trenches but thankfully were spared the disastrous losses of the Battle of Loos. They spent the remainder of 1915 and early 1916 in and out of the trenches at Armentieres and Souchez. March 23rd 1916 Private Hird was taken for treatment by Field Ambulance suffering from scabies and did not return to field duty until May 9th 1916.
Late June 1916 the 23rd Division was moved south to the Somme, the 12th Battalion joined the fighting south of La Boisselle, July 7th, 6 days after the commencement of the Battle of Albert. They were later withdrawn and spent most of August at Armentieres before returning to the Somme. October 7th assisted by a tank the 12th attacked and captured the Tangle, a complex of trenches and machine guns, east of La Sars.
During this attack Private Hird was cut down by machine gun fire and wounded in both arms and legs. Taken by the Field Ambulance to the 45th Casualty Clearing Station at Edgehill, in immediate touch with the front line receiving wounded of a serious nature. It was here that Private 16049 Ralph Bell Hird Durham Light Infantry died of wounds received on active service October 10th 1916 and interred at Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension, grave III. F. 7. He was 28 years old.
Communication informing Mary Elizabeth of his death was sent to her October 14th 1916. In due course she received all monies due to him, a pension of 22 shillings and 11 pence a week for herself and their two children as of April 16th 1917 and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 133, School Row, Oakenshaw, Willington, County Durham.
January 29th 1917 Mary Elizabeth wrote to the Infantry Records Office York the following, (transcribed including any grammatical errors), “Dear Sir, I am writing to rem..illegible..of my husband's belongings I think it's about time I had them now Private R B Hird 16049 12th Batt D L I please oblige me Mrs M. E. Hird.” February 21st 1917 Mary Elizabeth received a communication from the Infantry Records Office, York stating that she was now in possession of all personal items belonging to her husband. March 2nd 1917 she responded, “Dear Sir I am writing to ask you to kindly send me the photos that my husband had in his pockets has I have been informed that they were in his pockets when he was wounded also a ring which he wore when he was wounded I would like everything he had on him please oblige me.” His military record makes no statement of fact if she ever received these items.
Details of demise of Mary Elizabeth Hird nee Mundell as yet unknown, son James Hird died in 1885 aged 74 years at Stafford, Staffordshire.
Ralph’s brother Henry Norman Hird serving as Private 24215 Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment was killed 2 years later almost to the day, October 11th 1918. Recipient of the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Ralph Bell Hird is remembered in Willington on W120.02, W120.03, W120.05
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 280 as B.R. Hird
