Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Born in September 1889 in Wolsingham to Lancashire born farm labourer Alfred Hawkins and his wife Elizabeth (nee Barker), John George was their fifth child and shortly after his birth the family moved to Red House Farm, Roddymoor, near Crook, leaving John and 4 year old Sarah at home whilst the three older boys were at school.
Ten years later they had returned to live in the West End of Wolsingham where his father and older brothers worked at the local stone quarry, whilst Saran, John and 9-year-old Bertram remained at home. After the death of his father in 1901 James, John and Bertie remained living with their mother in Wolsingham High Street, and John found work as a house painter.
26 year old John George enlisted in 22nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry (Pioneers) in Bishop Auckland on 18th November 1915 as Private 221364 and was posted to France six months later, having his first tour of front line duty in July. On 10th September 1916 John was buried by a shell during fighting on the Somme and spent the next two months recovering in hospital not rejoining his battalion until 17th December. 1917 saw the battlion leave France and move into Belgium where 22 DLI dug new communication trenches and laid a new light railway track in preparation for fighting at Ypres, and then Passchendaele.
On 21st March 1918, the German Army attacked on the Somme and the Durham Pioneers were needed to fight as infantrymen. When 22 DLI was finally relieved by French soldiers on 2nd April, the Pioneers had lost almost 500 men killed, wounded or missing, one of those being Private Hawkins had been reported as missing on 26th March.
His name is included in a booklet on the names on the Wolsingham Cenotaph compiled by Morris Ward, which adds that his last known occupation was as a Painter.
John George Hawkins is remembered in Wolsingham on W128.02 and W128.05 and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 61
