Medal Card
Tyneside Irish Badge
Derek Johnstone has provided the following:
William Arkless was born about 1877 at Dunston, County Durham. He was the son of George Arkless from Whickham, a wood sawyer, and Eleanor Arkless from Swalwell, both in County Durham.
In the 1891 Census, William was 14 years old and living at his parents’ house at Mill Street, Dunston, with siblings Mary 21, Francis 19, Robert 17 and Eleanor 3. William at this time was a general labourer.
In 1901, William was living at Mill Street, Dunston in his widowed mother’s house. Siblings at the same address include his married sister Mary, her husband William J. Mark and their children Ann and George. William was age 24 and employed a blacksmith's striker.
By 1911, William was living at 6, Kelvin Gardens, Dunston where he was married to Elizabeth Jane, who was born at Hebburn. William was now 34, his wife was 26, his daughter Jane was 6 and son George was one year old. William was a coal miner and he had been married 7 years at time of census.
Military records show William was born Whickham and enlisted at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Pension Index Card shows his wife as Elizabeth Jane Arkless, widow and children Jane Arkless and George Arkless.
William Arkless is remembered in Dunston Hill on D31.01 and in Whickham on W86.09
