Tyne Cot Memorial
Tyne Cot Memorial: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Joseph Milling was born 1886 at Felling, in the district Gateshead, one of 2 sons born to David Milling of Armagh, Ireland born 1859 and his wife Elizabeth Dodds born 1861 at Tynemouth, Northumberland whom he married in the district of Gateshead in 1884. The first available record as a family is in 1891, a year after the death of his wife Elizabeth aged just 29 years. David can be found living with his sons, Joseph only 5 and his brother John Thomas 3 at Holly Street, Heworth along with his widowed mother-in-law Hannah Dodds, David was employed as a general labourer.
In 1894 David took a second wife, Mary Ellen Harbottle a local lady from Felling born 1869. They moved to 5, Garden Terrace, Heworth. David was now employed at the local colliery as a shifter below ground, Joseph 15 years old was employed at the Felling and District Cooperative Society Store, Coldwell Street, Felling as a grocer’s assistant. His father and step mother had 8 children of whom only 6 survived, 5 sons and a daughter. In 1911 their eldest sons worked at the colliery, half-brother John Thomas laboured for a timber merchant, Joseph was now living at 11, Dorothy Street, Felling with his wife Jessie Highton whom he had married in the district of South Shields, Northumberland in 1910. His wife gave birth to 2 sons, David born 1913 at South Shields whilst they were living at 52, Bath Street and Joseph Henry born September 18th 1915 at Felling.
Joseph Milling enlisted at Felling, Gateshead, exact date unknown, assigned to the Durham Light Infantry as Private 33307 and joined the 10th Battalion in the field on the Western Front during 1916. The main body of men had departed for France May 21st 1915 as part of the 43rd Brigade 14th Division. In June 1916, the battalion moved south to Arras and in early August to the Somme where it joined the fighting to clear Delville Wood. Two weeks later, September 16th the battalion attacked the Gird trenches and were caught by German machine gun fire. Unable to advance they lost 400 men either killed, wounded or missing. April 9th 1917 the 10th Battalion saw action on the opening day of the Battle of Arras pushing the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line of barbed wire and trenches, taking prisoners and advancing over one mile, their finest achievement of the war. They returned to the Ypres salient in August 1917 for the Third Battle of Ypres also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. They suffered heavy losses in the Menin Road at Inverness Copse, before taking the front line at Passchendaele in December 1917.
Private 33307 Joseph Milling was killed in action December 18th 1917 on the Ypres salient, his body buried on the battlefield marked with a cross. After the Armistice during the clearing of the battlefields his grave was found, his body exhumed and brought into Tyne Cot Cemetery, August 31st 1920. Reburied with all reverence and military honours he is at rest in grave XXXIX. C. 22, he was 31 years old.
His widow received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their sons and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal. She was informed of her late husband's reburial and commissioned at the cost of 10 shillings and 6 pence an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Time Changes Many Things But Love And Memory Cling”.
Two years after her husband's death Jessie Milling had remarried in the district of Gateshead in 1919 Ernest Hardwick, native of Felling born 1894. Due to absence of adequate records it is unclear whether Jessie emigrated alone to Canada or with Ernest, however her sons were left in the care of their paternal grandparents at 16, Falla Park Crescent, Felling, until their mother paid for their passage aboard the, “Montclare” of the Canadian Pacific Line which left Liverpool bound for Quebec and Montreal, October 26th 1928. The young boys travelled alone, they were 15 and 13 years old, to join their mother who was living in Walkerville, Ontario. Joseph Highton Milling married a Canadian, spent some time living in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. returning to Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada where he passed away, exact date unknown. His living descendants still live in the area. Regards David Milling no details at present are available.
Joseph Milling’s death during WW1 coming just over a year after that of his half brother James Alexander Millingserving on the Western Front as Private 2113, 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, killed in action aged 22, September 15th 1916.
The death of his father David Milling at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1944, aged 85, followed that of Joseph’s stepmother who passed away in 1937 at Gateshead, aged 68 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Joseph Milling is remembered at Felling on F32.01 and F32.08 and at Windy Nook on W95.01 and W95.02
