Illustrated Chronicle Saturday 12/08/1916
Medal Index Card
Newcastle Journal Wednesday 28/10/1914
Newcastle Chronicle Friday 12/04/1915
John Edward Atkinson was born in Harton, South Shields in 1872 and baptised at St. Peter’s Church in Harton on the 23rd February of the same year.
His parents were Edward (born 1840 Simonburn- died 1906) and Elizabeth (nee Nixon, born 1846 Spital Tongues - died 1922), who were married on the 8th May 1871 at St. John the Baptist Church in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Few details are given on their marriage certificate; both Edward and Elizabeth are described as of 'full age' and 'residents of this parish'. Edward is employed as a labourer, as is his father Jacob Atkinson and also Elizabeth’s father John Nixon.
John Edward and his family can be traced through the Census returns. It can be assumed from the birth dates of the children that the family left South Shields and moved to Gateshead sometime between 1875 and 1878.
In 1881 the family are living at Drummonds Row in Windy Nook. Father Edward is working as a cart-man and he is living with his wife Elizabeth and five children; John Edward, who is the eldest child now aged 9 years, Thomas (born 1873 South Shields), Jane Ann (born 1875 South Shields), William (born 1878 Gateshead) and Jacob (born 1879 Gateshead).
In the following Census return of 1891 the address now given for the family is 127 High Heworth. Father Edward is described as a colliery cart-man and John Edward is also working in the coalmine. Two more children have added to the family; Joseph (born 1881 Gateshead) and Isabella (born 1883 Gateshead).<
John Edward married Elizabeth Turnbull Straughan (born 7th June 1872, Felling) on the 22nd April 1895 at Christ Church, in Felling. John Edward was 23 years old, working as a miner and residing at High Heworth. Elizabeth was also 23 years old and living in Davison Street. Her father was Thomas Straughan, a labourer.
Now a married man, John Edward is living in Davidson Street in Felling, Heworth in 1901 with his wife Elizabeth and three children. Annie Turnbull (born 1896 Gateshead), Elizabeth Ramshaw (born 1898 Gateshead) and Edward (born 1900 Gateshead). In 1901 John Edward is now 30 years old, and is working in the coal mine as a hewer. By 1911 the family were living in two rooms at 14 Back Davidson Street, Felling. At home with their parents John Edward and Elizabeth are Annie and Edward, and now also children Evelyn (born 1902 Gateshead), Lily (born 1904 Gateshead) and Thomas Straghan (born 1907 Gateshead).
Daughter Elizabeth Ramshaw is not listed with her family, but is found staying with her uncle Thomas Atkinson and his wife Mary Eleanor at their home in Gateshead at the time the Census was taken. The couple have had a family of eight children, but sadly two infants did not survive. These were Elizabeth Rogers (born 1895 Gateshead-died 1895) and Jane Straughan (born 1910 Gateshead-died 1911). Both children were buried at St. Mary’s in Heworth.
John Edward’s mother Elizabeth, now a widow, is the only occupant of 24 Back Davidson Street and she is supporting herself by working as a quilt maker.
John Edward Atkinson enlisted into the 20th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (1st Tyneside Scottish) with army service number 20/396. He is known to have served with ‘D’ Company. Unfortunately no attestation papers still exist for John Edward, only around 40% of these documents survive. The 20th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, 1st Tyneside Scottish, was raised in Newcastle in 1914 in response to Lord Kitchener’s call. The appeal for recruits was made direct to Scotsman living and working in Tyneside but in reality the battalion was made up of men from various backgrounds in the rush to enlist. It was known as a 'Pals' battalion where men were encouraged to enlist with their friends, eighbours, workmates and other family members in local recruiting drives with the promise that they could serve alongside each other.
The battalion was advertised as ‘being filled with the Toughest, Hardest and Best Tyneside Fighting Men’.The local newspapers published lists of men who had volunteered to encourage others to do the same and John Edward Atkinson, now aged 42 years old, was one of the early recruits. He enlisted in Newcastle upon Tyne and his name appears in the Newcastle Journal of Wednesday 28th October 1914 under ‘The Tyneside Scottish’.
The recruiting office for the Tyneside Scottish was in Grainger Street and the Corn Exchange was used for attestation. By 19th October 1914 around 250 men had joined and arrangements were under way to open recruiting offices in other areas including Wallsend, Jarrow and Gosforth. The men would wear a distinctive badge and cap, and the same uniform as the Northumberland Fusiliers and by 25th October 1914 the Tyneside Scottish Battalion was complete. As men joined in ever increasing numbers, additional battalions of the Tyneside Scottish were raised and the 4th and final Tyneside Scottish Battalion was sanctioned on the 16th November 1914. When taken over by the British Army these became battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers.
John Edward and his battalion received orders to leave Newcastle for Alnwick, a march of almost 40 miles. On the 29th January 1915 the 20th battalion (less the advance party which had left on the 26th) paraded outside the Town Hall before their departure, and the march was to be in two stages; Newcastle to Morpeth with lunch at Seaton Burn and and Morpeth to Alnwick with lunch at Felton. A large crowd had gathered to see the men, and their pipe band led their way. Every village en route turned out to welcome the men, cheering them on their way and they were also met with a warm welcome from the people of Alnwick on their arrival before they settled into their huts.
In June 1915 the Tyneside Scottish joined the 102nd Brigade, 34th Division. Orders arrived for the 102nd Brigade to move to Salisbury Plain where the 34th Division was to concentrate and they left Alnwick on 1st August 1915 on ten trains. The men arrived at Ludgershall in Wiltshire the next day and marched to their tented camps where they resumed their training. Brigade exercise was also introduced at least once a week and with the increased training some men were consequently deemed unfit for active service, and often found themselves transferred to Garrison battalions which accepted medically downgraded men.
Although initially it was thought the men would be sent to Egypt, a telegram was received from the War Office which read ‘Cancel everything, re-equip for France’ and on the 4th January 1916 the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade was mobilised for France.
The battalions were to receive instruction in trench warfare and the 20th battalion was allocated to the 23rd Brigade for this purpose. John Edward and ‘D’ Company were assigned to 2/Middlesex Regiment. A period of trench acclimatisation took place, and the men were gradually introduced into the front line before the entire battalion took up their section. The battalion’s first major action however was on the 1st July 1916 at the Battle of The Somme.
The Brigade attacked astride the Albert-Bapaume road opposite the village of La Boisselle. The plan of attack for the 34th Division was that the advance would be in four columns, each one three battalions deep. The Tyneside Scottish were to take up their positions in the right and left columns for the attack; In the right column were the 21st battalion Tyneside Scottish followed by the 22nd battalion and the 26th battalion (3rd Tyneside Irish) in support, and these men were to pass south of La Boisselle. In the left column were the 20th battalion Tyneside Scottish followed by the 23rd battalion and the 25th battalion (2nd Tyneside Irish) in support, who would pass to the north of the village.
La Boiselle however was well situated and a strong point for the Germans who were well organised and had underground passages and large dugouts, able to withstand heavy bombardment. The Germans had also picked up a message sent to one of the Tyneside Scottish Battalions at 2.45am and were well aware that an attack was imminent. The message confirmed the expected attack would begin the next morning and the Germans were prepared. The British artillery had already pounded the German lines for almost a week to destroy their trenches and barbed wire, but the enemy were dug in so deep they were able to survive.
At 7.28, two minutes before zero, two huge mines exploded underneath part of the German lines. These had been in preparation for months and were Y Sap (with 40,000lbs of explosives) situated to the north of La Boiselle and Lochnagar (which had 60,000lbs of explosives) situated to the south.
As the whistles blew the men climbed out of their trenches to advance towards the German lines, each Company was played over by it’s pipers. The Germans manned their machine guns and as the men approached the enemy in line formation at walking pace, as they had been ordered to do, the enemy’s guns cut them down in swathes. Despite the casualties the men pushed on, joining together as the lines were reduced and moving forward into the battle.
On the left, the 20th and 23rd battalions had crossed the parapet into the wide expanse of No Man’s Land and immediately came under cross fire from machine guns in Ovillers and La Boisselle, some bravely fought their way to the second line before they were killed.
The 20th and 23rd battalions had been practically wiped out; casualty numbers varied at the time but the 20th battalion was reported as losing all 26 officers and 605 men in the Divisional history of 1921.
By late afternoon it was obvious the day had been a disaster for the British. Many of the wounded had to find their own way back as the stretcher-bearers were easy targets and consequently some of the wounded took hours or even days to make their way to safety.
A couple of days later Brigadier General Ternan managed to cross No Man’s Land to see the carnage for himself and said "I passed through successive lines of dead Tyneside Scots lying as regularly as if on parade."
Private John Edward Atkinson was initially posted as missing before believed killed on the 1st July 1916 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. His body was never recovered and he has no known grave.
His death notice did not appear in the local newspaper until April of the following year.
Newcastle Evening Chronicle 12/04/1917.
ATKINSON – Previously reported missing, now killed on July 1st, Pte. John E. Atkinson, 1369, N.F., beloved husband of E. Atkinson, 14 Davidson Street, Felling. Ever remembered by his loving wife and children.
(The newspaper had misprinted his service number as 1396).
John Edward’s widow Elizabeth received all his effects after his death. She remarried to William Williamson in 1917 at Gateshead.
In the 1939 Register Elizabeth Williamson was living at 14 Back Davison Street, Felling with daughters Annie (Atkinson) and Lily (Atkinson).
Research: Jean Atkinson
John Edward Atkinson is remembered at Heworth on H92.04 and H92.07
