Serjeant Daniel McKie
Serjeant Daniel McKie reverse of card
Heslop's Local Advertiser 13/10/1916
Medal Index Card
In St. Mary's Churchyard is a family headstone which reads:
We give back to God
Those we love
Catherine McKie
died 12th July 1966
aged 82 years
beloved wife of
Sergt. Daniel McKie
killed in action
16th Sept. 1916
aged 33 years.
Also
Nora Catherine Andrews
died ?9th July 1972
aged ?63 years.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Daniel McKie was born at Felling, Gateshead, County Durham September 10th 1884, one of 7 children, of whom only 3 survived, he was the eldest of 3 sons. His parents Henry McKie born 1853 at Felling and Catherine Hollywood born at Heworth, June 23rd 1859 were married January 15th 1881. Henry was employed as a bricklayer in 1891, living at Park Road, Felling with his wife and Daniel (6), Annie (5) who died 1892 at the age of 6 and Henry born 1890 who died in 1891 aged 1 year. Ten years later they had moved to 62, North Tyne Street, parish of St. James’s, Gateshead, Henry’s wife had given birth to a further 2 children Alexander (8) and Henry Jnr (5), whom along with Daniel (16) were scholars, attending St. John The Baptist Roman Catholic Boys School, Felling. In 1903 Daniel was already in the 5th Volunteer Battalion Durham Light Infantry and signed a 6-year Militia Attestation for the 4th Battalion D.L.I. By 1911 the family had moved back to 36, Neville Street, Felling, Henry Snr was employed at the pit below ground as a colliery mason, sons Alexander (18) and Henry Jnr. (15) also worked below ground as drivers, Daniel had left home having married at St. Patrick’s R.C. Church, Felling, Gateshead, April 29th 1908 to Catherine Brennan, born February 27th 1884, at Jarrow near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.
Daniel and Catherine had also moved into Neville Street, Felling at number 13, he was employed below ground as a horse-keeper. Catherine had given birth to Norah, their first born in 1908, followed by Mary in 1911 and Winifred, 1912.
Prior to WW1 Daniel was involved with the Catholic Boys Brigade at St. Patrick’s aiming to keep young boys out of trouble. They formed a band participating in camps and competitions later becoming the St. John Ambulance Band, at the time of King George V’s coronation in 1911, Daniel was awarded the St. John Ambulance Coronation Medal.
Daniel McKie enlisted at Felling in 1914 assigned as Private 1958 to the Durham Light Infantry. In the following days he was transferred to the 1st/9th Battalion which had returned from its annual camp and ordered to prepare for war. Over the next 9 months, after spending a few weeks digging trenches at South Shields as part of the coastal defences, the battalion was formed into 4 companies and began training at Ravensworth, Boldon and Newcastle-upon-Tyne for service overseas. During his training period Private McKie rose through the ranks to Sergeant.
Sergeant McKie departed with the 1/9th Battalion from Newcastle railway station between April 17th-19th 1915 for France, they landed at Boulogne April 20th and were attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division. Within days without any nursery training they were fighting in the front line trenches of the Ypres salient where they suffered heavy casualties from shelling and gas attacks on the Frezenberg and Bellewaarde ridges but thankfully were spared the heavy losses suffered by the other Durham battalions. Sergeant McKie returned home in mid-1915 to recover from gas injuries and during this period his wife Catherine became pregnant with twins, Daniel Jnr and Rosina, who were born April 17th 1916 by which time he had returned to the Ypres salient where he received the news. His regiment remained on the salient until August 1916 before moving from Belgium to France participating in the final stages of the Battles of the Somme.
During September and October the 1/9th D.L.I. attacked towards the Starfish Line, north of High Wood and the Flers Line at Eaucort L’Abbaye where a small number of Mark 1 tanks were deployed for the first time, cutting through the barbed wire to make way for the infantry and destroying machine gun emplacements. Sergeant 1958 Daniel McKie was wounded in the line of duty, Colin Robson, the husband of Sergeant McKie’s granddaughter Christine Salmon has supplied the following, “Daniel McKie was wounded by a random shell as the battalion moved up to the front line. His brother, Alexander described later how he ran back to find him wounded by shrapnel. Daniel presumably knowing the extent of his wounds, asked him to “look after the wife and bairns”. A priest was at hand to administer the last rites. Daniel was carried back to the Advanced Dressing Station”. Sergeant 1958 Daniel Mckie Durham Light Infantry died of wounds the following day, September 16th 1916, at the Advanced Dressing Station at Flatiron Copse, east of Mametz Wood, and was interred at Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France, grave II. E. 16. He was 32 years of age although his headstone states 33 years.
Daniel’s widow Catherine living at 4, Davidson Street, Felling, Gateshead, County Durham, received all monies due to him, his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and a pension for herself and their children. She commissioned at a cost of 10 shillings an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “R. I. P.”
Daniel’s brothers Alexander and Henry also served during WW1 with the 1st/9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and survived the conflict.
Henry McKie Snr died in 1926, Catherine McKie nee Hollywood possibly in 1944. Daniel’s widow Catherine McKie nee Brennan died July 12th 1966.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
His death was reported in Heslop's Local Advertiser 13/10/1916:
“Sergeant Daniel McKie, D.L.I. died of wounds received in action, 15th Sept., aged 32 years. Husband of Catherine McKie, 4 Davidson Street.”
Daniel McKie is remembered at Felling on F32.06 and F32.24 and at Durham in the DLI Book of Remembrance page 246.
