Photo: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:
Joseph McGiffen was my grandmother’s first cousin, born in Catherine Street, Felling, March 6th 1889, son of William McGiffen (1854 Ireland - 1936 South Shields) and Mary Smith (1859 Penrith - 1938 South Shields.) One of seven surviving children (two deceased): five boys and two girls. His father William worked as a steel smelter at the shipyards; Joseph was a coal miner stone man.
In October 1911 Joseph married Margaret A. Wilder of 9a Lowery’s Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead, they had three children, two girls born 1912 and 1915 and a boy born 1917.
Joseph first enlisted in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers as Private 11/18938 and was stationed in England. It wasn’t until his transferral to the Royal Irish Rifles 18th Battalion attached to the 36th (Ulster) Division that he was sent to France. H.M. the King inspected the Division on Hankley Common September 30th. Between the 3rd-6th October 1915 the Division crossed to France, (confirmed by his medal awards card dated October 5th 1915). By October 9th they were concentrated around Flesselles (seven miles north of Amiens) and on October 18th the Ulster Division incurred its first two casualties. The 36th took part in all the major battles on the Western Front and Belgium; Battles of the Somme July 1916 and June 1917, Battle of Ypres August 1917, Battle of Cambrai August to November 1917 and the Battle of St Quentin during May 1918.
Joseph McGiffen died of dysentery at Foreste Hospital, May 19th 1918 and was interred at Foreste Communal Cemetery, Aisne, France, grave I. D. 11.
Recipient of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
His sacrifice is recorded in the Gateshead Roll of Honour, in the Ireland Memorial Record and was on a plaque, as a member of the 3rd Corp Salvation Army, Pine Street, Gateshead. The building has since been demolished and unfortunately the plaque was not retained.
Two of Joseph’s brothers also served in the Great War: James McGiffen was killed in action and Robert McGiffendied of wounds.
Joseph’s widow Margaret remarried in 1920 to William A. Jackson of Engine Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead and had a further three children, all girls. Joseph and Margaret’s daughter Mary Elizabeth married Maurice Patton in 1938 and died in 1989, her sister Winifred married George Main Hepple in 1939 and William James married Rita Shields Crawley in 1949.
I paid my respect to Joseph in July 2012.
Remembered with immense pride. In God’s safe keeping.
Rest In Peace.
Acknowledgements also to Margaret Wilkinson.
Joseph McGiffen is remembered in Gateshead on G39.004 page 87