Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Carr Blythman was born 1894 at Heworth, Gateshead, County Durham, the youngest of 4 children. His father coal miner John Blythman Snr, native of Boldon born 1863 and mother Eleanor Carr born 1867 at Heworth were married in the district of Gateshead, July 29th 1885. Living at Second Street, Heworth, in 1901 their family was complete with the birth of son John Jnr now (14), Esther (13), Mary Ann (10) and William (7). By 1911 with the exception of Eleanor the entire family was employed, William, his father and brother John as coal miners, both his sisters worked as clerks at the Co-operative store, they now lived at 2 East View Terrace, Heworth Colliery.
On the outbreak of war William Carr Blythman enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, October 14th 1914, assigned as Private 332 18th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and began training at Newcastle, part of which entailed, after the issue of picks and shovels, marching every day to Benton to dig trenches. The first week was very competitive, the expert miners amongst them managed to dig down 4 feet 6 inches in an hour. After spending time at Rothbury and Cramlington, February 8th 1915 it officially became a Pioneer Battalion and in July joined the 34th Division at Kirkby Malzeard. Divisional training continued at Salisbury Plain and Sutton Veny until being taken over by the War Office, November 4th 1915. December 28th preparations were made for embarkation at Southampton and they departed January 7th arriving at Le Havre, on the 8th. Entrained the Division was sent on to the depot at Etaples and underwent a fortnight of route-marching as preparations were already underway for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. The 34th Division departed from St. Omer for the Somme April 18th 1916. British attacks began July 1st 1916, engaged at the Battle of Albert and Bapaume, capturing La Boisselle, July 4th. “B” Company on the 4th and 5th were given the task of burying the dead, then moved up to Becourt Wood and marched back on the 6th transferring to the 37th Division. July 11th “B” and “D” Companies went into the front line at Bienvillers to find gas cylinders in the trenches ready to be deployed against the Germans which they were when the wind was favourable on the 14th and 15th. Ordered back on the 18th to Verdrei they were lent to the 63rd Division engaged in reopening old trenches destroyed in earlier bombardments, then on to Villers-Au-Bois working mostly at night as the Germans from certain high points on Vimy Ridge could see all they did and they sustained constant bombardment during the day. They remained on the Somme battlefields for the rest of 1916. January 26h 1917 they were moved to billets just north of Meteren until the 29th when they were moved again by bus to Robecq, from where they marched reaching on February 2nd, St Catherine a suburb of Arras. They participated during the battles of Arras in spring 1917 until they transferred to the Belgian salient in July 1917 for the commencement of the Battle of Passchendaele which lasted until November 10th 1917. In June 1918, they joined the 39th Division in an infantry role, following heavy losses in the 34th during the Battle of the Lys. The Division was then engaged in training the troops of the 77th American Division until in July they resumed their original role when they transferred to 66th Division for operations on the Flanders Coast, June 26th-September 25th 1918.
The demise of Private 18/332 William Carr Blythman is recorded as July 15th 1918 and he was interred at Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, Pas de Calais, France, grave II. E. 9. The majority of burials in this cemetery were made by the field ambulances in the area. The possibility exists that Private Blythman may have died of wounds or disease en route or at the Casualty Clearing Stations in the area surrounding Warlincourt but cannot be confirmed as his military record no longer exists, one of the 70% destroyed during the blitz of WW2. He was 23 years old and single.
His mother as sole beneficiary received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at East View, High Heworth, Felling, County Durham.
For the same reason stated above as regards WW1 military records, no evidence exists as to whether William’s elder brother John served, however his sister Esther was married to Carpenter Arthur Hartley HMS Viknor. He perished when his ship was sunk with the loss of her entire crew, January 13th 1915. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon and on the same marble plaque within the church of St. Mary, Heworth as William Blythman.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William Carr Blythman is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 /a> and H92.07
