Le Cateau Military Cemetery
Pauline Priano has supplied the following:-
James Salmon born October 21st 1895 at Southwick was the only son of William Salmon born at Spennymoor, County Durham in 1863 and his wife Sarah Stamp born 1869 native of Southwick, County Durham whom he married in 1886, district of Sunderland. They had 9 children in all however only 8 survived. In the years following James’s birth William Salmon worked as a cart man for the Co-operative Store, Felling whilst living at Albert Street, having moved by 1911 to 25, Joicy Street, Pelaw he was employed at the colliery as a waste man. The eldest daughters Elizabeth (24) and Jemima (22) worked in the sewing and tailoring department of the Co-operative Store, James (15) was employed by the family run business, Maypole Dairy of Wolverhampton as a butter assistant.
James enlisted, exact date unknown, at Gateshead and was assigned as Private 46765 to the 13th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. After initial training the main body of the regiment departed attached to the 62nd Brigade, 21st Division to France with the British Expeditionary Force during the first weeks of September 1915. Marched across France they had their first experience of action at the battle of Loos, September 26th 1915, sustaining heavy losses. Private Salmon was drafted to France during the preparations for the Battles of the Somme where the 13th Battalion participated at the Battle of Morval capturing Geudecourt. August 10th 1917 they joined with the 12th Battalion to form the 12/13th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. November 11th 1917 the German High Command decided to make a decisive attack in the spring of 1918 considering the British Army to be exhausted after four major efforts in 1917 at Arras, Messines, Passchendaele and Cambrai and moved many Divisions from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. During 1918 the 21st Division was in action during the First Battles of the Somme at Bapaume and Arras in March, at Tardenois during the Battles of the Marne in July, Battle of the Scarpe in August, Havrincourt September 12th and the Battle of the Canal du Nord September 27th-30th 1918.
Having risen through the ranks Lance Corporal James Salmon Northumberland Fusiliers died September 26th 1918 and was interred at Le Cateau Military Cemetery, Department Nord, France, 27 kilometres ESE of Cambrai. He was 23 years old and single.
His mother Sarah received all monies due to him as his sole beneficiary, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal. She commissioned at a cost of 17 shillings 2 pence an inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, Of Pelaw On Tyne Co Durham “Until The Day Breaks And The Shadows Flee Away”.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
James Salmon is remembered at Heworth on H92.03
