St. Joseph's churchyard
St. Joseph's churchyard
In St. Joseph's churchyard is a family headstone which reads:-
Of your
Charity pray for
the soul of
Mary Violet beloved wife of
William Sables
who died Aug. 9th 1917
aged 47 years
and William their son
Killed in Action in France Sept. 16th 1914
Aged 20 years
R.I.P.
Ann Morris has offered this:
This is my Uncle, William Sables. He was the first man from Birtley killed in the Great War. His photograph was displayed in the local photographer shop, draped in black for several weeks.
There is also a newspaper report stating 3 weeks after receiving the telegram stating he was dead, his mother received a letter from him written a day or so prior to him being killed. Kind regards Ann Morris.
William Sables is remembered in Birtley on B127.01, B127.02, B127.09
