Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Joseph was born at Middleton early in 1886 and was later was baptised March 7th 1886. He was the son of Joseph William and Elizabeth (nee Horn) who had married at Houghton le Spring in 1885. His siblings were Alfred, Dorothy, William and Elizabeth.
The 1901 census shows Elizabeth alone with her children at 10 Wood Street Barnard Castle. It appears her husband Joseph William is working as a domestic servant at the North Eastern Counties School which was a boarding school and apparently living there. His son, Joseph Robert, aged 15, is also working there in the position of Boots He does not live in.
In 1910 Joseph married his sweetheart, Millicent Hird. Their daughter Dorothea was born July 7th 1910. The little family lived in 2 rooms at 3 Greys Yard, Barnard Castle. They later went on to have two more daughters Muriel January 13th 1912 and May Mons May 10th 1915.
Joseph enlisted for the Yorkshire Regiment at Barnard Castle in August 1914 and sailed for the Dardanelles. September 9th 1915 He was killed in action on 19/11/1915 after 3 months service there.
Teesdale Mercury 15/12/1915 reads:-
‘Previous to the outbreak of hostilities the young fellow was in the local volunteers and was a National Reserve man.’
Joseph is buried at Hill 10 Cemetery, Turkey alongside 45 other soldiers of the Yorkshire Regiment together with a West Yorkshire Officer attached to the 6th Battalion.
Recipient of the 1915 Star, the Victory Medal and British War Medal.
Millicent married Walter H. Meyer September 15th 1917.
Joseph Robert Watson is remembered in Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.23 and B135.25
