Photo: Derek Haynes
18390 Private
S. Waller
West Yorkshire Regiment
4th October 1916 Age 21
Gone but not forgotten
Derek Haynes has provided the following:-
Samuel’s birth was registered in the September Q 1895 in the registration district of Easington, Co. Durham, the eldest child of William Edward and Jane Ann Waller (nee Cooper) who were married September Q 1894 also in the registration district of Easington. They had two other children William Edward born Sept Q 1896 and Jane Ann born September Q 1900, both born in Seaham Harbour.
This was William’s second marriage as he had been previously married to Mary Lancaster, they had married on the 20th July 1884 in St. Andrew’s Church, Deptford and there were two children from this marriage Margaret Ann (June Q 1885) and Ellen Lancaster (December Q 1887) both born in the registration district of Easington.
Sadly William’s first wife Mary died aged 28 years in the June Q 1892 in Sunderland. Tragedy was to strike again for Samuel’s father, when on the 19th November 1902 at 30 Stoney Lane; Southwick aged only 26 years of age his second wife Jane Ann died. She was laid to rest on the 22nd November 1902 in Section OO Grave no. 4430 of Southwick Cemetery.
By 1911 now aged 15 years Samuel and his younger brother William had followed their father into the mining industry, both being employed as drivers in the mine, William senior was employed as a weighman. The family by this time were residing in three rooms at 55 Castle Street, Castletown.
Have been unable to find any service records for Samuel, what is known are that he enlisted into the 9th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) and given the service number 18390. The first theatre of war he served in was the Balkans entering on the 29th August 1915, it would only be a little over a year that Samuel would die of his wounds (4th October 1916) in Salford Military Hospital. His body was returned home to 25 Park Street South, Castletown, North Hylton and he was laid to rest on the 8th October 1916 in Ward 3, Grave no. 790 of Southwick Cemetery. A CWGC headstone marks his final resting place.
For services to his country Samuel was awarded the Victory Medal, British War Medal and the 1915 Star.
Samuel’s father William lived to the age of 72 years; he died the end of November 1936 at 14 Mary Street and was laid to rest on the 2nd of December 1936 in Section 3 Grave no. 820 of Southwick Cemetery.
Samuel Waller is remembered at Sunderland in S140.48 part 10 page 219, he is also listed in Peter Gibson's Book
