William Kirby and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-

Wardle was born at West Hartlepool in 1871 and was baptised in the town at Christ Church on March 29th 1871. His parents were Robert Mankin and Jane (nee Christie). The couple had married on December 12th 1859 at Southwick, Sunderland and went on to have several children.

The 1871 census shows that father, Robert was a mariner His children included Esther, Elizabeth, Robert, John and Wardle aged only 1 month. They were living at Lynn Street Stranton, West Hartlepool.

By 1881 the family had further additions of Annie, Eliza and Isabella and were living at 23 Mozhart Street Stranton.

On January 4th 1887 Wardle, along with his older brother, John was indentured as an apprentice with the Merchant Navy. His indenture would expiry date was 1890. He was only a month away from his 16th birthday. He enrolled at the Port of Hartlepool for a term of 4 years. The name of the person to whom he was bound was G. Moorson.

1891 Father was still at sea aged 56 years. John junior, like his father, was a seaman also whilst Wardle worked as a steam crane engineman. The family also had a boarder at that time. They were living at William Street Stranton.

In 1900 father, Robert died aged 65 years. By 1901 most of the family had flown the nest. Jane was now a widow although Wardle aged 30 was still at home at William Street Stranton.

In the 1911 census sister Eliza (Vasey) was head of the household along with her son, Robert, who worked as a tram conductor for West Hartlepool Transport. Wardle (still single aged 40) was shown to be in electric work at the shipyard. They lived at 7 Albert Street.

Their mother was still alive aged 76 years. She lived with her another married daughter Isabel (Atkinson) at 32 Back Alfred Street West Hartlepool. Jane died in 1915 aged 79 years.

Wardle enlisted as James Close at Stockton on Tees. He had joined the Royal Engineers. His qualifying date was November 3rd 1914. This suggests that he had been in the Army prior to WW1.

The Hartlepool Daily Mail 12/12/1914 reports:-

Mrs Mankin of 12 Alfred Street West Hartlepool has received a letter from her soldier son in which he says: You will be surprised to see I am in Paris. I injured my knee in the trenches and it swelled up, so I had to go to the sick hospital. I missed seeing the King, he was outside our hospital. What a bed I am sleeping in now! It is fit for a millionaire. It is the most beautiful building I have ever been in – built for American millionaires but not occupied yet. There is one room next to me all marble and gold. I have more tobacco than I can smoke in fact everything but money and I cannot get that till I get out of hospital.

Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any surviving service records. He died ‘at home’ in Maidenhead on the 28th July 1917. He was given a military funeral and buried in Stranton Cemetery.

He was awarded the British War Medal, 1914 Star and the Victory Medal for his services.

Wardle Mankin is remembered at West Hartlepool on W111.054 and W111.086 page 27

The CWGC entry for Sapper Close
The CWGC entry for Sapper Mankin