Newcastle Journal 21/09/1916
Billy Martin
Heilly Station Cemetery
David Grierson has submitted the following:-
12th September 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Billy Martin, my grandfather’s middle brother.
He was the second of three boys sons of William Calder Martin (c1858 – 1935) and Hannah [nee Harwood] Martin (1868 – 1914):
Henry Harwood Martin (1887 – 1961)
William (Billy) Martin (1890 – 1916)
John Ernest (Granda) Martin (1892 – 1971)
The 1891 census shows Billy (aged 4 months) and family living at 48, Sarah Street in the Parish of All Saints, Newcastle. Other records show he was baptised in the nearby church of St Ann on 21st January 1891.
The 1901 census shows the family living at 6, Rosedale Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle in the Parish of St Jude, Byker.
The 1911 census shows Billy (aged 20) living at 98, Buckingham Street, Westgate, Newcastle, in the Parish of All Saints once more. He was a “putter” in the coal mines (ie someone who pushes the waggons from the work face to either the rail tracks or the underground horse roads).
Billy enlisted with the Northumberland Fusiliers and joined the 1st/6th battalion, where, after training at the Northumberland Road (St. George’s) Drill Hall (still standing and now part of the University of Northumbria) the battalion proceeded to France to join the 149th Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division 20th April 1915. He subsequently fought at the second battle of Ypres (April/May 1915) and then, possibly, at the Somme (1916). He was wounded on 3rd March 1916 and was shown to have been admitted to hospital the following month.
The actual Battle of the Somme did not begin until 1st July 1916 and whether or not Billy actually fought in this battle is not known. (Although he is not listed as amongst the September 1916 casualties, I feel that, although not impossible, he is unlikely to have remained in a field hospital for six months and was therefore almost certainly discharged and did fight. Alternatively however, it might be that the record is totally correct but that he isn't listed in the war diary because his death was as a result of the wounds received in March.) What is known however is that he died on 12th September 1916 having been awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-15 Star. [The 1914–15 Star was a campaign medal of the British Empire that was awarded to officers and men of who served in any theatre of World War I. The medal was never awarded singly and recipients were also awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.] After the War, these three medals became popularly known as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after a Daily Mail comic strip that ran between 1919 and 1956.]
Billy is buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, near Amiens.
The Newcastle Journal 21/09/1916 reads:-
Mr Martin 90 Philip Street Newcastle has received official word that his son Private W. Martin has died of wounds.
William Martin is remembered at Elswick on E35.05 and at Shieldfield on S109.07
