Photo: B. Chandler
W.E. Carver
Durham Light Infantry
14th August 1918 age 47
Westgate Police Station Coroner's Report No 351 dated 15th August 1918.
"William Edward Carver, 47 years, Commercial Clerk & Ex L/Cpl., 9th D.L.I. Territorials, 143 Dinsdale Road. Died at his residence at 11.40 pm on the 13th August 1918.
Deceased died from Mitral and Aortic regurgitation attributable to active service in France."
Pauline Priano, who is a distant relative on her grandmother's side, has submitted the following:
William Edward Carver was born in Scotswood, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1871, third son of Charles Carver born 1838 in Halifax, died April 1918 Gateshead and Maria James 1839 Glamorgan, Wales, died December 1915, County Durham. William was one of nine children, seven boys and two girls.
William in 1891 was working as a clerk warehouse man for the Indian Rubber Dunlop Tyne Company and April 2nd 1891 he enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry, 5th Battalion Volunteers as No 2351. In 1910 he married Mary Elizabeth Cooper, I have been unable to find any children from this marriage. He re-enlisted April 9th 1909 in the 9th Battalion D.L.Infantry, with the rank of Lance Corporal No 325019, for a period of four years and again April 19th 1914 for one year with the obligation of extending this in a time of emergency. At that time he was almost 43 years old, his medical states he was 5’ 3” tall and that his eyesight was good. William Edward was dispatched to France with the 9th battalion D.L.I. in 1915. The 9th battalion took part in many major battles on the Somme and around Ypres in Belgium. His commanding officer wrote to the Ministry requesting he be discharged due to his age and received a reply allowing him to depart from Etaples, France, by train, for England where he was to report to headquarters Gateshead-on-Tyne. He was officially discharged May 26th 1917. It would appear he was ill due to a disease contracted whilst serving in France. Lance Corporal 325019 William Edward Carver died August 14th 1918 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a consequence of the war and is buried in St Andrew’s Cemetery, Jesmond, Newcastle.
A plaque in St Barnabas, Sandyford, Newcastle, (now demolished,) remembered William and the other men from the parish who perished in the Great War.
Two of William’s brothers also served in the Great War.
They were Alfred David Carver, known as David, he too enlisted in the D.L.I. and was sent to France in 1917. David survived and worked as a cooper by trade, enlisted again in 1920 and was a drummer in the D.L.I. band.
His other brother was Samuel Edwin
William Edward Carver Carver is remembered in Jesmond on J1.42 and J1.51 and in Gateshead on G39.004 on page 62