Photo: Pauline Priano
Photo: Pauline Priano
Blaydon Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Francis Shanley was the youngest of 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter, offspring of Francis Shanley Snr born, September 16th 1855 at Milburngate, Durham City, County Durham, baptised September 30th at St. Cuthbert’s and Elizabeth Bates native of Gateshead, County Durham born 1866. The couple were married at Gateshead in 1884, their son John Bates Shanley was born at Blaydon later that year, however they had transferred to Walbottle Northumberland, by 1888, birthplace of Sarah Winifred, Francis was born at Scotswood, Northumberland in 1889. Elizabeth Shanley nee Bates, aged 26 years, died January 21st 1891, leaving Francis Snr with a 10, 3 and 2-year-old to look after as well as holding down his job as a coal miner/hewer. He re-married, 1894, to Isabella Elliott in the district of Castle Ward, Northumberland, in 1891 they were living at Denton Square, East Denton, where he and John (17), a putter, were employed at the colliery. To increment the family income they had taken in 2 relatives as boarders, nephews Thomas (27) and Peter Murphy (26) employed at the shell filling factory of W. G. Armstrong and Whitworth. By 1911 son John had married and left the family home, Francis had joined his father at the colliery, he worked above ground tipping the stones brought to the surface, and Sarah was an unmarried mother of a new born baby girl Frances Elizabeth, they were living together in 3 rooms at Benson’s Buildings, Westerhope.
Britain declared a state of war existed with Germany, August 4th 1914. Francis enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, and having been attested, as Private 14810, he arrived at the 10th Echelon of the Durham Light Infantry at Pirbright, near Woking, Surrey, where he was posted to the 11th Battalion. The men were living in huts but training was slow due to the lack of uniforms and equipment, until the arrival of blue serge uniforms in November 1914 and soon after leather equipment and obsolete rifles. By March 1915 they had moved to Larkhill, received khaki uniforms and full kit, training now began in earnest. A large number of the men were miners, the 11th Battalion was assigned, January 1915 as the Pioneer Battalion of the 20th Division.
Private Shanley departed with his regiment, July 20th 1915 arriving in France where they were put to work behind the lines repairing old, digging new and draining mud-filled trenches, strengthening barbed wire defences and repairing roads, when necessary they also fought as infantry. This work continued during 1915 and on the Somme in 1916, mostly at night, however, the Pioneers were constantly subjected to shell fire and sustained casualties every day. During the capture of Guillemont in September 3rd-6th they fought as infantry, the 20th Division also participated at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette September 15th-22nd, Morval 25th-28th and Le Transloy October 1st-18th 1916.
Private 14810 Francis Shanley Durham Light Infantry, reported as missing and or wounded, was, after extensive investigations as to his whereabouts, confirmed to have died October 7th 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,337 names of British and South African forces inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France, commemorating those who died on the Somme before March 1918 and who have no known grave. He was 27 years of age and single.
His father Francis received all monies due to him from the Army and his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to his home address of Benson’s Buildings, Westerhope, Northumberland.
Francis’ brother John also served during WW1 and was discharged due to disability. His brother in law Richard Boyle who died at Newcastle in 1921 is registered with the CWGC as a casualty of war.
Francis Shanley Snr died in 1933 aged 76 years, registered at Castle Ward, Isabella Shanley nee Elliott aged 76 years in 1940 at Newcastle North, Northumberland.
It should be noted there are duplicated entries for this soldier in several official documents, listing the date of death as October 7th 1916 and also October 17th. The CWGC have adopted October 7th 1916 and list Isabella Elliott as mother of Private Shanley when in fact his birth mother was Elizabeth Bates.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
In Blaydon Cemetery Gateshead, there is a family headstone including Francis' mother which reads;
In Loving Memory of
My Dear Husband
THOMAS BATES
Who Died January 18th 1900
Aged 60 Years
SARAH JANE Daughter of the Above
Died March 29th 1888 Aged 26 Years
ELIZABETH Daughter Died
January 21st 1891 Aged 26 Years
JAMES LOWDON BATES
Died September 10th 1898 Aged 17 Years
PETER BATES
Died October 22nd 1880 Aged 8 Years
BENJAMIN RIDLEY BATES
Died November 7th 1880 Aged 5 Years
JAMES LOWDON BATES
Died November 27th 1881 Aged 3 Years
THOMAS BATES
Died June 10th 1906 Aged 39 Years
Also MARY ANN COLQUHOUN
Daughter of the Above
Died May 20th 1914 Aged 30 Years
Also Betsy Wife of the Above
THOMAS BATES
Died December 26th 1916 Aged 73 Years.
Francis Shanley is remembered at Whorlton on W53.01
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 277
