Peter Clarke has submitted the following:-
One of my projects is to photograph and document all the military service & civilian war related deaths remembered in the main cemetery at Norwich in order to make themmore than just a name. One of those is Private 13083 John Watson, of the 9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who Died of Wounds at the Norfolk War Hospital in 1916 and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. As he has no surviving Service Records and there is no additional information in the CWGC published records I struggled to make the link to his civilian life. At first the details available were inconclusive and could have fitted a number of individuals from the Newcastle area. But one of the recently released Ministry of Pensions Dependant Pensions cards made the link.
An Adam Watson Low received a dependants pension linked to this soldier. There are entries dated 1932 which show his address as 1504 Walker Road, St Anthonys, Newcastle. Tracking back to the 1911 Census of England & Wales showed Adam Low as the married head of the household at that address, and it includes a John Watson of the right age. Other documentation shows John to be his step-son.
Without doing a great deal more leg work I'm not in a position to confirm that Adam and his wife remained resident at this address throughout the period 1911-1932 but it would seem the most logical assumption. Similarly I cannot guarantee the family put forward his name for inclusion on the memorial but that must be a possibility.
I put my write ups on my Flickr account along with an image of the headstone.
If you aware now or become aware in the future of anyone researching this War Memorial then could I trouble you to let them know that information is available on that link. And of course if you are aware of him being remembered on any other War Memorial I would love to know.
The Newcastle Journal 08/06/1916 reports:-
Private John Watson, N.F.. Walker, who formerly worked at Messrs Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson's shipyard, has died of wounds received action.
John Watson is possibly remembered at Walker on W2.06
