Photo: Brian Chandler
The headstone reads:
Joseph I. Clark
Black Bull Hotel, Morpeth
died July 2nd 1918
aged 57 years.
Also Joseph, Bombdr. R.F.A.
younger son of the above
died July 8th, 1918
aged 29 years.
Also of Helen
beloved wife of the above
died May 26th 1936
aged 80 years.
Colin McMillan has provided the following:
Joseph Clark was the youngest son of Joseph I. Clark who, in 1891 was a “gardener, domestic”, living at Whickham with his 31 year old wife Helen and their family: Beatrice (6), Robert (4) and 2 year old young Joseph himself. The children, like their father, were all born in Heddon-on-the-Wall, although their mother was born in Scotland.
By 1901 several changes had taken place: the father, Joseph, was now the “hotel keeper” at the Black Bull Hotel at 47 Bridge Street, Morpeth and the family had been joined by another daughter, the young Helen who was 9 by then. None of the children worked and so presumably were still at school.
There is no record of Joseph in the census of 1911 due to his military service. His family still lived at the Black Bull Hotel and several changes had taken place in the intervening years. A 19 year old single maid, Sarah Ostle, was living with them. Beatrice, now Anderson was a widow, and she had three children: John Allan Anderson; Beatrice Anderson and Helen Anderson, all grandchildren of the 50 year old Joseph and Helen senior.
Joseph Clark worked as a miner but in 1907 he enlisted in the army. He was 20 years and 2 months old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, had a fully extended chest measurement of 35½ inches and weighed 140 pounds (10 stone). He had a fresh complexion, fair hair, grey eyes and was Church of England by religion. He had a tattoo of darts on his left forearm. On 2nd September 1907 he was declared fit for military service by the RAMC doctor who examined him and on 4th September he was declared fit for service in the Royal Regiment of Artillery (Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery). On 2nd September 1913 he was discharged from the army because he was “Time Expired”.
He was called for service again (or volunteered) at the outbreak of war and was mobilised on 5th August 1914. Military records show that he was with the BEF from 1914 through to 1918 and was awarded medals for those periods.
On 14th February 1914 he married Sarah Jane Davey at the Roman Catholic Church (St. Robert’s), Morpeth. Only 5 months after their marriage, on 13th July 1914 they had a son also called Joseph.
However, things weren’t well, medically speaking, as he was complaining of coughing, spitting and sweating at night in 1918. His weight had dropped from a high of 12 stone 4 pounds to 9 stone 9 pounds and when examined was found to have a temperature of 99.5°F and worryingly “his sputum contained TB”. On 22nd February he was declared permanently unfit at the Northumberland War Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle-on-Tyne. The degree of disablement for pension purposes was said to be 100% and that the service during the war was a contributing factor to the disability. A sanatorium was suggested for his treatment and he was discharged from the army on 15th March 1918 with his disablement pension beginning the next day.
Since he was discharged from a hospital at Gosforth we imagine his last few months must have been spent at home or at a sanatorium or hospital nearby.
Joseph Clark is remembered in Morpeth on M17.01, M17.02, M17.05, M17.06, M17.09, M17.12 and M17.29
