In Harton Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave of 1501 Private William Brown Duncan, serving with the 1st/7th Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 21/07/1915.

The son of William Brown Duncan (a house and ship joiner) of 20 (?) Lytton Street, South Shields in 1911 and 32 Frederick Street, South Shields in June 1915. He was born in South Shields and in 1911 was a 58-year old widower. His death was registered in South Shields during the December quarter of 1938, aged 86.

Siblings (1911 ages; all born in South Shields): Emma 19, Edward Wilberforce 15 September quarter 1896; Lamp Lad with N.E.R. Co., Robert 10 and Charles Wilberforce 8 June quarter 1902.

Sisters: Emma and Aggie. Sister and brother-in-law: Lizzie and Jack (on active service). The chief mourners at his funeral included Mr. W.B. Duncan and Mr. Edward Duncan. Other mourners were Mr. Robert Duncan and Master Charles Duncan.

He enlisted in South Shields. He worked as a porter for the North Eastern Railway Company at Tyne Dock. He arrived in France on 19 April 1915 and was thus awarded the 1914-5 Star. He tells us in a letter published in the Gazette that a piece of shell weighing two ounces penetrated his tunic but struck the copy of The Bible he was carrying on him, the latter absorbing the impact of the shrapnel and thereby saving his life.

Source: James Hoy Archive

His photograph appeared in the Shields Gazette on Tuesday 8 June 1915 and in an edition of the N.E.R. Magazine in 1915.

William Brown Duncan, is remembered at South Shields on S86.009 where his rank is shown incorrectly and S86.100, on the North East Railway  Roll of Honour, York,  on the 7th D.L.I. Roll of Honour  and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 189.