On the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France is the name of 23/194 Corporal Hugh Goldsbury, serving with the 23rd (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers who died 01/07/1916.

He was the son of Edward and Margaret Goldsbury, of 49, Fourth Row, Ashington;  he was the husband of Eliza Hedley (formerly Goldsbury), of 126, Beatrice Street, Ashington.

Margaret Allison reports that in 1911 his address was 50 Hawthorn Road, Ashington.

Soldiers Died in the Great War states that he was born in Wallsend and enlisted in Bedlington.

His Pension Records state that Hugh and Eliza had three children: Edward born October 28th 1906, Rose Beattie born July 2nd 1910 and Mary born March 24th 1913. Eliza married Ralph Hedley, a civilian January 23rd 1918.

His brothers Charles and Joseph died in WW1. Joseph also died on July 1st 1916.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Hugh Goldsbury was one of 10 children of whom only 8 had survived by 1911.

His father Edward Goldsbury was born in1857 at St. Helens, Lancashire. Edward and his siblings had been brought to the north-east by his parents bricklayer Robert and Mary Goldsbury both of whom were Irish immigrants. 

In 1880 Edward married Margaret McQuillan in Tynemouth historically in Northumberland who was born on May 27th 1858 in Wallsend a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father Hugh McQuillan was an Irish immigrant her mother Sarah Nesbitt was born at Berwick upon Teed. 

Joseph was the eldest of their children born on June 14th 1881 at Willington Quay historically in County Durham as was Hugh on May 11th 1883 before they moved to Ashington the birthplace of Elizabeth Ann in 1884 who died in 1886 only 1 year and 10 months old when she drowned in a pond on their property witnessed by her brother Hugh (3). Robert was born in 1887 and Edward in 1889. 

They had returned to Wallsend by 1891 and had a new addition to the family, Charles, who was two months old. They shared a property at 2, Boyd Street and Edward supported his family employed as a riveter’s holder-up at the shipyard, Joseph (9) and Hugh (8) were scholars. 

Their daughter Margaret was born at Wallsend in 1893 but they had returned to Ashington where Nora was born on December 9th 1895, Sarah Ellen on February 3rd 1898 and Mary Agnes on July 20th 1900. 

In 1901 they were living at 252 North Row Ashington. Edward and his son Hugh (18) were both employed as blacksmith’s strikers, Robert (13) worked below ground as a pony driver at the colliery, the remainder of the children stayed at home with their mother. 

Their son Edward (14) died on September 4th 1903 at Ashington Colliery. Edward was a pony driver below ground driving out with eleven tubs when he should only have had six. He stopped and took some drags out then started again.The load became too fast, the pony was thrown or fell, some of the tubs overturned and crushed Edward who died immediately. An inquest held the following day concluded that no blame could be attached to anyone and that he was accidentally killed. 

Joseph Goldsbury had left the family home and on March 14th 1901 travelled alone aboard the “Oceanic” of the White Star Line from Ireland to New York U.S.A. but had returned to England by 1905.  

Hugh Goldsbury married in 1905 in the district of Morpeth Elizabeth Howard Bullock with whom he had 2 children, Edward born on October 20th 1906 and Hugh who was born and died during the 3rd quarter (Jul/Aug/Sep) 1908. His wife Elizabeth Howard Goldsbury nee Bullock (27) died during the 3rd quarter (Jul/Aug/Sep) 1909. 

The 1911 census Hugh declares to have been married for only 9 months to Eliza Beattie who was born at Tynemouth on April 2nd 1884, they had a daughter Rose Beattie Goldsbury born on July 2nd 1910. In 1911 they occupied 3 rooms at 50½ Hawlton Terrace, Hirst. Hugh supported Eliza, his son Edward and Rose Beattie Goldsbury employed as a coal miner/hewer.

As early as 1911 there were already rumblings of a possibility of war with Germany but day to day life continued. Mary Goldsbury was born on April 24th 1913.   

Within hours of Germany, as part of a massive attack on France, invaded Belgium violating Belgian neutrality. After a request to Britain by the Belgians for help, London gave Berlin an ultimatum which expired August 4th 1914 at 11 p.m. London time. When this was ignored, King George V then declared war on Germany that same evening. Men from all walks of life in answer to Kitchener’s call to arms volunteered to serve their Country.

Hugh Goldsbury was one of the first to enlist at Bridlington and assigned  to the 23rd (4th Tyneside Scottish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers which had been raised as a Pals Battalion at Newcastle upon Tyne by the Lord Mayor and City on November 26th 1914. 

Assigned as Private 23/194 he moved to Alnwick Camp in the grounds of Alnwick castle in May 1915. The battalion moved on to Ripon in Yorkshire where it joined the 102nd Brigade, 34th Division in training before arriving at Salisbury Plain in late August for final training with the 25th/26th and 27th Battalions N.F.. As Corporal Hugh Goldsbury he crossed to France in January 1916 where the Division concentrated at La Crosse east of St. Omer. 

Preparations were already underway for the forthcoming battles on the Somme Programmed to begin on June 29th 1916 the troops were sent up to the front line where they waited in the trenches for two days due to bad weather. On the morning of July 1st 1916 at 07.28 a.m. after two huge detonations in the explosive packed tunnels under the German lines at 07.30 a.m. the whistles blew and the men went over the top. 

The 34th Division saw action on the first day during the Battle of Albert involving the capture of Montauban, Mametz, Fricourt, Contalmaison and La Boisselle between July 1st-14th 1916.

It was reported on August 11th 1916 that Private Hugh Goldsbury had been killed in action on July 1st 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of over 72,000 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France commemorating servicemen from Great Britain and South Africa who died on the Somme 1915-1918 and who have no known grave.He was 33 years old. 

His brother Private Joseph Goldsbury serving with the 25th Battalion N.F was also killed on July 1st 1916 his orphaned children were brought up by his parents and his father in law. Their brother Charles Goldsbury died in France in 1917. 

Widow Eliza Goldsbury received all monies due to her late husband from the Army and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal also a pension for herself and the children in the sum of 21 shillings a week awarded on March 9th 1917 to be received weekly as of March 12th 1917. 

Eliza remarried on January 23rd 1918 Ralph Hedley a coal miner employed by Ashington Coal Co. at Ellington Colliery. The Army awarded her a gratuity in the sum of 35 pounds 5 shillings on February 21st 1918 and continued to pay to her a reduced pension for the children until each in turn reached the age of 16, sent to her at 123, Portia Street, Ashington. 

The 1921 census in error lists her husband Ralph as Robert Hedley. They occupied 4, Garden Street, Ashington Villas. Ralph who was born at Cramlington in 1879 supported Elizabeth, his 3 step-children and their son Ralph born on April 21st 1918 working as a coal hewer. Their daughter Margaret Ellen was born on May 4th 1923. 

In 1939 they and their 2 children were living at 126, Beatrice Street, Ashington. Ralph and Ralph Jnr both worked below ground at the colliery. 

Eliza Hedley-Goldsbury nee Beattie died December 16th 1951 at North Shields historically in County Durham. 

Details of Hugh and Elizabeth (Bullock) Goldsbury’s son. 

Edward Goldsbury married Alice A Pearce and in 1939 was living at 31, Weighton Road, Penge, S.E. London employed as a lorry driver. He died in Oxford, Oxfordshire in 1951. 

Details of Hugh and Eliza (Beattie) Goldsbury’s children.

Rose Beattie Goldsbury married Henry J. Saunders in 1931 at Weymouth Dorset with whom she had a son Hugh Arthur in 1933 registered at Morpeth, Northumberland and Henry R Goldsbury in 1937 at Hendon Middlesex. In 1939 she and the children were  living in Ashington at 192, Maple Street. 

Hugh Arthur Saunders died on December 18th 2011 at Nottingham,  Nottinghamshire. Details of his brother Henry are as yet unknown. 

Further details of Rose B. Saunders nee Goldsbury are unknown. 

Mary Goldsbury. Details unknown. 

Corporal Hugh Goldsbury’s father Edward Goldsbury (77) died on November 18th 1934. Prior to the internment a Requiem Mass was held on Wednesday November 21st at St. Aidan’s Roman Catholic Church where he was a prominent member. The chief mourners were his son Robert Goldsbury, his daughters Sarah Ellen Goldsbury, Mary Agnes (daughter) and her husband John Bell, Mrs Nora Dix (daughter), and Mrs M. Cowie. 

His widow Margaret Goldsbury nee McQuillan died on December 29th 1935. 

The only surviving Goldsbury brother, Robert Goldsbury, a coal cutter at Ashington Colliery died as a result of a colliery accident in hospital on February 5th 1937. The deceased sustained a fracture of the scull and laceration of the brain having been nipped between the coal-cutting machine and the roof in the mine due to the derailment of the machine he was operating as it rounded a corner. 

Their nephew Robert Goldsbury a Serjeant in the Royal Air Force Bomber Command during WW2 died March 31st 1945. Listed as missing. 

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace. 

Hugh Goldsbury is remembered at Ashington on A17.01 (A17.27), A17.24, A17.28,  A17.30 and A17.43.