In Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 28471 Private John Stephenson serving with the 20th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 04/06/1916.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Stephenson was born at Quebec, County Durham in 1887, he was the youngest of 4 sons and 2 daughters. His father, lead miner Henry Stephenson, and mother Isabel Holmes were born at Alston, Cumberland in 1845 and 1852 respectively. They married at St. John Garrigill, on 17th May 1868.
Their first child Adamson, born at Alston was deaf and dumb. They had moved to Lanchester by 1873, where Mary Hannah was born, Henry Jnr was born in 1874 at Crook, Isabella and Thomas at Esh in 1882 and 1885 respectively.
Once the family migrated to the north east and had settled in County Durham Henry Snr found employment as a coal miner. At the age of 21 Adamson was employed as a tailor, his brother Henry Jnr worked as a coal miner alongside his father. Unfortunately their sister Isabella died aged 16 years in 1899.
By 1901 they had moved to 15, Church Street, Esh Village and, in order to supplement the family income, John’s father as well as working at the colliery had turned his hand to farming. Adamson and John were also agricultural labourers, brother Thomas was a labourer on the bank at the pit.
By 1911 they were farmers at Glebe Farm, Esh Village and had a servant, 21-year-old Sarah Simpson.
John Stephenson of Whitefield House, Esh Village, was married at the Registry Office Durham, 26th August 1911 to Elizabeth Dickinson with whom he had a daughter Isabella Jane born February 1912.
He enlisted at Durham, 25th October 1915, assigned as 28471 Private Durham Light Infantry to the 16th (Service) Battalion, later transferred to the 20th (Service) Battalion. He joined them at their billets at Barnard Castle where they stayed until January 1916 when they moved to Aldershot. Attached to the 41st Division, after months of intensive training, Private Stephenson departed from Southampton bound for Le Havre, France, 4th May1916 and by 29th May the 20th Battalion had entered the trenches north of Armentieres. They remained in the trenches for the following 3 months, suffering casualties almost every day.
Private 28471 John Stephenson, Durham Light Infantry, was wounded in the abdomen and chest, May 29th 1916, and taken back through the lines by the 28th Field Ambulance to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul where he died on June 4th 1916. He was interred at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, grave II. B.142. He was 29 years old.
His widow Elizabeth received all monies due to him, his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal also a pension of 15 shillings a week for herself and their daughter as of 11th December 1916, sent to her at Whitefield House, Esh Village County Durham.
She remarried in the district of Chester le Street, in 1919 to Arthur E Conaway with whom she had 2 children, Jennie born 1920 and Arthur E Conaway born in 1924, both registered in the district of Lanchester.
Elizabeth Conaway-Stephenson nee Dickinson died aged 60 years in 1951, registered Durham Central.
John’s father Henry Stephenson died within 6 months of his son during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec)1916 aged 71 years, Isabella Stephenson nee Holmes died in 1925 aged 73 years, both registered in the district of Lanchester.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Stephenson is remembered at Malton on M49.01 at Esh on E75.01 and at Lanchester on L62.01, also at Durham in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance, page 141.
