In Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany is the Commonwealth War Grave of 95548 Private William Colledge serving with 1/9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 06/10/1919.
William Kirby and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
William Colledge, the son of James and Jane Ann, was born in Easington Lane in 1893. The couple had married at Chester le Street in 1892 and went on to have 8 children although sadly 1 died.
He had several siblings, two brothers and four sisters and was living with his family in Easington Lane, working as a coal miner, when he enlisted at Newcastle upon Tyne on December 9th 1915 and was put on the Army Reserve.
On 18 March 1916 he married Mary Elizabeth Ritson at Houghton le Spring and they had two children, James, born 21st February 1917 and Edna. Unfortunately, Edna, who was born on September 4th 1918, died at only 4 months old on January 21st 1919 of the condition tabes mesenterica. The condition is a form of T.B. sometimes passed on to infants by cow’s milk.
William’s medical records show him to be 5 feet 2 inches tall. He had black hair, a sallow complexion and a tattoo of a lady on his right foreman.
On 17th May 1918 William was mobilised and posted to the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (D.L.I.) at Sutton on the Hill in Derbyshire. He landed in France on 14th September 1918. A few days later he was transferred to the 9th Battalion D.L.I.. He served in Germany in the Army of Occupation where he contracted a liver disease in 1919 and died of yellow atrophy of the liver on 6th October at a casualty clearing station in Germany. He was buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery.
William’s personal items were returned to widow – Postcards, cigarette case, penknife, envelopes, tobacco pouch, match box case, note book, shaving soap, wallet, brush, two razors, belt, one handkerchief, pipe (broken), book of views, red cross amulet, and German money.
Medals -British War Medal and Victory Medal
William Colledge is remembered at Easington Lane on E71.01 where his name is spelled “Collidge”. Attempts have been made to have this corrected.
