In Choppington (St. Paul’s) Churchyard is the Commonwealth War Grave of:

19860 Sergeant
Joshua Graham
10th Bn. Canadian Inf.
23rd June 1916 age 25.

Peace perfect peace

The son of the late James and Mary Graham.

Jean Longstaff, with information from Jim Busby in Canada, has written

The youngest son of miner James William and Mary Hoggart (nee Flockhart) Graham, Joshua was born on 31st July 1890 whilst the family were living in Guide Post, near Choppington.  At the time of his birth, also at  home were siblings Henry, James, Mary Jane, Alice and Ethel.  A pupil at King Edward VI Grammar School in Morpeth from 1904-08 Joshua then attended Bede College in Durham, where he joined the 8th (Bede Contingent) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.    After completing his teacher training in 1910 he went on to teach at a Council elementary school in Sunderland, before in June 1913 setting sail for Canada and a job as a schoolmaster in Regina, Saskatchewan where he stayed for a year before moving on to a school in MacLeod, Alberta.

When he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1914 at the newly established camp at Valcartier Joshua gave his older sister Alice, then a lady’s maid to the McKirdy sisters in Buckingham Gate, London, as his next of kin and became Private 19860 in the 10th Battalion.    Sailing to England later that month on board the SS Scandinavian the Battalion were billeted on arrival on Salisbury Plain before travelling on to France in mid-February 1915.

Reporting sick in early March Lance Corporal Graham would have missed the early actions at Neuve Chappelle, Kitchener’s Wood and St Julien.  He returned to the Battalion in time to join them in an attack on a strong point known as K5 near Festubert on 22nd May.  The attack failed and the 10th and Lance Corporal Graham suffered multiple wounds to his right arm and head, although none of them were serious.  He rejoined the 10th two months later near Messines.

Appointed Acting Sergeant in November 1915, a rank which was confirmed two months later, he attended a course at 1st Divisional School and worked on escort duty on the Scottish Lines.  Rejoining the 10th Battalion for a counter attack between Mount Sorrel and Hooge on 3rd June 1916, he was wounded several times and his chest was injured when he was buried alive by a shell blast at Armagh Wood.

Following standard procedure Sergeant Graham was given a tetanus injection and was eventually invalided back to hospital at Orpington, Kent being admitted on 17th June.  Three days later he was diagnosed with tetanus and listed as “Dangerously ill”.  His condition deteriorated and he died at 11:30 am on 23rd June1916.

Joshua Graham is remembered at Choppington on C36.01 and C36.02, at Morpeth on M17.06 and M17.12 and Durham City on D47.017, D47.126 and D47.127.

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and on the War Memorial in Fort MacLeod, Alberta.