In the Dickebusch New Military Cemetery, Belgium is the Commonwealth War Grave of 37168 Driver Stephen Avis Causton, serving with the “D” Battery 50th Brigade Royal Field Artillery who died 16/04/1918.

Colin McMillan has provided the following:

We can trace Stephen Avis Causton as far back as the 1891 census. At the time he was the youngest child of the widowed 46 year old Emma who was a charwoman having been born in Thorpe, Surrey and was head of the household. His older sister was 16 year old Letitia who was still at school as was his older brother, 14 year old Frederick W. Stephen himself was 12. They lived at Union Street.

By 1901 very little had changed except that all the children were now working: Letitia was a laundress, Frederick W. now going by the name of William was a general labourer and Stephen was a coal miner. Their mother was also a laundress. Their address was given as 10 Union Street.

Many more changes had taken place by the time of the next census in 1911. Letitia had married James Carss 8 years previously and had a child, Ethel Annie Carss who was 7.. Emma Causton, now 62 was living with them at 1 Oldgate, The Grey Bull Hotel, as were Frederick William, now 34 and Stephen, 32, who was still a coal miner. Both the young men were still unmarried.

Stephen Avis Causton enlisted in the army at Newcastle on 3rd September 1914, just a month after the outbreak of the war. He was 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 12 stone. His service was largely unextraordinary although on 7th February 1915 he was late on church parade for which his punishment was 2 days CB (confined to barracks).

He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Stephen Avis Causton is remembered in Morpeth on M17.01, M17.09, M17.21 and M17.29