Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William James McCluskey, known as James, one of 12 children of whom only 9 survived, was the eldest of his siblings, 7 brothers and 2 sisters. His father John McCluskey born 1861 in Ireland was brought to England as a child, his family settled in County Durham moving between the colliery villages. He married a girl named Annie, native of Carlisle, Cumberland, born 1866, settling at Dipton, County Durham, where William James was born in 1889 and John 1890, Joseph in 1891 while they were living at Thompson’s House, Collierley where John supported his family employed as a coke drawer. They remained at Collierley for the next 10 years, he and his wife had a further 4 children, Bernard 1894, George, May 19th 1895, Annie 1900 and Mary Ellen 1901 before returning to Dipton where son Michael and his brother Felix were born in 1906 and 1908 respectively. By 1911 they were living at 57, Long Row, Coxhoe, John had been joined at the colliery by his elder sons, William (23) and brother Joseph (19) were employed as putters, Bernard (17) a shaft worker and George (15) a pony driver.
William James was living at Cornsay when he enlisted at Consett, he served during WW1 initially as Private 29653 East Yorkshire Regiment and later having been transferred to the Durham Light Infantry as Private 79277. Nothing has survived of his war record, it is therefore impossible to follow his exact movements, however, both battalions fought during 1915 on the Ypres salient in Belgium, on the Somme in 1916 and participated during the Arras Offensive in 1917. At the time of his demise he was serving with the 2nd Battalion D.L.I., the only D.L.I. battalion in the front line position when the Germans attacked again on the Somme front, March 28th 1918. Within 36 hours they had been overrun with only 60 men escaping death, wounding or capture.
Private 79277 William James McCluskey Durham Light Infantry was killed in action, May 30th 1918, during the period of the German Offensive in Flanders and interred at Nine Elms British Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, near Poperinge, Belgium, grave XI. D. 12. He was 29 years of age and single.
His father John McCluskey had died in 1916, aged 54 years, it was his mother Anne who received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-15 Star had he served overseas during that period, sent to her at the address of 18, Bolam Buildings, White-le-Head, Tantobie, County Durham. She commissioned an additional inscription to be added to her son’s military headstone, it simply reads, “R.I.P.”
All the older McCluskey brothers would have been eligible to enlist during WW1, the only other details that have survived refer to George, he was discharged as disabled, due to defective vision.
Annie McCluskey died in 1928 aged 63 years registered in the district of Lanchester, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William James McCluskey is remembered at Satley on S116.01
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 136
