The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
James Newall
James Walter Newall was the first son and third child of Walter and Mary Ann, and was born in 1900. Walter came from Manchester and worked as a ‘Trammer and coal washer’ while Mary came from Dudley. It seems the family moved around a little as James’ eldest sister was born in Manchester in around 1897 whilst the middle daughter was born in Wolverhampton, and James himself was born “near Conisbro’”. In 1901 the family lived in Clifton.
By 1911 the family is living at 114 Sheffield Road, Conisbrough and has expanded to include another daughter Kathleen, and John William, who is just under two years old. James, at the age of 10 is at school, and father Walter is working as a labourer at the colliery (above ground). The census shows that Walter and Mary Ann have had six children in total, but one has died, and have been married for a total of 15 years.
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James enlisted into the army at the age of 15 in 1915, after working on the construction of the railway cutting at Clifton, and at the time of his death held the rank of ‘Driver’ but was apparently working as a signaller. His Captain wrote to James’s parents to “commend his courage and cheery disposition”, and say that he was one of his best signallers. He was killed by a shell splinter when a shell fell close to his dugout.
The brigade had marched from Wormhoudt to Poperinghe on 17th October 1917, in a march which according to the war diaries was disjointed and uncomfortable due to heavy traffic. On the 18th, the Brigade took part in the bombardment of enemy works to the north east of Poelcapelle, an activity which was repeated on the 19th, when the batteries were shelled at points throughout the day. The diaries then mention nothing until the 30th October, and so it can be assumed that James was injured during routine time in the area (as opposed to an actual attack). He is buried in Duhallows ADS; ADS stands for Advanced Dressing Station, meaning that he was evacuated from his dugout, and made it back to the second line of medical aid (see our article on the RAMC under the ‘Army’ section) where he succumbed to his wounds.
When the Imperial War Graves Commission replaced the original wooden crosses with white Portland stone headstones in the 1920, Mary Ann supplied the epitaph for James’ grave, it reads;
"Simply to thy cross I cling"
James’s medal index card shows that he was awarded the Victory, British and 1915 Star medal, which he qualified for on the penultimate day possible; 30th December 1915.
We have visited James's grave several times, and laid his tribute in August 2014.
