52 residents #47 Joseph Taylor

Joseph Harold Taylor, another young man who dies reasonably close to the end of the war.

He is recorded on Pozieres Memorial, France as being the 'son of Mr and Mrs E Taylor of Edge Lane Farm, Higher Cloughfold' where indeed we find him in 1911. He was a house painter and had one sister at home. Interestingly on the census his age is given as '10' under the 'age of females' column - a bit young for a house painter. It is corrected by the enumerator. Interesting also that his father Elijah is given as 'house painter' when Edge Lane Farm was almost certainly a working farm at that time.

His father Eli figures in various deeds relating to Springhill Farm where the latter's usage of the water pipes from Saunder Heights should not deprive Eli of water to the farm, with complicated arrangements for fair ratios in times of drought…

He served as private (35136) 2nd btn East Lancashire Regiment. He died on 2/4/1918, probably as a consequence of the action on the west bank of the Somme in March 1918.

Sadly there are 630 'Joseph Taylor's commemorated or buried in France according to the CWGC. Tragic.

The CWGC records that Joseph was 'husband of Annie Ashworth, (formerly Taylor) of Ash Lea, Manor Drive, Cleveleys, Blackpool'. I haven't found that marriage, but confess to not having looked very hard…

Sources:
1911 census 1911Census RG14 PN 24709 RD 471 SD1 ED 15 SN 333

Commemorated Panel 42 and 43 Pozieres Memorial. (CGWC)


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