British War Medal

Goliah was born in around 1891 in Chadderton, Oldham. His father was called Nathan and his mother was Mary Jane. He was their youngest child, and had 4 older siblings; Annie, John William, Daniel and Elizabeth.

When Goliah was born his family lived at 29 Granville Street in Chadderton. Nathan worked as a coal miner, and several of his siblings worked in cotton mills.

Nathan died between April and June 1895, aged 48. Two years later Mary Jane married John William Mills. He was a cotton spinner with 5 children of his own; Joseph, Clara, Fred, Mary and James. By 1901 all the family, except Annie and John William Scholes, lived at 107 Bamford Street in Chadderton.

Ten years later, in 1911, only Goliah and James still lived with their parents at 107 Bamford Street. Goliah was now a big piecer in a cotton mill.

Between October and December of 1912 Goliah married Clara Heywood in Oldham. They made their home together at 33 Chancery Street in Chadderton. They had 4 children. Nathan was born on the 2nd December 1914 and baptised at All Saints Church in Oldham on the 23rd. Sadly he died in early 1916, aged 14 months. He was buried at St Matthew's Church in Chadderton on the 26th February.

Between April and June 1915 Goliah and Clara had another son, Robert. Their third child, Goliah, was born between July and September 1916. Sadly, both Goliah and Clara died during this 3 month period. Clara was 27.

The First World War had broken out in August 1914. We don't know when Goliah joined the Army. He enlisted in the Manchester Regiment and was given the service number 3065. This suggests he joined one of the Territorial Force battalions of the Manchester Regiment, but we can't say for certain.

We don't know when Goliah was sent overseas, or where he went. In around mid 1917 he was transferred to an unknown unit of the King's (Liverpool Regiment). They gave him the service number 53022.

Later Goliah served with the Army Service Corps (ASC). He was a member of a Mechanical Transport unit, using motor vehicles to move supplies and equipment. He had 2 service numbers with the ASC, EMT/43241 and M/428052. We don't know anything about his time with the ASC.

Goliah was still in the renamed Royal Army Service Corps in June 1919. On the 15th he married Harriet Henley at the Parish Church of St Mary the Less, on Prince's Road in Lambeth, south London.

Harriet was a widow, and both of them lived at 50 Ethelred Street when they married. We don't know whether they had any children, and the rest of their lives remain a mystery.

Goliah died between January and March 1961 in Lewisham, south London. He was 70 years old. Harriet was 78 when she died in Bromley, in south London between April and June 1973.

As well as his British War Medal, Goliah also received the Allied Victory Medal for his Army service.