(L to R) 1914-15 Star; British War Medal; Allied Victory Medal; Territorial Efficiency Medal
Joseph was born in 1877 in Oldham. He married Mary Ann on the 15th June 1908 at Christ Church in Chadderton and by 1911 they were living at 9 William Street in Chadderton. Joseph worked as a textile merchant and they had a daughter called Annie who was born in 1909. They also lived with five boarders including Joseph’s widowed mother, and James Carney, a family member born in 1881 who worked as a labourer.
Joseph joined the Army on the 6th July 1910 at the age of 34. He was given the service number 1087 and placed into the 10th Reserve Battalion of the Manchester Regiment.
Little is known of his service. It is known that he earned the Territorial Efficiency Medal for serving for over 12 years with the Territorial Force. The 10th Battalion was re-numbered the 1/10th Battalion during the First World War, a ‘first line’ territorial battalion for overseas service.
Joseph was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He left the Army on the 4th April 1916 due to sickness. However, it appears that he re-joined at a later date with the service number 3517843 and served to at least 1922. He was promoted again and reached the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2.
Joseph’s medals were donated to the collections in 2014.
