John Robert Adamson Number 18/661. 18 DLI awarded 1914/15 Star. Born in Sunderland. KIA 1st July 1916.
John Robert Adamson born in the October 1891 in Sunderland, Durham. His father, Robert a 23years old Coal Miner and his mother, Esther Thompson, was 22 years. They married in the 3rd Quarter (Jul, Aug, Sep.) of 1887 in Sunderland Durham. Reference: Volume 10a Page 620.
Robert and Esther were to have four children their first born was Isabella born on 30th
December 1888, their eldest son Thomas Arthur was born 15th June 1890, he was baptised on the 4th of September 1889 in the parish church Monk-Wearmouth, in his home town. The Reference: FHL Film Number 1514571: reference ID: item3 p 90. Parents confirmed above.
Next born a son John Robert born October 1891 Reference Volume 10a Page 702, he was baptised in his birth place of Sunderland on the 6th December 1891 at the parish church of MonkWearmouth Durham. His parents confirmed as above. References FHL Film Number 1514571. Reference ID: item 3p 148. John Robert’s youngest sister Esther was next born in July 1908 in Sunderland. Reference: Volume10a Page 806.
John Robert was living in Sunderland, Durham, for many years with his family. The English Census tells us: –
That in the 1891 Census RG 12-147: finds the family living at number 11 Colliery Square with Father Robert the head recorded as a Coal Hewer with Esther his wife, with them is Isabella aged 3 years, and Thomas Arthur aged 1year old. With the family is a Nephew W.A Fowler 15-year-old and employed as a Coal Man Drivers Assistant, uncertain as to is he is a visitor or living with the family.
The 1901 Census finds the family living at 31 Bond Street in the Parish of St. Columbas
Sunderland: The head husband and father Robert now 33 years of age employed as a Coal Miner on Setter. All at home with him on the evening of the census. His wife Esther now aged 32 years with their three children, Isabella 13, Thomas Arthur 11, John Robert 9, all three would be in school.
The Census of England and Wales taken on the evening on the Sunday, 2nd April 1911.
The family still living at 31, Bond Street Sunderland Robert aged 43 and Esther aged 42 have been married for 23 years and have four living children. Robert still a miner but now A
Chargeman Underground. Isabella 23 years, Thomas Arthur 21 years employed as a Putter in
Coal Mine. John Robert 19 years working as a Coupler in Coal Mine. 2-year-old Esther is home with all the family. Robert has signed this Census.
The 1921 Census was the next which for the writer is chargeable, it is available to anyone who has a top listed membership for Find My Past. However: for the story of John Robert, it is not needed.
Private John Robert Adamson Army Service.
According to John Robert Adamson’s service record in which it states the following details.
John Robert’s Attestation document reads: He joined up with Durham Light Infantry on the 1st of October 1914, he was 22 years 11 months old, and records his trade as a Pianist. Which is quite strange as he was recorded as a Miner in the 1911 Census. Still living with his family in 31 Bond Street.
He signed up to be enlisted to for General Service serving with Durham Light Infantry. Statement signed off by C.S, Ritson Rank unknown. He signed is own name that was witnessed by P.H. Bagley. John Robert Adamson made the Oath to bear true Allegiance to His Majesty King George.
John Robert Adamson signed his Declaration in Sunderland on the 1st October 1914.
Countersigned by Recruitment major.
Identification Information
John Robert Adamson declared age was 22 years 11 months.
John Robert stood at 5 feet 6.5 inches in height.
He weighed 132Ibs. Equates to 9stone 6Ibs.
His chest when fully expanded was 36 inches expansion range 2 inches.
John Roberts complexion described as Fresh. With Brown Eyes and Dark Hair.
He had no recorded distinguishing marks.
His faith recorded as Church of England.
John Robert Adamsons Next of Kin recorded as living at 31. Bond Street, Sunderland. Was his Parents and youngest sister Esther. Brother Thomas and Sister Isabella recorded as living
at 54. Ellerslie Terrace.
Any correspondence to go to John Robert Adamsons Father Robert Adamson
From the 1st October 1914 to the 5th December 1915 John Robert had served, one year and
66 days.
From the 6th December 1915 to 4th March 1916 days served recorded as 90 days in the
Mediterranean.
From the 5th March 1916 to 1st October 1916 days served 119 days in France. Number of years served One year and 275 days.
The 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry
Affectionately known as the Durham Pals, they played a significant role during WW I.
Little is known of John Robert Adamson’s personal training with Durham Light Infantry. However; with further research came across the following information: –
In early September 1914, a committee in County Durham, led by the Earl of Durham, raised funds to equip a county battalion as part of the Durham Light Infantry.
The battalion was formally numbered as the 18th Battalion DLI, but it became more popularly known as the Durham Pals.
Cocken Hall, south east elevation, 1914. DRO: D/DLI 2/18/24(78)
Lord Durham generously loaned the battalion his house and land at Cocken Hall, northeast of Durham City, where over 1,000 men began their training.
A remarkable set of photographs from this time provides a rare glimpse into the world of volunteer soldiers in 1914 and early 1915.
https://dre.durham.gov.uk/Images/ByPerson/Durham%20Light%20Infantry
In November 1914, about 500 Pals were sent from Cocken Hall to Hartlepool to man the defences due to fear of German naval raids on the North Sea coast. Tragically, early on December 16th 1914, German battle-cruisers shelled Hartlepool, resulting in the first casualties caused by enemy action suffered by Kitchener’s New Army.
John Robert Adamson was posted to the Expeditionary Force Egypt on the 6th December 1915.
Deployment to Egypt: By the end of 1915, the 18th DLI was trained and ready for active service.
Instead of being sent to the Western Front, the Pals, as part of the 31st Division, were dispatched to Egypt to help defend the Suez Canal from Turkish attacks.
The Durham Pals’ journey took them far from home, and their dedication and sacrifice remain an integral part of British history.
The Suez Canal
The Suez Canal was a strategically vital waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the
Red Sea. Its protection was crucial for maintaining communication and supply lines between Britain and its colonies in Asia and Africa, and it remains so today. (2024)
The Durham Pals arrived at the Egyptian port of Alexandria on the evening of December 19th 1915, almost two weeks after leaving Liverpool. Their mission was to guard the Suez Canal against potential raids by Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
Initially, they were stationed in a tented camp near Port Said, where they spent an exotic, albeit Spartan, Christmas. The unfamiliar surroundings and the contrast between the British climate and the Egyptian desert must have been a great change for these volunteer soldiers. During their deployment to Egypt, the 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry faced unique living conditions. explore their experiences:
Challenges
The journey to Egypt was not without its challenges. The men faced seasickness during the voyage, and submarines posed a threat in the Mediterranean waters.
Despite these difficulties, the Durham Pals adapted to their new environment and focused on their duty to safeguard the vital canal.
Facing unique living conditions of Overcrowding and Discomfort. The men’s quarters were overcrowded, leading to significant discomfort. They suffered from cramped living spaces, which likely impacted their well-being.
Additionally, the food provided was inadequate and often poorly prepared.
After arriving in Egypt, the Durham Pals spent time training and working on the Suez Canal defences.
They had to adapt to the desert conditions, which were vastly different from their homes in County Durham.
Port Said Egypt harbour and entrance to the Suez Canal
Northern Echo Nostalgia
Published 5th March 2016
Members of the 18th Battalion DLI bathing in the Suez Canal. Copyright Durham County Record
Office D/D: I 2/18/24(168) Reproduced by permission of Durham County Record Office and the Trustees of the Former DLI.
The first clue that the Durham Pals were not bound for France came in late November 1915, when a consignment of sun helmets arrived at their camp.
After their baptism of fire during the Hartlepool bombardment, the 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry spent most of 1915 in training, first at Ripon and then on Salisbury Plain. Senior officers had been to France on a scouting mission and the battalion expected the longawaited order to travel to the Western Front at any moment.
Instead, the sun helmets arrived, and in the first week of December they found themselves forming up in a torrential downpour and boarding trains for Liverpool, to be transferred to the liner Empress of Britain.
In peacetime, the Clyde-built ship carried 1,500 passengers on the Liverpool-Quebec crossing. For now, 5,000 troops of 18 DLI and the 12th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry plus the ship’s crew found themselves packed into her overloaded decks.
It was a thoroughly miserable journey for the teachers, shop assistants and farmhands of the
Durham Pals, few of whom had been to sea before and had no idea where they were bound for. Many suffered terrible seasickness as the liner headed out into the Atlantic in heavy seas. In his war history of the battalion, Lieutenant Colonel William Douglas Lowe wrote: “The men’s quarters were very much overcrowded and they suffered a great deal of discomfort. The food also was totally inadequate and badly prepared.
Durham Pals’ soldiers on submarine watch as they cross the Mediterranean. Copyright Durham County Record Office D/DLI 2/18/24(203). Reproduced by permission of Durham County Record Office and the Trustees of the former DLI.
“To add to the general discomfort, early in the voyage everyone was inoculated against cholera. Physical drill and life-belt drill could only be carried out by companies at a time owing to the crowded condition of the decks.
“Danger from submarines caused us to follow a very circuitous route and in addition the ship took a zig-zag course throughout the voyage. This, combined with heavy weather in the Bay of Biscay, made us take six days to reach Gibraltar, which we passed at night in brilliant moonlight and saw faintly outlined against the sky.”
Lance Corporal EC Bell put it more simply in his own diary: “Many white faces being the object of despair, wondering what they had done to deserve such a fate.”
Just before midnight on December 13, as they approached Malta, the ship suddenly jolted. Lt Col Lowe recorded: “There was a shock through the ship and the engines stopped. The troops stood to in their quarters and remained perfectly calm and quiet and it turned out that we had collided with an empty French troopship, the Djuradjura, returning from Salonika and almost cut her in two by the engine room. She signalled the SOS slowly to us and accordingly the Empress of Britain stood by in dead calm and threw out flares and showed searchlights until the crew of 62 from the French ship, together with the wife of the French ambassador at Athens were taken on board. Two of the French stokers were killed in the engine room by the collision.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_%281905%29
During the rescue, the Empress of Britain crammed with 5,000 men was a sitting duck for any of the German U-boats which hunted in the Mediterranean and the tension felt on board comes across in a letter from an anonymous soldier printed in the Durham Chronicle. He wrote: “We had crashed into another boat amidships, many of us were on deck but there were many below. Everybody remained steady though it was a nerve-wracking ordeal and stood there on the deck or below in the inky darkness and in steady rain wondering what would happen to our boat.
“In the next moment, we slipped on our lifebelts and stood ready while our ship reversed engines and pulled away from the doomed ship. A distress flare from the sinking ship lit up the sea with a lurid glare for miles and it was seen that boats were leaving her. These gradually approached us and about 60 survivors were taken on board before we steamed away in the darkness.”
Sgt William Brown, of Hartlepool, wrote: “What a row the crew members made as they embarked on our boat and how our officers swore and told them to be quiet. I need not say that the sighs of relief were numerous when once the light was extinguished and we were moving again.”
TWO days later, the Empress of Britain limped into Valetta harbour in Malta for repairs on her damaged bow plates.
The Governor of Malta refused a request to let the Durham Pals go ashore, after their nine days at sea. With understatement, the battalion war diary records: “Naturally, the men were disappointed.
“They were all, however, much interested in their first view of the East and the bum-boats brought plenty of things for sale, including fruit at a very high price, while the Maltese boys flocked in numbers to dive for pennies.”
After a regimental dinner on board to mark the first anniversary of the Hartlepool bombardment, the Empress of Britain left harbour at 6am on December 17 and within hours again came within a whisker of disaster. A German submarine was shadowing the packed liner and in the late afternoon, the Empress opened fire with three rounds aimed at the Uboat.
Private Robert Webster, from Hartlepool, was below deck when the shooting started. He wrote: “Below deck it was beer time when the 6-inch gun fired, panic broke out below, rushing men blocked the stairs to the deck. Another explosion, greater panic and shouting then another explosion. Panic gradually cooled and died when we were made aware of what was happening. Bert Young had just got his head through a porthole trying to see anything when the second explosion occurred and he got the full blast from the gun and a big bump on his knapper. The panic was an awful scene to witness and showed what little chance there was if we were hit when down below.”
Unbeknown to the men, they had come within yards of being sunk – the submarine had loosed two torpedoes which passed either side of the ship, one missing the stern very narrowly, before the liner was able to outrun its pursuer.
On the evening of December 19th almost two weeks after leaving Liverpool, the Durham Pals arrived at the Egyptian port of Alexandria. The battalion was ordered to guard the Suez Canal against raids from Turkish forces in the Sinai. The men were first sent to a tented camp near Port Said, where they spent an exotic, if Spartan, Christmas.
Lieut-Col Lowe wrote: “While there, we had some battalion and company close order drill, plenty of bathing parades including a voluntary one on Christmas Day as the sea was very warm; and the men had several opportunities to go into Port Said, where some remarkable shows could be seen, though Arab Town itself was out of bounds. Unfortunately, none of our Christmas supplies had arrived and, practically speaking, a Christmas dinner was out of the question as all troops were on hard rations owing to the shortage of transport ships.” Three days after Christmas, the Durham men were loaded up into open train trucks alongside Sikhs, Gurkhas and Bengal Lancers and taken to el Kantara, a fortified town on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal.
At first, their work consisted of shoring up the town’s fortifications, building a light railway and unloading supply barges, interspersed with football matches, camel races, and bathing in the canal, with exhibitions of the horse-riding skills of the Mylore Lancers.
Lieut Col Lowe wrote: “To ensure that natives should not approach the Suez Canal bank undetected, the entire eastern bank was swept with logs drawn by a series of camels each evening; this smooth trail would then show clearly any footprints in the sand. Wandering coolies from time to time caused considerable alarm until the footprints were traced to them.”
He added: “During our early days in Egypt, Arab refugees, homeless and generally starving, who were being squeezed between the British and Turkish fronts, used to attempt to enter our lines. At first this was forbidden, as it was perfectly easy for Turkish spies to enter with them and arrangements were made to send out grain to their camps in the extensive No Man’s Land. Later when they were allowed to come through our lines, they would sweep up any grain even from the horse lines or any scrap of food lying about.”
In late January, orders came through to widen the perimeter screen protecting the canal to give more protection against Turkish attack. The Battalion was marched eight miles into the desert: C and D Companies, the Durham and Hartlepool men, to set up a defence at Hill 70, the rest to do the same at Hill 108.
It was hard going. Former Sacriston schoolteacher Private John Davison wrote home: “We find it difficult to cross the desert as sand is by no means the easiest matter to walk on. Practically all our transport is carried by means of a camel corps and the animals carry tremendous loads.”
Private William Wilkinson, from Willington, wrote: “We have moved eight miles further into the desert. In places we were over the boot tops in sand, not to mention anything about the blazing sun. Eight miles may seem a short distance, but I tell you every man of the company was done up. About three o’clock in the morning it started to rain and a sandstorm swept over the desert. I was about frozen to death. Some of our lads take an interest in catching chameleons or lizards. These animals are perfectly harmless but we do not fancy these things creeping over us at night.”
On Hill 108, sandstorms would fill the newly-dug trenches almost as soon as they were completed and life was not much better on Hill 70. Lance Corporal Charles Moss, from Pelaw, wrote home: “You need not send any more soap. We only get two pints of water per day now for a tent of 10 men to wash in and so you may judge what it is like when it comes to the turn of the last man.”
The men saw the occasional Turkish patrol or aeroplane buzzing overhead, but did not see any action and, after a month of hard labour in the desert outpost, were relieved and marched back to the canal where they worked on enlarging the wharf at Spit Post. Rumours circulated that they were to be posted elsewhere, most likely to Mesopotamia where they would join the attack to relieve the siege of British forces in Kut, rumours which gathered strength when they were sent back to Port Said.
On March 5, 1916, 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry boarded the liner Ivernia and set sail again, only this time they were bound for France – and the Battle of the Somme. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/14322930.durham–pals–survive–submarinesseasickness–en–route–suez/
Western Front
Little did they know that their next move would take them to the Western Front in France, where they would participate in the long–anticipated “Big Push” during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
British government as a troop transport. SS Ivernia was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Line, built by the company Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson in England. She was launched in 1899. The Ivernia was one of Cunard’s intermediate ships, that catered to the vast immigrant trade. With her sister ship RMS Saxonia, the Ivernia worked on Cunard’s service from Liverpool, United Kingdom to Boston. Today Ivernia Road in Walton in Liverpool still bears the name of the doomed vessel.
The 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), played a significant role during the Battle of the Somme in World War I.
The 18th Battalion DLI landed in France on March 14, 1916. Before their deployment to France, they had served in Egypt. The transition from the Egyptian desert to the muddy and rain-soaked battlefields of the Somme required significant alteration to structure and function. Their training in Egypt helped them acclimate to different terrains, weather conditions, and combat scenarios.
The experiences of the 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), in Egypt played a crucial role in shaping their readiness for the brutal warfare they were to face during the battle of the Somme.
A summary of their experiences in Egypt provided practical training, mental fortitude, and a foundation of teamwork that would serve them well during the gruelling warfare of the Somme.
Their dedication and sacrifice remain an enduring testament to their legacy.
The Durham Pals formed strong bonds during their time in Egypt. Shared experiences, training drills, and the camaraderie of being “Pals” forged a sense of unity.
These connections would prove invaluable during the intense battles on the Western Front. During the Battle of the Somme, the Durham Pals came under the command of the Fourth Army.
Battle of Albert (July 1-13, 1916):
On the first day of the Somme offensive, 208 officers and men from the 15th and 18th Battalions were killed in action or died of wounds.
Dump of empty ammunition boxes, a small quantity of the total used
The Durham Pals’ dedication and sacrifice during this brutal battle remain an integral part of their legacy.
Total Casualties: In total, 2469 officers and men from the Durham Light Infantry fell in action during the Battle of the Somme. Of these, 121 were officers and 2348 were other ranks
John Robert Adamson’s war ended with him being reported missing between the 1st/4th July 1916, and his parents were informed. John Robert was struck off strength under WOL (War Office List) number 121/4342 and dated 1st to the 17th July 1916. Dated 25th August 1916. Private John Robert Adamson was regarded as having died on or since the 1st July 1916. (Authority Number E/318129/1 dated the 9th of March 1917.) See attached Inside Sheet which confirms John Robert was missing. Attached Service Records.
John Roberts Mother acknowledged the missing and payment report sent to the family dated 10th of July 1917.
Almost a year later the 5th May 1917 John Roberts private belongings were sent home to his family.
Private John Robert Adamson unfortunately never made it back home to England, the list of his personal belongings must have been bitter sweet items to receive, the shells he saved
maybe came from Egypt, a letter maybe from his family. The other items maybe were for his sisters. We will never know without finding his extended family.
Private John Robert Adamson was never found and is Remembered at The Thiepval Memorial Part 1 number M.R. 21. Pier and Face 14A and 15C.
Always to be Remembered for the brave soldier he most certainly was. Lest we Forget
Medals Awarded British War Medal and Victory Medal and 1914-1915 Star
18/661 WO 329 Durham Light Infantry John Roberts 1914-1915 Star is recorded as Yorks and Lancashire Company. No evidence so this remains uncertain (Attached Doc)
John Robert Adamson should be mentioned in the Roll of Honour Book in the Durham
Cathedral
Pension awarded to John Robert Adamson’s Mother Esther Adamson.
Eternal God, our refuge, and strength, on this day we remember before you all who experienced the battle on the Somme: those who faced the terrible waste and devastation,
who fought against all the odds, endured the clinging mud, and the squalor of the trenches.
We recall with thanksgiving the loyalty shown to comrades and the bravery of those who overcame their fear, the courage of those who daily faced the pounding of artillery, gun-fire, and shrapnel. May we never forget the devastating loss of this battle, the anxiety on the home-front, and the sacrifices that were made. Through our remembrances today, strengthen our resolve to oppose naked aggression, to defend the weak, and to speak your
word of peace in times of conflict and insecurity.
This we ask in the name of the prince of peace, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
When you go home
Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow
We gave our today.
Although now commonly called the ‘Kohima epitaph’ these words were not written to commemorate Kohima, but were composed at the end of the First World War by a Cambridge classicist turned wartime codebreaker. John Maxwell Edmonds was born in Stroud in
apart from what his Times obituary coyly described as ‘absence in connection with military
intelligence during 1918-1919′
https://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=523 https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/File:HMT_Empress_of_Britain.jpg https://www.newmp.org.uk/sitedocs/warhistoryof18th00lowe.pdf https://history.fandom.com/wiki/SS_Ivernia
https://www.ggarchives.com/OceanTravel/ImmigrantShips/Ivernia.html#1900
Ancestry. Co.UK.
Forces War
Faithful The Story of the DLI. By S.G.P. Ward.
Durham Pals: 18th, 19th and 22nd Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in the Great War by John Sheen
A history of four battalions of the Durham Light Infantry raised in the Country during the
First World War. The 18th (Pals) were the first troops of Kitchener’s new army to come under fire, when the Germans bombarded Hartlepool in December 1914. The 19th were raised as Bantams and the 20th (Wearside) were raised by the Sunderland Recruiting Committee.
The 22nd, the last raised became a pioneer Battalion but fought as infantry through much of
Messines in June 1917 the 20th went to the Italian front. After losing its Bantams in 1917, the 19th Battalion fought on and distinguished itself in the advance in Flanders in the latter months of 1918. The 22nd Battalion had such a hard time in March and April 1918 that it was rebuilt and again practically wiped out before being disbanded in June 1918.
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