Joseph first appeared on a census in  1881.  His family were living at “The Moor”, Hawarden, Cheshire.  Joseph’s father, Thomas 40 was a Coal Miner. Ann his wife was 44. They had both been born in Hawarden. Ann’s father was included in the household. He was widower Thomas Bennett  77, a former Coal Miner. Also listed was Ann’s brother, Joseph Bennett, 40, ‘an invalid’.   Thomas and Ann’s children were Thomas A. 13,  Ann, 10,  Ada,8, William, 6,  Henry, 4 and baby Joseph, 10 months.

The 1891 census shows the family still living at Moor, Hawarden.  Thomas was 51 and still  Coal Mining. Ann was 50.  Thomas 23, William  16 and  Henry  14  were all General Labourers. Joseph 10 and George 7 were both Scholars.  Brother-in-Law Joseph Bennett 48 was a General Labourer.

By 1901 the family had moved to Mancot, Hawarden.  Thomas 58 was  a General Labourer  Wife Anne was 63. William 25 and Henry  23 were both General Labourers. Joseph was  21 and George was 17. Both worked with Corrugated Iron, (Possibly Summers Iron Works)

Joseph married Nellie Jones in a civil ceremony at Hawarden in 1904 (HAW/02/E54), so by the 1911 census they had been married 7 years. They had had one child Elizabeth Ellen Burrows who was 6.  Jospeh  30 was a Corrugator in the Iron Works.  Nellie his wife was, 25 and had been born in Pulton Cheshire.  They lived in  3 Ivy Cottage Aston Hawarden, Flintshire.

There is no Flintshire WW1 Index Card, neither “Fallen” nor “Living” for Joseph, which may have shed some light on his Service History, nor could I find any Army Service Records.

The UK, Soldiers Who Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk  confirms the regimental details above and adds that he enlisted in Shotton. His Medal Card, also accessible on ‘ancestry.com’  tells us that his first Theatre of War was France and entered there on 19th July 1915. Just over 2 months later he was killed in action in the Battle of Loos. where British losses were devastating and many  Royal Welsh Fusiliers died including Flintshire men.

Joseph is also remembered on the St. Ethelwold’s (Shotton) Church Screen