Joseph Southern was born at Oswestry in 1891. His mother was Julia. Joseph was the eldest of her 6 children with younger siblings Sarah (d. 1913), William, Richard, Annie and youngest Henry. His father, William, was a ostler – employed to look after horses, he also worked as a groom and gardener. They lived at 5 (&7) Oakhurst Road. Joseph would, like his father, work as a groom and also as an agricultural labourer employed by a Mr Vaughan of Gobowen. In April 1910, when he was 18, Joseph joined the 4 Bn KSLI Territorial. He seems to have taken to the army and in February 1911 joined the regulars enlisting in 3 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers, a reserves and training battalion with depot in Wrexham. He signed on for 6 years, and, after training he was taken onto the regiment strength in April 1912. He then switched to join the 1 Bn KSLI serving as Private 9924 and in September 1913 transferring  to 2 Bn KSLI and found himself posted to Ireland with spells at Fernoy and Tipperary working with the battalion transport – applying his skills as a groom/ostler. During this time he began to accumulate a career-long disciplinary record. This included going AWOL and absent from parades, improper conduct on parade, refusing to obey and disobeying orders, reporting sick with no cause as well as returning to the barracks drunk, trespassing on the railway line, using obscene language and urinating in the barracks. Punishments ranged from stoppage of pay, being confined to barracks as well as two 14 day sentences of Field Punishment Number. In September 1913 the battalion was posted to India where Joseph contracted Malaria. He returned to the UK with the battalion in November 1914 and then went over to France on 20 December 1914.

On the journey from India much of the battalion’s kit and equipment had gone astray and they arrived in France with inadequate clothing. This, compounded by the shock of coming from the heat and dust of India to the winter cold and wet of Europe, resulted in much sickness among the men, including Joseph who had frostbite. He was evacuated to South Mead General Hospital in England and on recovery returned to 2 Bn KSLI. His military career now becomes obscure but by September 1916 he is on Malta – possibly he had been posted to 8 Bn KSLI which was then serving in Salonica. On Malta he had an attack of Malaria and was returned home and spent until December 1916 in hospital at Fazakerley. When again fit he was posted to KSLI Depot and then in January 1917 was taken on by the Machine Gun Corps and went to their training base at Belton Park near Grantham. His previous CO, on his character reference form (Army Form W3226), listed him as unreliable, a sleight he continued to live up to. At Belton he was charged with being drunk and creating a disturbance in barracks as well as going AWOL and returning drunk after New Year 1918. He also had recurring bouts of Malaria. Also whilst at Belton, in Spring 1917, he married a local woman, Dorothy May Smith, born in Grantham, 1895. They would have a child, Nancy Megan, born 15 May 1918 at Grantham where they set up home.

At this time too he was categorized as Medical Category B, probably because of his malaria, restricting him to home service and exemption from going overseas. Joseph would stay at Belton until the end of the war. The day after the Armistice he was taken ill and was admitted to the Military Hospital Grantham. At first it was thought it was malaria but after examination he was re-diagnosed as having Influenza and pneumonia. He was treated but his condition did not improve and over the night of 18 November 1918 became critical. He died at quarter to ten the next morning, 19 November 1918. A military funeral was held at All Saints Church, Barrowby, Lincolnshire followed by interment in the church graveyard. Barrowby was his widow’s home town, she would re-marry the next year to become Mrs DM Durrands. Joseph is also commemorated on war memorials at St Oswald’s Church, Oswestry and at All Saints Church, Barrowby where he is listed as in 6 Bn KSLI.

Acknowledgements. All Saints, Barrowby

References and Sources

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