Gunner Gilbert Hardy Midgley

[Andy Wade]

Hi Folks,

You may remember that we submitted Gunner Midgley's details in 2017. He was accepted for inclusion to the CWGC's perpetual roll of honour in January 2018 and had a headstone installed on his grave in November of that year.
Yesterday (Sunday 14th July 2019) we held a dedication ceremony for his new headstone and it was attended by a local Deputy Lieutenant and many councillors as well as a guard of honour from three cadet groups, standards, bugler and veterans.
A local soldier unveiled the headstone in the ceremony and afterwards we laid wreaths fro Gilbert.

A reception was held afterwards at Keighley Rugby Club just along the road.
Here's the story of Gilbert's life which I used in my address to those who attended. It's a tragic tale of a lad starting out on his service in the Great War:

 

Gunner Gilbert Hardy Midgley.

 

Gilbert Hardy Midgley was born in Bingley on the 31st May 1889. His parents were John William Midgley and Jane Wilson. In 1891, Gilbert and his two brothers Wilson and Douglas were living at 39, North Street in Bingley with their grandparents and parents, and their father John was a Tailor.

By 1901 they had moved as a family to 118, Malsis Road in Keighley and the boys had a baby sister called Doris. Their father John was still a Tailor.

They were still on Malsis Road in 1911 and Gilbert was still living at home. His father John was now a building and joinery contractor building houses and Gilbert was a joiner.

Over a year after the war began, on 12th December, 1915, Gilbert attested for service with the Royal Artillery at the age of 26 years and 8 months and was placed in the reserves. He gave his occupation as a Commission weaver, managing a weft and warp department for Messrs Midgley, Douglas & Co, manufacturers, of Keighley.

Gilbert was mobilized on 22nd March 1916 to go to no. 4 Depot of the Royal Garrison Artillery at Great Yarmouth and he had his Army medical at Halifax that day.
He arrived in Great Yarmouth the next day and would have gone through the usual induction process and been issued with his uniform. On March 24 he parcelled his civilian clothes up and posted them back home and was walking back to the barracks. Because the German Navy had been making shelling raids along the coast, there was a blackout in operation and it appears Gilbert lost his way in the dark and stepped off the edge of the quay into the River Yare which is tidal at this point and runs very fast through this stretch. Gilbert's body was found the two months later and he was brought home for cremation at Scholemoor Cemetery in Bradford with a short service conducted by the Reverend Douglas Sharp of Keighley. Gilbert's ashes were buried here in grave 44, section M on 3rd June.

The Army had posted Gunner Midgley missing and on 15th April, about three weeks later they held their own inquest, declaring him illegally absent without leave and deficient of some of his kit, which was actually everything he was wearing when he fell into the river. They reported his name to the Police Gazette as a deserter or absentee.

 

On Monday 31st May, William Wolsey was fishing off the South end of the fish wharfe when he saw a body floating down the river, He managed to land the body which was of a soldier in uniform.

At Great Yarmouth on 31st May, a coroner's inquest was held to investigate Gilbert's death. He had been to the YMCA room in Great Yarmouth and had written a long and cheerful letter home, sending his civilian clothes with the letter. Shortly before 9 pm he set off back to the Artillery barracks but never arrived there. Around this time, local lad Sydney Ayden who was cycling past, was asked by two soldiers if they could borrow his cycle lamp as they had heard cries coming from the river but they could not see anybody despite hearing the cries for help three or four times. The Coroner's verdict was that Gilbert had "accidentally drowned through falling into the river."

Gilbert's mother Jane was buried in the same grave in January 1934 and his father John William Midgley had his ashes scattered nearby in 1940.

John William Midgley was a well respected Alderman on Keighley Borough Council during the Great War and was chairman of the local food control committee dealing with rationing, for this service he was awarded the OBE in the 1919 New Year's Honours list and later became Mayor of Keighley. He is remembered at the family grave on the stone in front of Gilbert's headstone.

 

 

[chrisharley9]

Not Forgotten.