Private Joseph Arthur Leighton
24878 C/O Town Major
Joseph, known as Arthur Leighton was born 1892 in Ironville, the son of Isaac Davies Leighton, a fish hawker and Hannah (nee Richards) born East Markham, Notts. He had sisters and brothers George Emmanuel, John William, Florence Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ and Gladys May, all born in Ironville. In 1901 the family was living at 11, King William Street, Ironville, a green grocer’s shop.
Arthur’s father, Isaac died in 1904 aged only 48 and in 1908 his mother married John Hubball and by 1911 was living at 36, Victoria Street, Ironville with John and all her children. Arthur and his two brothers were all ironworkers and sister Lizzie, aged 15, was a domestic servant. Arthur is later listed on the Absent Voters Roll 1918/1919 as absent from Sedgwick Street, Jacksdale due to service in the military. The Butterley Company Roll of Honour lists him as an excavator at the Brittain Colliery and notes that he enlisted on 27th Feb 1917 aged 25, returning to the Butterley Company in October 1918. No Medal Rolls Index Card for Arthur has been found and we have entered the service details as they appear on the Absent Voters Roll.
In 1922 Joseph Arthur Leighton married Margaret Jackson and they later had children Edna and Leonard. In September 1922, Arthur’s youngest sister Gladys was tragically killed in a drowning accident whilst holidaying in Devon as a children’s nursemaid with the Morrison family.