Private Joseph Mallinder
44695 Private 2nd & 3rd Battalion North Staffordshires
Joseph was born about 1892 in Riddings, Derbyshire son of Samuel Mallinder and Ann Mills. In 1911 the family was living at Lygoe’s Yard, Riddings and Joseph was employed as a tarred slag maker at the local ironworks. He had brothers and sisters named Samuel, Mary, Sarah Ann and George.
On 23rd September 1913 Joseph married Rhoda Elliott from Swanwick, Derbyshire at the Birchwood Chapel, Somercotes. Rhoda had a daughter Mary and later Sarah Ann, Samuel William, Rhoda, Doreen and Edna were born.
Joseph enlisted on 13th June 1918 at Nottingham . He was aged 27 years and 4 months, 5’5″ tall, a furnaceman, with a burn scar on his left forearm. He gave his address as Westwood, Jacksdale. Just days after he joined up tragedy struck the family when two of their children, Rhoda (aged 15 months) died of measles and convulsions and just a week later Samuel (aged two and a half years) died of measles and pneumonia.
As the war was coming to an end Joseph did not serve overseas but was posted to Wallsend and served at ‘home’ in the UK until his demobilisation on 27th November 1919. He was granted leave on 27th May 1919 but for some reason, failed to return to his unit on 10th June 1919. He instead reported back to barracks on 26th July 1919 and was put under arrest and tried at Field General Court Martial on 8th August 1919 for being absent without leave. His punishment was to forfeit 44 days pay and, no doubt, other fatigues.
Joseph and Rhoda’s daughter Sarah went on to marry Albert Hanson in 1934 and Doreen married Alfred Bacon in 1945, both marriages took place at Westwood, St. Mary’s. At the time of their marriages Joseph’s occupation was given as a chemical worker and later forge worker. The family home was no 3 Council Houses, Jacksdale and later 83, Main Road, Jacksdale.
Joseph died in 1966, aged 73 and his wife Rhoda predeceased him in 1959, aged 70. Both are buried at Westwood, St Mary’s.