ELDRED, Joseph
Believed to be



No.15494, Sergeant, Joseph ELDRED
Aged 24


9th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died of his Wounds
On Friday, 11th May 1917


This man seems to be the most likely J.ELDRED. From his Army number, just 2 from Leonard Hubbard GRAVER of Elveden, they may well have enlisted together in the Suffolks. With Joseph's famly being involved in gardening and the propensity of this trade for travelling, he may well have secured a job on the estate.


Joseph ELDRED was born in Great Hallingbury, Essex on 27th November 1893 (Bishops Stortford Qtr 4-3a:473, son of Joseph and Eliza ELDRED (née PRIOR).

Baptised in St.Giles, Great Hallingbury on 2nd march 1894.
1901 census...Aged 7, Joseph was at Church End, Great Hallingbury, Essex with his father Joseph [52] gardener's labourer; his mother Eliza Ann [49];brothers Harry [15] bricklayer's labourer, [Albert]George [11] and Leonard [9]; sister Celia [3] and uncle William PRIOR [45] farm labourer. All were born in Great Hallingbury. There were other siblings: Sarah Ann [1873], Clara Jane [1877], Emily Georgina [1880], Alfred [1882] and Ernest William [1884].

1911 census...Aged 17, a labourer, he was at 7 Little Sewardstone Street, Waltham Abbey with his brother Alfred (a carman) and wife Ellen Louise, their children Ivy Ellen [11], Frederick Philip [9], Rosey May [7] and his brother Henry (a car man). The men seemingly all working for a nurseryman. At 147 Church End, Great Hallingbury were his parents, (father a gardener), sister Celia (now EGGLETON), cousin Joseph [5](born Epping) and a visitor William Henry HYMAS [32] a coachman born Chelmsford.

His brother died of his wounds in Wimereux on 4th December 1914 whilst serving in the the Royal Horse Artillery,

click see here


He enlisted in Bury St Edmunds.
Joseph died of his wounds in No.7 Casualty Clearing Station, in a school in Noeux Les Mines.
The 9th Suffolks were in Reserve at Mazingarbe on 2nd May and then took over front line trenches from the 8th Bedfords, returning to billets on 11th May. Since few war diaries name Other Ranks, there is no telling when or exactly where Joseph was wounded.



The pension card of the Eldred brothers, Leonard and Joseph.


Joseph Eldred is buried in Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery, 1:R:18
and also commemorated on the Weather Heath Memorial (Elveden Column by the A11)

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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