Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Dainville Communal Cemetery | A.7 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
The Son of Margaret and Ralph Barton of Willington, County Durham.? He was born at Turnside, Durham and enlisted at Willington.? The Husband of Elizabeth Jane Barton of 27 Belle Vue, Willington, County DurhamEducation & Career :
Schoolmaster (1912)
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 8th (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers |
8th (Service) Battalion Formed at Hounslow on 21 August 1914 as part of K1 and came under command of 36th Brigade, 12th (Eastern) Division. Landed in France in May 1915. Disbanded in France 6 February 1918. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Tristram No. 2415 E.C. | Durham |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th May 1910 | 13th September 1910 | 26th October 1910 |
His name does not appear on the United Grand Lodge Roll of Honour, probably because he resigned from the Lodge on 19th July 1913.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley