Private John William Shaw

6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment

Born 18th August 1892, Glenridding   

Son of John and Mary (nee Nicholson) Shaw, 2 Stybarrow Terrace Glenridding and Side Farm Cottage Patterdale

Husband of Annie H Walton

John William Shaw was born on the 18th August 1892 and baptised on the 18th September that year in the Methodist Chapel in Glenridding. His parents John and Mary (nee Nicholson) Shaw had both been raised in Glenridding. John’s father worked as a miner at Greenside and married Mary in October 1884. Their first Edith was born in 1889, and after the arrival of John William they had two more children, Amy (in 1898) and Frank in 1899. By 1911 the family had moved to 2 Stybarrow Terrace in Glenridding. By now young John William had finished at Patterdale School and at the age of 14 was working as a Lead Miner alongside his father at Greenside.

We believe John’s mother Mary died in 1912 and his father died around the time the First World War started in August 1914. We’re not entirely sure what happened to the children at this point, although we believe the eldest daughter Edith may have emigrated to Canada around 1912 and its possible the others followed her. We believe John moved to Durham, possibly to work in the Coal mines, where we believe he married Annie H Walton in February 1917.

All we know about John’s war record is that he served in the “6th Yorks” - as recorded on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour. We also know from a report in the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald in June 1918 that he was injured by a gas shell whilst on active service at the front, and at the time his wife was living in Ryton, Durham. However as there are many John Shaw’s and indeed many variants of “Yorkshire” regiment we have so far been unable to precisely identify John’s service records.

John is remembered on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour. Currently we have no further information on either John or his siblings. As stated above we believe that Edith may have gone to Canada in 1912 and certainly there are various Shaws who appear on ships manifests but it is currently not possible to clearly identify any of them as John or his siblings.

If you have any further information on the story of John or his family please let us know.

John William Shaw - article from the Herald in June 1918.

Men of 6th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment share a joke and a cigarette amid mud in a trench at Cambrin, February 1918

Photo © IWM

Men of the 6th-Battalion York and Lancaster at a Lewis Gun Post in Cambrin

Photo © IWM