Private George Walton Stout

15258 - 9th Battalion The Border Regiment  

Born 1888 Glenridding. Died April 1938 aged 50 in Glenridding

Son of Richard and Mary (nee Hayton) Stout, High Glenridding and Alston

George Walton Stout was born in Patterdale in 1888. His father Richard was from Alston, and by the time George was born was working as a Lead Miner at Greenside Mine and the family were living in Glenridding.  Richard had always been a Lead Miner since he left school, first near his family home in Alston, and later in Yorkshire. He had moved to Glenridding around 1882, and that year had married Mary Hayton, the daughter of Agnes Hayton, who had been born and raised in Glenridding. By the time Richard and Mary married, on the 15th April 1882, Mary already had two children from a previous relationship, William (born in 1879), and Bertha (born in 1881). At the time of her marriage to Richard Mary was living at 4 High Cottages in Glenridding with her children and her grandparents.

After they were married George and Mary first moved into the cottages at Glencoyne, where they had their first child, John, in 1884. Sadly he died aged just 9 months old. In 1886 they had another son, Thomas, and were by this time living in High Glenridding. George was the next child to be born, 1888, followed by Henry in 1890, and then Richard (who died aged just 3 month in 1891), Stephen (in 1894). In 1895 Mary gave birth to another daughter, Elizabeth Ann, followed by Mary Agnes a year later. Her final child, Rachel, was born in July 1900. Sadly we believe Mary died giving birth to Rachel, her eleventh child. She was 41 years old. Shortly after Rachel’s death, on the 19th September 1900, and possibly just before the family left the Dale, five of the children were baptised at St Patrick’s Church Patterdale - George, Henry, Stephen, Elizabeth and Mary.

At this point it appears that Richard moved his family back to Alston to live with his sister Ann, presumably to get some help with looking after his children. By then some of the children had left home. His step-children William and Bertha had left home, William to live with his Uncle in Glenridding and to work at Greenside, and Bertha by 1901 was working as a servant for the Kilner family in Middleton Place, Patterdale. His eldest son Thomas was by 1901 a 16 year old labourer at the local smelting mill. George, Henry and Stephen were all at school, alongside their sisters Elizabeth and Agnes. His youngest daughter Rachel was we believe adopted by Henry and Isabel Nicholson, who lived in Thelwall Cheshire. Isabel was Richard’s sister, and more able to cater for a young baby, especially as she had a son of her own, Ernest, who was around the same age as Rachel.

In January 1907 further tragedy struck the family when Richard himself died, aged 53, whilst still in Alston. By then his six children living with him at Alston, orphaned at the age of between 11 and 19, had to find their own way in the world. By 1911 we believe that George had moved to Craghead in Durham, where he was working as a Coalminer.

It appears that when war broke out George may have returned to Cumbria as he enlisted in the 9th Battalion of the Border Regiment, alongside others from the Dale including Frank Boustead. The 9th Battalion of the Border Regiment was the “Pioneer Battalion”, and were used in repairing roads, bridges trenches and strong points on the battlefront and behind the lines. George arrived in France on the 7th September 1915. We know about the of the 9th Battalion’s activities in the war from the Battalion Diary of Colonel Wylly (see here for more details).

After two months working in France the 9th battalion was dispatched to Salonika in Greece, via Alexandria in Egypt. Allied commanders had decided to deploy  French and British troops to support the Greek Army in their fight against the Bulgarians. The conditions were harsh, with the severe cold and blizzard conditions in winter making life particularly hard on the troops. However, as the official history states:

“the men remained good spirited and in good health. There never seemed to be shortage of tobacco, as smoking was a favourite pastime amongst many of the men, but the basic necessity of bread proved a little different and was somewhat harder to come by”

The battalion remained in Salonika for the duration of the war as the allies launched their final assault on the Bulgarians in 1918 with a view to ending the war in the Balkans.

We know from George’s medal card (see below) that he was demobbed in March 1919. We’re not sure where he went after the War, but believe he may well have returned to the North East. Sadly the only further detail we have of him is when he died, in April 1938 aged 50. By this time he must have moved back to Glenridding, as his address is given as High Glenridding, and he was buried at St Patrick’s Church, although he does not appear of any of the Electoral Rolls between the wars. He is remembered on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour alongside his brothers Henry and Stephen, who stories are told in more detail below.

In terms of the rest of the family, George’s eldest brother Thomas had also moved to the North-East following the death of their father in 1907. By 1911 he was living in Shildon, and had married Minnie Davison. They had a son, John Richard, and were also looking after their 7 year old niece, Margaret Ann Davison. Thomas worked as a coal miner, alongside his younger brother Stephen, who was also living next door to Thomas and his family at 8 Quarry Street, Shildon. We’re not sure what happened to Thomas and his family after that.

Elizabeth Ann, George’s sister, had sadly died in Alston in January 1909 at the age of 14. Mary Agnes may well have stayed in the Penrith area and we believe that she died in July 1985 at the age of 85. We have so found no trace of George’s youngest sister Rachel after 1911. His eldest half-brother William had moved from Glenridding to Penrith, and by 1911 was working as a Grocer’s Carter and living at 9 Blue Bell Lane in Penrith. He had married Mary Jane Waiting and they had two children, William Leonard and Annie Mary. We believe William may have died in Cumbria in December 1926 at the age of 47. We believe George’s half-sister Bertha may have sadly died in Durham (where many of her brothers were living) in January 19190 at the age of just 28.

If you have any further information on the life of George or his family then please contact us.

Private Henry Stout

25/615 Northumberland Fusiliers

Born 1890 Glenridding. Died 1943 Durham aged 54.

Son of Richard and Mary (nee Hayton) Stout, High Glenridding and Alston

Henry Stout was born in 1890 in Glenridding, where his father Richard was working as a Lead Miner at Greenside Mine. The story of Henry’s family and his troubled early life is told in more detail above in the biography of his elder brother George Walton Stout. Henry would have attended Patterdale School alongside contemporaries including Jimmy Bowman, Ben Armstrong and Joe Graham.

Following the death of his father in 1907 it appears that 17 year old Henry joined his elder brother Thomas and moved to Shildon in County Durham to work as a coal miner. By 1911 he was still working down the pit and living next door to his brother and his family at 8 Quarry Street Shildon.

We have not been able to find Henry’s detailed service records but it appears from his Medal Card (see below) that he enlisted after his brother George Walton, probably signing up as part of the Derby Scheme at the end of 1915 and being mobilised in 1916. He joined his local regiment in Shildon, the Northumberland Fusiliers, in which other men from the Dale were serving, including Harry Grenfell, Joseph Dargue and Robert Slee, who had all also moved to the North East to work in the coal mines. Unfortunately as we do not know what battalion he served with we are unsure of where he served, although it was likely to have been in France.

After the war it appears that Henry returned to County Durham, where he died in December 1943 at the age of 54. He is remembered on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour alongside his brothers, school friends, and fellow soldiers from the Dale who served in the Northumberland Fusiliers.

If you can add anything to the story of Henry or his family please contact us.

Private Stephen Stout

119599 Machine Gun Corps

Born  22nd March 1894 Glenridding.

Died June 1926 Sedgefield County Durham Aged 32

Son of Richard and Mary (nee Hayton) Stout, High Glenridding and Alston

Stephen Stout was born in 1894 in Glenridding, where his father Richard was working as a Lead Miner at Greenside Mine. The story of Stephen’s family and his troubled early life is told in more detail above in the biography of his elder brother George Walton Stout. Stephen would have attended Patterdale School alongside contemporaries including Frank Brown, David Brown,William and Thomas Hodgson, and Johnnie Pool.

Following the death of his father in 1907 it appears that 13 year old Stephen remained living in Alston with his Aunt and younger sisters. By 1911, following the death of sister Elizabeth, it was just him and his Aunt living at Homlmsfoot, Nenthead, Alston. 18 year old Stephen was working as a Lead Ore Dresser by this time at the local mine.

We have not been able to find Stephen’s detailed service records and there is some confusion as to which regiment he joined. According to his entry on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour he served in the Durham Light Infantry but it appears from his Medal Card (see below) that he enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps.  The Machine Gun Corps was created by Royal Warrant on October 14 followed by an Army Order on 22 October 1915.  Assuming the medal card below is indeed Stephen’s then it is likely that he joined the Army around the end of 1915, and is likely to have seen service in France, possibly even alongside other men form the Dale who ended up in the regiment, including his friend from Patterdale School, John Pool.

It seems likely that after the war Stephen too moved to the North East as the final record we have of him is of his death, in June 1926 at the age of just 33 in Sedgefield, County Durham, another strong cola mining area. This may explain the confusion over which regiment he served in, and indeed he have may have moved to the North East before the start of the war. Either way he is remembered alongside his brothers and school friends on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour.

If you can add anything to the story of Stephen or his family please contact us.