225864 L/Cpl. Joseph Henderson British Army 8th Btn. Rifle Brigade from:Battersea, London (d.21st Mar 1918) Joseph Henderson was my great grandmother's cousin. His mother died when he was three, and his father when he was five. He was brought up by his uncle George Franklin (my great granny's oldest brother) who just happened to be married to Mary Henderson, who was Joseph's dad's sister and so an aunt by blood and marriage.
They had a daughter Margaret who was Joseph's age, and later his widowed grandfather (father to his own father and aunt Mary) came to live with them - he was a retired train driver also called Joseph Henderson.
Having worked as a Despatch Clerk, Joseph joined up in 1916 at the age of 18 years and 2 months.
He went missing in action on 21st March 1918, just days after his 20th birthday, and was accepted as dead from that date. Somehow his disc was recovered and sent back to his uncle and aunt who wrote letters to try to find out the circumstances of this discovery, and of Joseph's death. All they received was information that his remains were buried at Chauny Communal Cemetery, having presumably been moved there from their original burial place. His uncle and aunt received his British War Medal and Victory Medal on 7th September 1922.
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