The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War

Pte Joseph Marker British Army Royal Devon


Great War>


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.



    Site Home

    Great War Home

    Search

    Add Stories & Photos

    Library

    Help & FAQs

 Features

    Allied Army

    Day by Day

    RFC & RAF

    Prisoners of War

    War at Sea

    Training for War

    The Battles

    Those Who Served

    Hospitals

    Civilian Service

    Women at War

    The War Effort

    Central Powers Army

    Central Powers Navy

    Imperial Air Service

    Library

    World War Two

 Submissions

    Add Stories & Photos

    Time Capsule

 Information

    Help & FAQs



    Glossary

    Our Facebook Page

    Volunteering

    News

    Events

    Contact us

    Great War Books

    About


Advertisements

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

205871

Pte Joseph Marker

British Army Royal Devon

from:Budleigh Salterton

My Grandfather fought in World War I in the trenches. Before the War he lived and worked in Budleigh Salterton,Devon, where he was born. He was a Draper's Assistant in a smart Gentleman's Outfitters. And I do remember him always looking smart - with a gold watch and chain. He went to Exeter Barracks when he was called up - but in the latter years of his life we took him over towards Wareham where the tank regiment now is. He remembered training on the heathland. When I was a little girl he mentioned eating rats whilst he was serving in France! He was injured at the Battle of the Somme and came home on the King of Belgium's yacht - though not in style. He was 2 days in a shell hole in the winter and frost - and suffered desperately from frost bite. He was also deafened and had a leg wound. When he arrived back in England, he was sent to a Convalescent Home in Brighton - run by nuns - I have some p/cards of it with the servicemen lying in their beds in rows.Eventually he returned home to Budleigh to my grandmother and Dad.

Life was very hard - he got 10 shillings a week war pension (after a long fight - there was no British Legion then, it was just before they were formed). He and Grandma had an allotment and grew vegetables and had chickens (but only for eggs, as Granddad would not allow them to be killed, he was a very kind and generous man). Grandma took in lodgers and somehow or another they owned their own house. Granddad did work for the Rechabites and also became the local Secretary and Welfare Officer of the Royal British Legion. He had no transport, but walked miles on his crutches collecting peoples shillings. But more often than not, trying to open the orphans and widows living on next to nothing - he got them coal and food allowances. He served on the Parish Council for about 40 years. His son, my dad, Bill Marker, also served in the Devon Regiment in World War II before being transferred to the Royal Sussex and later volunteering for the Royal Navy (Signals). Dad died last year. I remember them both with great love and great pride.









Related Content:







Can you help us to add to our records?

The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them


Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?

If so please let us know.

Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"

We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.

Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.




Celebrate your own Family History

Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.

Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.














The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.

This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.


Hosted by:

The Wartime Memories Project Website

is archived for preservation by the British Library





Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -

We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.