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207783 Pte. Joseph Henry Ledger British Army 10th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment from:Outwood, Wakefield (d.28th June 1918) Joseph Henry Ledger was the youngest of 3 brothers, the middle of which was my maternal grandfather. I have little knowledge of Joseph, other than that he served with the 10th Battalion of the East Yorks Regiment, he was killed, has no known grave and he had been to visit my Granddad in hospital when he himself had been badly wounded. I have attempted research over the last 10 years or so – initially finding him on the Commonwealth Graves Commission website. He is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium and in Beverley Minster. Efforts to find out more led to nothing. I discovered that records that might have given insight into the circumstances of his death had been destroyed in London during the Blitz. I have seen a regimental war diary for the day he died – it recorded an attack on a village that went easily with the only non-commissioned casualties being those of men who had strayed into the path of an advancing artillery barrage; friendly fire in other words. As the names of ordinary rank casualties were not recorded in war diaries, it is a long shot to believe that he was one of those men; although that would explain the lack of a body. Though Family lore says he went missing on his way back to his unit after visiting my Granddad at the hospital. I assume that this was in Belgium. I don’t know why, but I feel an affinity with this young man. Maybe because he looks a bit like I did when I was younger. He was 20 when killed, had lived with his Mum and Dad and was plunged into God knows what. He would never marry, have kids or live to see his brother’s family. I wonder how he would have felt leaving my Granddad to return to his unit. His older brother, John William, had been killed the month before and he had just seen his other brother, crippled for life. What odds would he have given for his own survival? My mother is the only survivor now of her family, and although no-one has ever asked me to, I feel a responsibility to ensure Joseph Henry is not forgotten. Please type your message:      We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit. Your Name:             Email Address:       @ **Please put the first part of your email, (before the @ sign) in the first box, and the second part in the second box. Do not include @, it is automatic. Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**