| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Joseph's father, William, was born and grew up at Elton, near to Bury in Lancashire. He married Hannah Berisford at Elton All Saints in 1876 but in 1878 when Joseph's eldest brother Edward was born, the Helm family was living in Beverley and the 1881 Census gives the address as Friars Lane.
Joseph, the 5th son, (9th child) was born in 1889 and sadly his mother died within a year of his birth. Father William, a gas meter inspector, married widow Jane Barker (nee Suddaby) in Mar 1893. The 1901 Census shows the family settled in Trinity Lane. At the time of the 1911 Census 21 year old Joseph is lodging with Mr and Mrs Girdley in Flemingate and gives his occupation as labourer - tannery worker.
Joseph joined the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. A Beverley & East Riding Recorder newspaper article from Apr 1916 tells that brother Harry and two other brothers served with the Canadian Light Infantry whilst two further brothers enlisted with the East Yorkshire Regiment. Joseph's medal card shows he was awarded the 1914-15 Star and British and Victory medals and arrived in France on 5 Nov 1914. In the summer of 1916 his Battalion was close to Albert, ready for the Somme offensive. On 1 Jul 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Joseph was killed.
Joseph is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, East Riding Memorial in Beverley Minster and the Beverley War Memorial, Hengate.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |