John Dalton

John was born in 1887 (in Manchester), the son of George and Sarah Dalton (although George had already died by 1901). In 1901 the family lived in Little Hill, by Quarry Hill, in the parish of St John’s Horbury Bridge.

John enlisted in Ossett and became a Private in the 1^st / 4^th battalion of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (Service number 3282) – he died of his wounds on 25^th May 1915 and his name is recorded on The PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL. This commemorates more than 11,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in this sector during the First World War and have no known grave. “The memorial serves the area from the line Caestre-Dranoutre-Warneton to the north, to Haverskerque-Estaires-Fournes to the south, including the towns of Hazebrouck, Merville, Bailleul and Armentieres, the Forest of Nieppe, and Ploegsteert Wood. Those commemorated by the memorial did not die in major offensives, such as those which took place around Ypres to the north, or Loos to the south. Most were killed in the course of the day-to-day trench warfare which characterised this part of the line, or in small scale set engagements, usually carried out in support of the major attacks taking place elsewhere.”