Memorial Plaque to Noire James Heaviside 24th North’d Fus

Noire James Heaviside was born in West Hartlepool in 1885, the family quickly moved to Kirkby Stephen. At the time of the 1911 census he was working as a Church Sexton, responsible for the up keep of the church. Noire was living in North Road Kirkby Stephen.

There is no mention on his MIC but it seems Noire previously served with the Royal Engineers (166541).

Noire served in the 24^th Northumberland Fusiliers’ (1st Tyneside Irish), however he wasn’t an original member and as such his medal wouldn’t be prefixed.

He was killed in action on the 16^th of September 1917, sadly there isn’t much of the early part of September 1917 covered in Sheen’s book on the Tyneside Irish. There is an interesting extract about a solider during this period. However no names are mentioned, a possibility it was Heaviside, obviously near impossible to prove! As by august 1917 the 24^th had amalgamated with the 27^th to make the 24/27^th battalion.

“ One evening about this time Morris Jenkinson was sitting in a dugout beside Bob Quinn whilst around them men were sitting talking and drinking tea, when Morris noticed that one man was getting edgy saying he could not take the war any longer. Suddenly he ran out of the dugout and before anyone could stop him, he jumped up on the parapet and began to sing ‘Roses are blooming in Picardy’. The Germans shot up ‘Very lights’ which silhouetted the singer, but they did not shoot. The whole section was watching in horror, expecting the Germans to start bombarding their position with trench mortars but, as the solider finished the last verse, a single shot rang out from the German lines and the singer fell back into the British trench dead!”

Heaviside was laid to rest in Hargicourt British Cemetery. He is also remembered on the Kirkby Stephen war memorial.