Joshua Fardon
This profile is currently incomplete or may contain errors
If you can help us complete the story please get in touch
- Born
- Silvertown - circa 1888
- Died
- France and Flanders - 30 November 1917
- Age
- 19
- Death
- Killed in action
- Served in
- Royal West Kent
- Awards
- Unknown
- Memorials
- Unknown
- Lived
- Custom House
Joshua's story
Joshua Fardon enlisted in Canning Town and was only 16 when he joined up. His sisters tried to get him withdrawn from service because he was so young, and he did come back for a while, but was called back in July 1917 – and was killed in the November, aged 19. His elder brother served in the same regiment, the West Kent, and was shot in the right shoulder in the battle of the Somme. The injury restricted the use of his arm for the rest of his life, but it probably also saved his life as it meant he couldn’t go back to the front.
The family lived in Custom House, and the elder brother’s wife (Joshua’s sister-in-law) was baptized at Memorial Baptist Church, so she was probably the person who put forward Joshua Fardon’s name to be written on the bells.
Many thanks to Linda Stock, Joshua Fardon’s great-niece, for this information. Her grandfather was Joshua’s brother and she knew her aunts, but didn’t know they had a little brother until after her grandfather’s death. As as child she was taken to the Memorial church every Remembrance Sunday, but didn’t know why. It was the article in the Newham Recorder in September 2015 that led her to visit the bells on Heritage Open Day, where she found her great-uncle’s name.
Do you know anything about Joshua?
Perhaps Joshua Fardon was in your family, or a friend of someone in your family? If you have any information at all we'd love to hear from you. Post a comment using the form below and we'll be in touch.
Other heroes
Find our more about other local heroes who may have known and fought with Harry:
Show me other heroes:
One comment