Rededication Ceremony 63743 Private Joseph Foster to be held Sunday 6 April 2025, 2.00pm Old Edgewell Cemetery

History

Joseph Foster was born in West Wylam in 1896, the youngest son of Joseph and Elizabeth Foster. He had an older brother, George, born in 1876, and a sister, Maggie, born in 1894.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Joseph enlisted and was assigned to the 9th Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Private Joseph Foster was killed in action on 23rd October 1918, just weeks before the signing of the Armistice that would bring an end to hostilities. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 8 of the Vis-en-Artois Memorial.

The memorial in Old Edgewell Cemetery was erected by his surviving siblings in remembrance of both Joseph and his mother, Elizabeth. The original memorial has since been carefully removed and replaced with a new one, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery Working Group and Prudhoe Town Council. This ensures that a son of Prudhoe, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, will never be forgotten.

Rededication Ceremony

In honour of Private Joseph Foster (1896 – 23 October 1918),  a rededication ceremony will take place on:-

Sunday, 6 April 2025 at 2:00 PM, Edgewell Old Cemetery, Edgewell Road, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6HW, [Search via coordinates: 54.955521, -1.862927 – Search ]

Prudhoe Town Council warmly invites you to join us in paying tribute to Joseph’s bravery and sacrifice. We hope you can join us in honouring his memory.

The Chapel will be open at 12 Noon, and you are warmly invited to spend a moment in quiet contemplation and light a candle in memory of a loved one.