A WOMAN from Dalton has spoken of her excitement of learning the true nature of her grandfather's experience of the First World War 55 years on after discovering an old newspaper article covering the whole saga.
Great-grandmother Elaine Raven explained that her grandfather Joseph Walter Kipling, who died when she was in her early teens, was part of the Kings Own regiment had actually suffered a bayonet to the lung which saw an end to his time at war in 1915.
HAPPY: Elaine Raven as a child with her grandfather
He had found himself out in no man's land at the Somme dodging bullets, when jumping down into the trench, he landed on a bayonet which pierced his left lung.
"I can still remember lying in the trench," he told the local press back in 1965.
"With Sgt Major Wade trying to pull the bayonet out and not being able to because the rifle-butt kept hitting the wall of the trench.
"I can still remember him unlocking the bayonet from the rifle and it being drawn from my body."
Mr Kipling returned home from the war back to Black Beck Lane in Dalton where he worked as a chimney sweep and lived until he was 79.
TOGETHER: Members of the Kings Own TA (Dalton and Askam) in camp at Milly Bridge Farm in training before 1915. Back row left to right: S. Wells, J. Charnock, M. Benson, J. Riley, P. Roberts, H. Riley, J. Gill. Second from top: F. Burns, T. Golf, T. Crossl
Ms Raven said that she came across the date of the edition of the paper after speaking to one of her cousins in Preston who had another part of the clipping, then thanks to the help of the archive team at Barrow library, she managed to find the whole story.
The 67-year-old explained that her grandfather had never spoken much about his time during 'The Great War' and that she only knew snippets of what had happened to him before now.
"To find something like this is pretty remarkable," she said.
"He never really spoke about the war and was a quiet man who lived where the old fire station in Dalton used to be.
"It is remarkable that he survived, and we are all here now to tell the story because of that.
"Hopefully, other people in Dalton may see one of their relatives in this as well."
HISTORY: Article from February 19, 1965
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