Corporal Jacob Strassheim

Corporal Jacob Strassheim, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in  Belgium on 27th March 1916, aged 23 and is buried in Railway Dugouts Burial Ground ( Transport Farm ), Zillebeke, Flanders, Belgium.  His Headstone is inscribed ” Peace Perfect Peace”. He had been born in Gateshead and was the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Strassheim of Spittal and the husband of Isabella Strassheim of 39 Main Street, Spittal. It is interesting to note that he served under the name of Straughan. ( possibly because of his Germanic sounding surname ). Before enlisting he had worked for the Scremerston Coal Company and he left a widow and two children. He was a keen footballer and played for Scremerston Hearts. His brother John served in the same Battalion. At that time the Battalion were holding front line trenches in the Hill 60 sector of the Ypres Salient and suffered casualties from enemy artillery. The photo shows the impressive Memorial raised to commemorate the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as the Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Weiltje where nearby on 26th April 1915, during the Battle of St Julien, the Battalion had fought its first action of the War only days after landing on the Continent.