John Richardson was thought to be born in Hanley, Staffordshire circa 1892 to parents James Richardson born 1848 at Burslem and Emily Nee Holdcott born 1849 Smallthorne. James and Emily were married on 20th July 1868 at Cobridge Christ Church.

Unfortunately neither family nor researchers have been unable to trace a birth record for John Richardson, which leads to the conjecture that John was born to different parents and registered with an entirely different name and was renamed by the Richardson family. 

John is cited as being the very youngest child of Emily and James, born some 22 years after their first child James. It has been considered that either eldest son James or one of the eldest daughters Elizabeth or Sarah Ann may have been his birth parent, either way it is impossible to truly know.      

The 1871 census shows James (23), Emily (21) and new born James (9/12) living at 18 Velvet Street with James Richardson's parents also James and mother Sarah along with James' sister Martha and her husband Henry Hawkins (26) and daughter Sarah aged 3.

The 1881 census sees the family now living at 23 Birch Street, head James (34) working as a Potters Placer, Emily (33), son James aged 10 born Burslem, daughter Sarah aged 5 born Knottingley, Yorkshire. In the 1870s pottery was a significant industry in Knottingley with several potteries in operation, so perhaps James moved his small family for work. Sarah's birth certificate states her birth as being 15th October 1875 to parents James ( Biscuit Placer) and mother Emma nee Elcatt. (verbal pronunciation similar to Holdcott) of Hill Top, Knottingley. However by the time their next daughter Elizabeth aged 3 was born circa 1878  they were back in Burslem and 6 month old Lewis Smith also born Burslem. 

1891 Census - John not yet born, his family, with strong connections to pottery work, are recorded as living at 23 Back Birch Street, Hanley, Staffordshire. Parents James now aged 43 and Emily Richardson aged 42. Sarah aged 16, Elizabeth 13, Lewis aged 11 and Mesbach aged 8, Ann aged 6 and Mary Ann aged 1. Lodger John William Wharton aged 25 a Potters Placer. 

James Richardson junior is missing from the family home at this point but by 1901 he was living at 35 Commercial Street, Hanley with wife Emily nee Spedding and children Elizabeth aged 6 and William aged 2. James and Emily Spedding married Sept 1894.  

John's father James Richardson died 1898.

1901 Census - Shows John for the first time on record as an 8 year old living at 97 Paddock Street, Hanley, Staffordshire with his brother Lewis Smith Richardson a Potters Biscuit Placer, Lewis’s wife Joyce, his brother Meshach (Potters Dipping House Lad). Next door at 99 Paddock Street lived his Widowed mother Emily aged 54 with his sisters Mary aged 10 and Anne aged 15 a Potters Moulder, His eldest sister Sarah aged 26 was boarding with her husband James Gilbert aged 29 working as a coal mine Hewer and their two children Florence aged 3 and Joseph aged 1. 

The 1911 Census shows Widowed Emily Richardson aged 63 having been married 43 years having 10 children 5 living and five dead, she is living at 16 Rutland Street with her son Meshach aged 27, single and not in employment. Her 21 year old daughter Mary Ann is now married to Abner Tunnicliffe aged 22 working in Steel works. 

1911 shows Lewis aged 30 and older brother James aged 40, living together at 82 Paddock Street Hanley both working as Biscuit Earthenware Placers. Lewis is married to Joyce aged 29, they have been married 16 years and have had 5 children, 4 still living, James 11, Beatrice 6, Lewis 3 and Denis aged 1. 

Older brother James is cited as being married for 16 years having 6 children, 4 living and 2 died, however his wife is not named on this census and only William 12 and Emily 8 are mentioned as living at this address. Emily nee Spedding died in 1905. 

Sarah Ann Richardson married James Gilbert 1894, however by 1911 their situation has become interesting as Sarah Ann is living as a Boarder aged 36 with a five week old son Henry, she is cited as having been married for 16 years having had 8 children 4 alive 4 dead. Her husband and other children Emily aged 7, Ellen aged 6 and Percy aged 5 were living with their father at 16 Rutland St, Hanley, he cited himself as a Widower. Both older children Florence and Joseph died in 1904 aged 7 and 4. 

If Emily Richardson by 1911 only had five remaining children, James, Lewis, Meshach, Sarah Ann and Mary Ann are all accounted for, which leads the researchers to think John Richardson was not born to Emily Holdcott and James Richardson.

Ann Richardson died in 1905 aged 20 

Elizabeth Richardson seems to have disappeared after the 1891 census, perhaps in service and or married or dead. 

John Richardson married Emily Allcock in 1912 registered in the 3rd quarter of 1912 at Stoke On Trent, this is only the second document found thus far with John Richardson and he calls himself Jack at this point. 

Wife Emily (Nee Allcock) Born 19th January 1891 at Hanley, Staffordshire. Daughter of James and Margaret Allcock. 

The 1911 census shows 20 year old Emily Allcock single, living with her parents and siblings at 19 Toll Street Hanley. 

Emily and John Richardson had two children, James Richardson born 13th May 1913 at Hanley, Staffordshire.

Emily Richardson born 9th October 1914 at Hanley, Staffordshire but sadly died aged 3 in 1918. 

The 1921 census shows widowed Emily living with her Parents James and Margaret Allcock  with son James Richardson aged 8 years 1 month and son Albert Richardson aged 6 months, both children are cited as father dead. 

Both Army pension cards and newspapers report John and his wife Emily living at 25 Gate Street, Hanley. A Widows pension of 22 shilling and 11 pence awarded 4th June 1917. 

Older brother Pte 29215 James Richardson of the 3rd Battalion Notts and Derbyshire Regiment of 26 Picton Street, Hanley, survived the war being discharged due to sickness on the 17th October 1918 and awarded the Silver War Badge. He had served in the Balkans area and was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The 1921 census shows James Richardson living at 26 Picton St, Hanley with his second wife Georgina, daughters Elizabeth 26, Emily 19, Agnes 17, Lillian 14, Winifred aged 1 and son John Lewis aged 8 ( named after his two uncles) along with step daughter Mary Elizabeth Chatterton and boarder 73 year old Leonard Chatterton.

The following is written by family;  

To record a short account about my grandfather John Richardson, known as Jack, will sadly be a very short account because I have no family stories that have been handed down.

When I contacted several registrars to glean information of his birth, they all drew a blank.

I do know that he worked as a Potters Placer at Doulton's and he married my grandmother Emily nee Allcock.  They had two children James, who was my father and Emily who sadly died in 1918 aged 4 years.

John Richardson had two grandchildren, Jeanette and Terry, and a great grandson Kenton.

From his army records he has an estimated birth year of around 1892,  age at enlistment 22. Birth parish Northwood, Stoke-on-Trent. Year of enlistment 1914.

So, in 1914 the short tragic army career of Private John Richardson 15283 7th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment began.

With his regiment John would have seen action in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. It was in Mesopotamia on April 5th 1916 that John was reported wounded and missing, presumed dead.

At a date after John's reported wounding a photo appeared in one of the daily newspapers showing troops waiting to board a hospital ship in Mesopotamia. One of the troops had his arm in a sling. Everyone including John's wife, and close family and friends who saw the photo was sure it was John. Unfortunately, the ship was struck by a torpedo and sank with no survivors.  There was no record of who the passengers were.” 

My grandfather James Richardson, John’s son was born in 1913, and when I talked to Terry about the fact that James would not remember his father John, Terry said that his father said that James’s only recollection of his father was ‘shiny buttons’

 A treasured memory that I have, is of my Grandmother proudly showing me a photo of her 9 year old son James (My father) wearing his deceased fathers medals in 1922 at the unveiling of the Hanley War Memorial. Sadly the photo is lost. 

Both John and Lewis Richardson are on the memorial in Hanley Town Hall.

My 2 times Great Grandfather William Allcock in the 1860s worked as a Joiner on the construction of the building. Little knowing in later years the building would be a housing for a memorial to  family  members.

I also clearly remember when I was a child my Father taking me to the Town Hall to see the Memorial  and that my head came level with John and Lewis's names.”. 

John first entered theatre of operations in the Balkans on 2nd July 1915 at Alexandria. The 7th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment was formed in 1914 and first entered Gallipoli at Cape Helles on the 6th July 1915. They took part in battles at Sari Bair, Russells Top and Hill 60. They were evacuated from Suvla Bay over the 19th and 20th December 1915 to Helles where they took part in the final battles of Gallipoli during January of 1916 before again being evacuated, this time to Port Said and the Suez Canal defences. On the 12th February 1916 they moved to Mesopotamia to take part in the battle to relieve a besieged garrison at Kut Almara. It is here that John was wounded/reported missing and confirmed presumed dead.

On the 11th January 1916 it was reported in the Staffordshire Sentinel that Private John Richardson was in hospital suffering from frostbite and on the 12th May 1916 that he had been wounded. It is stated that prior to enlisting he was employed by Messrs Doulton at Burslem.

John is listed wounded and missing in the Birmingham Daily Post 4th January 1917, his death is recorded for official purposes as 5th April 1916 in Mesopotamia. 

John is remembered on the Basra Memorial, Panel 34 and the Royal Doulton Memorial, Burslem as well as the Hanley memorial. 

He was entitled 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Sources. 

James Richardson & Emma Marriage : Indexes created from Anglican Parish Registers held at Staffordshire Record Office; Stafford, Staffordshire, England

The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 2852; Folio: 54; Page: 7; GSU roll: 836380

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2169; Folio: 2; Page: 2; GSU roll: 6097279

(1901 census Emily Richardson) Class: RG13; Piece: 2606; Folio: 110; Page: 19

(1901 census Lewis and John Richardson) Class: RG13; Piece: 2606; Folio: 110; Page: 19

(Lewis and James Richardson) The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. 

(Lewis Richardson christening)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008

(Lewis Richardson marriage) Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Emily Richardson 1921 census The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; 1921 Census Returns; Reference: RG 15/12663, ED 21, Sch 234; Book: 12663

FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Jack Richardson Emily Alcock 

The Staffordshire Sentinel, Daily and Weekly; Publication Date: 6 Dec 1917; Publication Place: Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, England; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/973089711/?article=e2e6b6fb-2ae0-4269-a509-292ad23e8fc4&focus=0.7278395,0.6381671,0.85152924,0.67170364&xid=3355

Fold3, UK, WWI, Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1019/uk-wwi-pension-ledgers-and-index-cards-1914-1923 : accessed 11 Dec 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/1019/uk-wwi-pension-ledgers-and-index-cards-1914-1923

Fold3, UK, WWI, British Army Medal Roll Index Cards, 1914-1920 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/932/uk-wwi-british-army-medal-roll-index-cards-1914-1920 : accessed 11 Dec 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/932/uk-wwi-british-army-medal-roll-index-cards-1914-1920

Fold3, UK, WWI, Daily Reports: Missing, Dead, Wounded and POWs, 1914-1918 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1352/uk-wwi-daily-reports-missing-dead-wounded-and-pows-1914-1918 : accessed 11 Dec 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/1352/uk-wwi-daily-reports-missing-dead-wounded-and-pows-1914-1918 

Fold3, UK, Nominal Index Of All Service Personnel Serving In A Theatre Of War, 1914-1919 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1276/uk-nominal-index-of-all-service-personnel-serving-in-a-theatre-of-war-1914-1919 : accessed 11 Dec 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/1276/uk-nominal-index-of-all-service-personnel-serving-in-a-theatre-of-war-1914-1919

Fold3, UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1278/uk-soldiers-died-in-the-great-war-1914-1919 : accessed 11 Dec 2025), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/1278/uk-soldiers-died-in-the-great-war-1914-1919.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1658934/john-richardson/

Birmingham Daily Post - Thursday 04 January 1917 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000033/19170104/085/0003?noTouch=true.