KNIGHT, John William

John was born in Newport in 1878 to Edwin & Elizabeth (nee CHEEK) KNIGHT of 3 Sea Street, Newport. He married Ellen GALLOP in 1902 at St Thomas’ Church, Newport & they lived at 41 Royal Exchange, also in Newport.

John served with the 8th Bn. known as the Isle of Wight Rifles, & was sent to fight at Gallipoli. 900 Rifles landed at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli, on 10th August 1915.

On the 12th August, together with other members of the 163rd Brigade, the Rifles were ordered to advance & occupy a ridge of hills in front of them, & in doing so, cut off the Turkish armies in the area of Anzac beach & cape Helles, in order to dominate the Dardanelles straights.  During the first attack, 8 officers over 300 men of the Rifles were reported killed or missing.

John, aged 36, was one of those missing men, whose body was never found or identified. He is commemorated by the Commission on the Helles Memorial to the Missing in Gallipoli Turkey with 20,961 of his comrades.

John is also remembered on the Newport Borough & IW Rifles War Memorials.