On 10th April 2025, after over a century, Lance Corporal John Street of the 1st Battalion, The King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, will finally be laid to rest with full military honours at Point-Du-Jour Military Cemetery near Athies, France. The ceremony will commemorate his sacrifice and the bravery of the many soldiers who fought alongside him during the Battle of Arras in 1917.
The Life and Service of L/Cpl John Street
John Street was a young tannery worker from Runcorn, Cheshire, who joined the South Lancashire Regiment (Territorial Force) before transferring to the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. He entered the theatre of war at Christmas 1915 and was later promoted to Lance Corporal. He was killed in action on 10th April 1917, during the fierce fighting near Roeux and Fampoux.
The details of his service remain somewhat unclear, as his military records did not survive. However, through research using battalion, brigade and divisional war diaries, it is known that John and his comrades faced extreme danger during their advance across open ground towards the heavily defended Chemical Works at Roeux. Amid intense machine gun fire and heavy casualties, L/Cpl Street was reported missing on 11th April 1917. His body was never recovered and his name was inscribed on the Arras Memorial.
A Family’s Search for Answers
For decades, John Street’s story remained a mystery to his family. His sister Florrie, who attended the unveiling of the Runcorn war memorial in 1920, always hoped that he had been taken prisoner and would one day return home. His great-nephew, Michael Jackson (WFA member), a retired London Underground training manager and now a military history researcher took up the task of uncovering the details of John’s military service, piecing together information from newspaper archives, regimental records and war diaries. His research, along with the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), has played a vital role in finally bringing John home.
Discovery and Identification
Four years ago, during construction work near Fampoux, remains of several soldiers were discovered. Initial DNA tests failed to match any members of John Street’s family. However, in the summer of 2024, further excavation uncovered three more bodies. One of them was identified through DNA testing as Lance Corporal John Street.
The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, as the successor to the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, will provide the burial party, ensuring John receives the full military honours he was long denied. The Western Front Association will be represented at the ceremony with a wreath to be laid in his honour.