Joseph Septimus Blackburn, known as Joe, was born in Thornton and baptised at Christ Church on 7 February 1886. He was the seventh son and ninth child of Thomas Blackburn and his wife Elizabeth Bailey who married on 1 March 1862 at Christ Church.
Thomas was from Skippool, the son of a blacksmith, but at the time of his marriage was living and working in Singleton as an agricultural labourer. Elizabeth was from Thornton, and the couple appear to have been living in Singleton when their first child John was baptised at Christ Church on 27 April 1862. Soon after they moved to Thornton where three more sons were born and baptised at Christ Church: William on 28 February 1864, Robert on 27 May 1866 and Edward on 25 April 1869. Sadly William died aged 5 from burns when his shirt caught alight in the hearth fire whilst his mother was running an errand to her father's house, just two hundred yards away. Despite the efforts of Dr Bowness, William died on the following day, 3 January 1870. He was buried in Christ Churchyard three days later.
Thomas had become a railway porter by 1869, working at Poulton-le-Fylde station. He was still in the same employment when the Census was taken on 2 April 1871. The Blackburn family lived in Little Thornton but the exact address was not recorded. Another son was born later that year on 12 October and named William when he was baptised at Christ Church on 29 October. The next two children were both daughters: Mary Ann was baptised on 30 August 1874 and Jane on 29 July 1877. The next Census on 3 April 1881 recorded Thomas and Elizabeth, with their five surviving children at Little Thornton. Thomas had become a railway platelayer.
A sixth son, Thomas junior, was born on 8 February 1882 and baptised at Christ Church on 26 March. Thomas senior was still a platelayer in 1883 when his eldest son John married but by the time Joe was baptised three years later Thomas had reverted to his former occupation working in agriculture. He rented a cottage at Lambs Lane End, Little Thornton (later known as Rose Cottage, Raikes Road) with 32 perches of land which was used for market gardening. By 1891 only the five youngest children remained at home. The three eldest sons had married and started their own families. That figure of five had reduced to two - Thomas junior and Joe - by the next Census on 31 March 1901. William and Jane had married whilst Mary Ann was working as a domestic servant in Blackpool. Thomas junior was a footman whilst Joe worked in the market garden.
There were three more family marriages in the early years of the new century: Mary Ann in 1903, Thomas in 1904 and finally Joe married on 29 June 1908 to Jessie Rose Bennett at Thornton Christ Church. Jessie was born in Thornton on 3 June 1886, the first of four children of William Bennett, a butcher, and his first wife Mary Beckell who had been married at the same church on 2 March 1886.
Jessie moved into Rose Cottage with Joe and his parents. She and Joe had three children. Thomas was the first to be born in late 1908 but he died in infancy. Elizabeth was born on 6 April 1913 and Joseph on 5 February 1915.
Joe attested at Poulton as a Reservist in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment on 10 December 1915. He was not mobilized until 6 June 1917, joining up with the 4th Battalion. He remained on the Home Front until 30 October when he was sent to France and transferred to the Royal West Kent Regiment the following day. Joe was posted to Italy with the 11th Battalion on 13 November. He was hospitalised in Genoa with trench fever on 10 February 1918 and returned to France where he was further treated in hospital in Marseilles on 8 March. After rejoining his unit, he was posted to the 10th Battalion at Étaples-sur-Mer on 6 June. A further posting on 23 July transferred him to the 6th Battalion and he joined his new Battalion the following day. Sadly, Joe was killed in action on 24 August 1918. He was aged 32.
Pte. Joseph Septimus Blackburn, G/20378, 6th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment is commemorated on Panel 7 at the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France. Jessie never remarried and lived at 31 Stanah Gardens, Thornton until her death on 9 April 1948, aged 61.
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