Pte. L. Margiotti

FIRST NAMES: Luigi

UNIT: 19th Durham Light Infantry

NUMBER: 19/1501

STATUS: Killed in Action

DATE OF DEATH: 19th October 1916

CEMETERY OR MEMORIAL: Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France

AGE: 20

Luigi originally enlisted in the British Army on 27th July 1915 at Cocken Hall, near Bishop Auckland, under the name of John Wilson, declaring that he was a British subject, aged 19 & 2 months. On enlistment he declared that his father was George Wilson of 50 Allhallowgate, Ripon and that he was working as a labourer. His height was recorded as 5'1" and his chest measurement was 34 & 1/2" and he was posted to 19th Durham Light Infantry, a "bantam" battalion for men who were deemed to be too short or of too small a stature to be admitted into the regular battalions.

According to his service record, whilst at the army depot at Larkhill, on Salisbury Plain, he was awarded 3 days confined to barracks (CB) for not complying with an order and on 7th January 1916, at Perham Down, also on Salisbury Plain, he was awarded one day's CB for being in bed after Reveille.

He sailed for France on 31st January 1916, serving with Y Company of the 19th DLI and landed at Le Havre the following day.

On 20th March 1916 he made a written statement declaring that he had enlisted under a false name and that his real name was Luigi Margiotti and he provided a copy of his Italian birth certificate to prove it. This declaration appears to have caused some consternation amongst his senior officers who had to ask for advice on how to deal with the situation.

The Army began a major investigation into Luigi's claim, which included making enquiries with the Chief Constable of Northallerton Police. The Chief Constable confirmed that he was Luigi Margiotti and that he had been living with his father, Gerardo Margiotti (though the army always subsequently referred to him as "John"), an ice cream vendor, at Clapham's Yard, Northallerton. He had left Northallerton, without notifying a change of address and his father had reported this to the police in June 1915. His father had told the police that Luigi had been born in Italy and had lived in England for 5 years. He also said that they had no relatives called Wilson in Bishop Auckland and have never lived there, but he did live in Allhallowgate, Ripon, before moving to Northallerton.

The Army investigation concluded that his real name was Luigi Margiotti and that, as he was Italian, he was classed as an "alien" and could apply to be discharged on that basis. It seems likely that the army was assuming that the reason for Luigi's declaration was an attempt to get himself out of the army, but there is no evidence that this was the case as he continued to serve until he was killed the following October and there is no evidence in his service record of any application to be discharged.

We will never know for certain why Luigi chose to enlist under a false name, but it is entirely logical to assume that he did so in the belief that he would be rejected as he was not a British citizen, and that he made his declaration at a time when he believed that he had been in the army long enough to be allowed to stay.

In October 1916 the 19th DLI were occupying front line trenches in the K2 Sector to the North East of Arras, near the village of Roclincourt. They were subjected to heavy shell and mortar fire and it is most likely that this is how Luigi Margiotti was killed on 19th October 1916.