Joseph Henry Kirkman was born in Chellaston in 1894 and baptised at St Peter’s Church on 12th Nov 1896, the son of Joseph Kirkman, a general labourer at the Alabaster Quarries in Chellaston and Mary Cecilia Kirkman (nee Neville - married 1892). In 1911 he was living with his parents at Richardson’s Yard, off High Street, Chellaston. He was employed as a farm labourer. Later, according to a newspaper report in the Derby Telegraph, he was employed at Stableford’s brick manufacturing in Chellaston.

Joseph joined up in September, 1914 and went to France a year later.

In January 1918 it was announced that he had won the Military Medal for gallantry in the field.

He was killed on 29th March 1918 and buried in the Namps-Au-Val British Cemetery on the Somme. This cemetery contains 408 Commonwealth burials of the First World War.