Joseph Clarence Haw was the youngest of the seven children of Thomas Haw and his second wife Harriet (née Booth). He was baptised at Wold Newton near Bridlington, Yorkshire on July 9th 1899; at the time his father Thomas was a blacksmith. The family would later reside at the Anvil Arms, Wold Newton as his father became an innkeeper as well as being a blacksmith. After Thomas Haw died in 1907 the licence was transferred, in 1908, to his widow Harriet Haw. In 1912 she gave up the licence of the Anvil Arms most probably because she moved to live near Driffield in Yorkshire with a married daughter. Her youngest son Joseph Clarence Haw may also have moved from Wold Newton about this time.

In 1916 he was registered as a 17-year-old railway cleaner in Wakefield. Some time after then Joseph Clarence Haw of Horbury enlisted with the 1st/4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment at Wakefield.

Private Joseph Clarence Haw was reported as missing as of April 9th 1918. The British Red Cross then have two enquiries about him dated August 2nd 1918 and November 20th 1918. Quite when he was ‘found’ and whether this was reported is unknown. His CWGC headstone in Pont-du-hem military cemetery, La Gorgue, France says that he was “BURIED NEAR THIS SPOT”.

He is also remembered on the Wold Newton village memorial where the name PTE. J.C.HAW is the first name in gold lettering; the gold indicates those who had died.

He was just 18 years old.