Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of John Bailey a boot maker, born 1865 in Leicester (son of Joseph Bailey, 1827-1898 and Milicent Catling, 1841) and his wife Mary Agnes Bailey (nee Lewin, married on the 6th September 1885 in St. Mark’s Church, Leicester), born on the 1st November 1864 in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire (daughter of Samuel Lewin, 1811). Joseph Cecil was born in the January quarter of 1891 in Leicester, his siblings were Henry Alfred, a schoolboy, born on the 11th March 1886 and baptised on the 6th June 1886 in St. Matthew’s Church, Leicester and George Arthur, was born in the April quarter of 1899, the latter two siblings were both born in Leicester, in April 1891 the family home was at 55, Waring Street, Leicester. In March 1901 Joseph was residing in the family home at Station Road, Earl Shilton, Leicestershire together with his father, a shoe maker, his mother and siblings, George, Samuel Herbert, born on the 19th December 1892, Lily May, born on the 8th June 1895 and Francis William, born on the 28th January 1898, the latter three siblings were all born in Leicester and John Thomas, born on the 3rd November 1900 in Earl Shilton.
In April 1911 Joseph was employed as a boot and shoe trade packer and was residing in the family home at 1, Station Road, Earl Shilton, together with his father, a boot and shoe trade finisher, his mother and siblings, George, a boot and shoe trade packer, Henry, a boot and shoe trade packer, Samuel, a boot and shoe trade packer, Lily, a hosiery trade worker, Francis, a schoolboy, John, a schoolboy and Albert Vincent, a schoolboy, born on the 13th February 1905 in Earl Shilton. His brother George Arthur died on the 14th October 1915, from wounds received in action.
Joseph’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested. In Hinckley, Leicestershire.
Allotted. Service number. 20850
Posted. Leicestershire Regiment. Private.
First entered the theatre of war in. France. 29th December 1915.
Posted. To 7th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment. Private.
Posted. To 1/4th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment. Private.
Died of wounds. In the 47th Casualty Clearing Station on the 23rd September 1918.
Buried in. Brie British Cemetery, France, with the headstone inscription; “One of God’s Brightest and Best.”
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On the 20th March 1919 Joseph’s mother was awarded a weekly Army Pension of ten shillings for life, to commence on the 8th April 1919.
The War Diary records: 23 Sep-18 - Harassing fire from enemy between 11.00am and 12.30pm at different intervals. Casualties 7 other ranks killed, wounded 6.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
A photograph of Joseph was submitted in 2016 by M. Hall