Captain Harold Sugden

Harold Sugden was born in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1878.

Capt. Harold Sugden

By 1901 he was living with his uncle Mr. Edwin Whitehead who ran an Auctioneer business where Harold worked as a clerk. Harold took over the business on the death of his uncle.

He was commissioned into the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, The Manchester Regiment as a Lieutenant on 7th April, 1906 and transferred to the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment maintaining his rank and seniority when the Battalion was formed on April 1, 1908. Earlier that year, on March 3, he married Emily Gertrude Brown and together they had a daughter, Eileen Sugden who was born on July 26, 1912.  He was promoted to Captain on July 6, 1910.

He sailed with the Battalion to Egypt in September 1914 and served with them there throughout their training and preparation for action.  Landing in Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 he was the Officer Commanding “B” Company.

On the evening of June 18, 1915 B Company attacked a Turkish trench but were met with overwhelming resistance and were forced to retire. The Turks then counter-attacked the allied trenches and the remnants of B Company with some men of C Company and some men of the 1/10th Manchesters defended their position.

Captain Harold Sugden was mortally wounded, by a gunshot wound to the lung, and subsequently died of his wounds on June 20, 1915 in hospital at Mudros. He was buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery on the island of Lemnos. He was 36 years old.

East Mudros Military Cemetery

He is also commemorated on the Ashton-under-Lyne Civic Memorial.

Captain Frank Hamer

Frank Hamer was born in Ashton-under-Lyne on March 4, 1880 to William and Ann (nee Whitehead) Hamer. William Hamer was a successful cotton spinner and a pillar of the community later becoming a Justice of the Peace and member of the Ashton Town Council. Frank Hamer was the fifth of seven sons and one of eight children. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School, attending from from 1893 to 1897, and the captain of the school’s cup winning football team of 1896.

By 1906 he was a Chartered Accountant and as such was one of the Honorary Auditors to the Manchester Grammar, Old Mancunians Association and a lecturer in Accountancy to the Institute of Bankers. This was also the year that he joined his father as a member of the Ashton-under-Lyne Town Council.

Capt. Frank Hamer

He was commissioned into the 3rd Volunteer Battalion Manchester Regiment on April 7, 1906 and the following year, on June 4, 1907, he married Winifred Elsie Mallalieu at Delph. After the Haldon reforms, he transferred to the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment maintaining his rank and seniority when the Battalion was formed on April 1, 1908. On May 29, 1910 his first son, Reginald Hamer, was born. In April 1911 he was appointed scout officer to the East Lancs. Infantry Brigade and on December 7 that same year he was promoted to Captain, and assigned the command of F Company. His youngest son, Frank Mallalieu Hamer was born on September 17, 1913.

He sailed with the Battalion to Egypt in September 1914 and served with them there throughout their training and preparation for action. While in Egypt he was able to take 10 days leave from December 10-24 along with Capt. Howorth. After he returned from leave he was able to briefly meet his older brother Joseph Hamer who had joined the 5th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force on December 21, 1914, arriving in Egypt in February 1915.

After the attempted invasion of Egypt by the Turks, he was appointed second-in-command of the Turkish Prisoners’ Camp at El-Maadi. He was highly commended for his work there and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Adjutant and Quartermaster of the Camp, which by that time was accommodating about 2,000 prisoners. When the 9th Battalion was ordered to the Dardanelles he made several applications for permission to rejoin his battalion, which was finally granted and he rejoined at Port Said at 11:30pm on May 3. Upon landing in Gallipoli he was the Officer Commanding “C” Company.

Captain Frank Hamer was killed in action on the evening of June 7, 1915 leading a charge against a Turkish trench. Captain Hamer was shot and fell before reaching the trench. C Company subsequently captured the trench but were forced to relinquish it at dawn after holding it for around six hours. It was one of the bloodiest events of the Gallipoli campaign for the 1/9th Manchesters. In late September 1915, information was received by his father, William Hamer, that Captain Hamer’s body had been found and given a Christian burial with military honours and a cross placed over the grave.

Captain Frank Hamer was 35 years old. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

The Empire (or Cape Helles) Memorial
Copyright: Harvey Barrison

He is also commemorated on:

  1. Ashton-Under-Lyne Civic Memorial.
  2. Manchester Grammar School Memorial.

The museum of the Manchester Regiment holds a small brass plaque that was originally positioned in Ashton Town Hall where Frank Hamer had been a pre-war town councilor. The plaque reads:

To the memory of Captain Frank Hamer, age 35 years. 9th Manchesters. A member of this Council. Killed in action at Gallipoli on 7 June 1915. Son of William Hamer J.P. of Birch House, Ashton-under-Lyne.

Councilor Henry Thomas Greenwood, the father of Lieut. William Gilbert Greenwood,  was subsequently appointed as Overseer of the Poor in Ashton-under-Lyne to fill the vacancy created by Frank Hamer’s death.

An officer’s death gratuity, payable to his widow, was defined under article 497 of the Royal Warrant for Pay, 1914. This entitled his dependents to 124 days of field pay for his partial year of service (presumably starting from May 9, 1915). For Captain Hamer this worked out to be £77 and 10 shillings based upon his daily pay of 12 shillings and 6d. From this was subtracted his pay for June 8-30th equaling  £14, 7 shillings and 6d leaving a net amount of £63, 2 shillings and 6d. And credits of £11, 5 shillings and 6d for field allowances earned but not paid resulted in a total paid to his widow of £74 and 8 shillings.

Additionally, his widow received a £250 gratuity and a pension of £100 per year. Each of his children received a gratuity of £83, 6 shillings and 8 pence and a “compassionate allowance” of £24 per year.

Further Family Tragedy

Frank Hamer’s younger brother Temporary 2nd Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Samuel Hamer, 26th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action on April 14, 1917. He was buried at Bailleul Road East Cemetery, Saint-Laurent-Blangy, France.

Frank Hamer’s older brother Pte. Joseph Hamer, Australian Imperial Force, after surviving Gallipoli, was killed in action in France on September 1, 1918. He was buried at Assevillers New British Cemetery, France and is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

References & Acknowledgements:

Manchester Grammar School Magazine, (ULULA) July 1915 Pg. 134.

Major Thomas Egbert Howorth

Thomas Egbert Howorth was born in Ashton-under-Lyne on the 19th of January 1878.

Thomas Egbert Howorth

In 1898 he contracted paratyphoid A and although he recovered it led to a certain amount of weakness in his lower right leg.

Appointed Lieutenant with the 3rd Volunteer Battalion Manchester Regiment on July 27, 1901, he maintained that rank and retained his seniority when the 3rd Volunteer Battalion became the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment on April 1, 1908. On May 20th of the following year he was promoted to Captain. Prior to the outbreak of war, he was employed as a Cotton Salesman by Redgrave Mill, Manchester.

He sailed with the 9th battalion to Egypt in September 1914 and served with them there during their training and preparation for action. Contemporaneous reports from 2/Lt. Ned Stringer indicate that during November 1914 Howorth was ill for at least a month and so was sent to Helwan to recuperate for a few days and was then able to take 10 days leave from December 10-24 along with Capt. Hamer. While still in Egypt, he was promoted to temporary Major on February 9, 1915 before landing with the battalion in Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 as “A” Company’s Commanding Officer.

On June 19, 1915 he was admitted to No 11 Casualty Clearing Station suffering from diarrhea, headache and high temperature. He was transferred to a hospital ship the following day arriving at Mudros on June 21st. At Mudros he was admitted to No 16 Stationary Hospital and treated for Colic.  Since he had contracted Enteric Fever 17 years previously he was advised not be inoculated at Gallipoli. He was discharged for duty 8 days later but he was not a well man and on July 20th he was sent sick to hospital and medically evacuated to Malta. He disembarked the Hospital Ship Neuralia on July 25 at Valetta and was immediately admitted to the Military Hospital Mtarfa, seriously ill with Enteric Fever with haemorrhages.

He was medically assessed at Mtarfa on December 4, 1915 and they commented that his temperature had only returned to normal on October 20th, almost 3 months after he arrived. He was convalescing slowly but had now started to regain weight after becoming extremely emaciated.  He was recommended for evacuation to England and on December 19, 1915 boarded the Hospital Ship Massilia at Valetta bound for England. He arrived at Southampton 10 days later and was sent to the 1st Southern General Hospital, Edgbaston. He underwent a slow recovery in England but on August 10, 1916 he was medically assessed at Filey Camp and pronounced fit for General Service.

He rejoined the Battalion in November 1916 as a newly appointed Major (Gazetted November 2, 1916) and served with them in Egypt. In December 1916 he took over command of “C” Company, replacing Captain Oliver Jepson Sutton. He briefly assumed temporary command of the Battalion from February 18-20, 1917.

He sailed with the Battalion to France in March 1917 and by April was Commanding Officer of “A” Company. He spent a week  attending a course of instruction for Company Commanders at Montigny from April 1-7. On June 25, 1917 he was slightly wounded at Havrincourt Wood but remained on duty at his post. He took leave to England from July 20th to August 2nd and attended a Summer rest camp for 12 days from September 15th to 29th while the Battalion was at Ypres. On December 14th he attended an RFC course for senior Officers and then proceeded to the UK on leave for two weeks, rejoining the Battalion on January 11, 1918.

On March 21, 1918 the 9th Manchesters were serving in the 198th Brigade of the 66th (2nd/East Lancashire) Division. The 9th Battalion were in the support line at Hervilly, East of Péronne, on the evening of March 20, 1918. The entire divisional front came under an intense artillery and gas bombardment starting at 4.40am and the Battalion was quickly moved up towards the front.  By 4pm on the afternoon of March 21st, 2 Companies of the 9th Battalion were in front of Trinket redoubt at Hesbécourt. The Battalion retired through Roisel during the evening of the 22nd and early hours of the 23rd. Major Howorth was very severely wounded in the right shoulder on March 22nd and evacuated to hospital at Rouen. On the evening of March 29, 1918 he embarked at Le Havre arriving at Southampton the next day. In England he was treated at the 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth and struck off the strength of the 1/9th Battalion.

He remained in London until June 29, 1918 when he was transferred to an Officers’ convalescent hospital at Broad Leys House, Windermere. On July 12, 1918 he was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre for conspicuous gallantry for his actions in March. He was medically assessed on October 7th and awarded an additional 3 months leave. On January 9, 1919 he was again assessed and now pronounced fit for home service and recommended for re-assessment in 2 months. He was duly assessed on March 9, 1919 and pronounced fit for General Service. He had been recovering for almost one year.

On March 13, 1919 he was awarded the Territorial Decoration. Now fit, he was attached to the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment at Kilworth Camp, County Cork, Ireland. In late September 1920 he was medically assessed for war pension and was found to have a 20% disability attributed to his war service. The report found that he appeared “frail” with a slight atrophy of the left leg, below the knee, due to his paratyphoid A contracted in Gallipoli. They also noted that his right arm was slightly weaker than his left due to the shoulder wound received in France. His own testimony recorded that since being wounded he had frequently experienced periods of dizziness.

Major T. E. Howorth Medals

Orders to reform the regiment were received in October 1920 and Lt-Col D. H. Wade was appointed Commanding Officer. A few weeks later the War Office confirmed the re-appointments of some old officers and Major Howorth joined them in July 1921.  He served with the battalion until May 26, 1928 when he retired at age 50, having reached the age limit for service, retaining the rank of Major. Earlier that year he married Florence Elizabeth Archer, a school teacher, who was almost 30 years younger than he was. They lived on Currier Lane in Ashton-under-Lyne where he was heavily involved with the Boy Scouts Movement.

Major Thomas Egbert Howorth, T.D. died on December 5, 1945. He was 67 years old.

 

 

 

Major Richard Bottomley Nowell

Richard Bottomley Nowell was born in Ashton-under-Lyne on September 7, 1880. His father was a medical surgeon and so Richard studied medicine for a time before becoming a “gentleman”.

Richard Bottomley Nowell (1953)

He was commissioned into the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, the Manchester Regiment on February 21, 1903.  Appointed Captain on June 10, 1905 he maintained that rank and his seniority when the 3rd Volunteer Battalion became the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment on April 1, 1908.

On June 22, 1908 he married Florence Elizabeth Ann Tipler and they moved to Handforth, near Wilmslow, Cheshire where they had two children. His occupation prior to the war was a stockbreeder.

In the battalion orders of May 6, 1911, it was announced that Capt. R.B. Nowell completed a course of instruction in Transport Duties from April 3-19 and was awarded a certificate on Army Form E 535.

He sailed with the Battalion to Egypt in September 1914 and on November 4, 1914 was promoted to Major. Landing with the battalion at Gallipoli on May 10, 1915 (in command of the Transport section), he was second in command and “D” Company commanding officer. 12 days later when Lt. Col. D.H.  Wade was shot by a sniper he temporarily assumed command of the Battalion before turning it over the next day. Later in the campaign he assumed command of the Battalion again from June 9th to July 16th being granted the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

On August 7, 1915 he was shot through the left shoulder by a rifle bullet while leading 1/2 of the Battalion in the Battle of Krithia Vineyard. The bullet entered the inner border of the left scapula [shoulder blade] approximately 1 1/2″ below the scapula spine and exited approximately 2″ below the acromion at the posterior border of the deltoid muscle. Remarkably, the bullet cleanly exited without passing through the lung or breaking any bones. He was admitted to No 11 Casualty Clearing Station and transferred to the transport ship Ermine at “W” Beach, bound for Mudros. He remained in hospital at Mudros and was additionally treated for Enteritis as he had been suffering from severe diarrhea for some time previously. He was invalided to the UK on August 26 traveling from Mudros to Malta on the Hospital Ship Ermine and from Malta to Devonport aboard the transport ship Ascania, arriving September 11, 1915.

He remained in London for a few weeks, staying at 19 Park Lane, and was medically assessed at Caxton Hall on September 28, 1915 where he was declared unfit for General Service and granted 2 months home leave until November 27th. He was pronounced still unfit in December but on January 31, 1916 he was pronounced fit enough for home service and ordered to report to the 3/9th Manchesters. On April 27 he was medically assessed at the 3rd Northern General Hospital, Sheffield and pronounced fit for General Service.

On June 26, 1916 he was ordered to return to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and embarked the transport ship Corsican at Devonport on July 3rd rejoining the Battalion in Egypt on July 20, 1916. Here he was immediately posted as 2nd in command.

On January 31, 1917 he led the advance party at Port Said preparing for the Battalion’s imminent move to France.

In March 1917 the Battalion shipped out to France and Lt. Col. (Temp.) R B Nowell was once again placed in command of the Battalion from April 27 to May 25, 1917 and again from July 27 to 30 when Lt. Col. E. C. Lloyd went on leave to Paris. On August 7 he proceeded to England on leave and after his return took temporary command of the Battalion again from September 15 to October 15 while Lt. Col. Lloyd was away. In December 1917 he proceeded to England on leave from the 13th to the 29th. On January 15, 1918 he proceeded to the UK to report to the War Office and was struck off the strength of the battalion.

In England he was posted to the 5th Reserve Battalion Manchester Regiment on March 5, 1918 and at some point after that was assigned the Headquarters of the Yorkshire Coast Defences. Sadly, in July 1918 his wife Florence died.

On November 26, 1918 he was medically assessed for demobilisation and war pension purposes, at RAMC HQ Scarborough, and although he complained of Myalgia (muscle pain) and occasional Lumbago (lower back pain), was pronounced category A fit and ordered to return to HQ Yorks Coast Defences. He was demobilised on January 29, 1919 and retuned to his home at Outwood House, Handforth, Cheshire but now as a widower.

He remained in the Territorial Army Reserve and was awarded the Territorial Decoration in March 1919. He resigned his commission on April 15, 1921 retaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Around the same time, he married Annie Brown and they made their home in Lytham St Annes. By 1939 he was living in Devon as a retired stockbreeder. His son had emigrated to Brazil in 1948 and so in 1953 he and his wife also emigrated there.

Lt. Col. Richard Bottomley Nowell, T.D. died in Brazil on February 22, 1959. He was 78 years old.

 

Captain John Alfred Dearden

John (Jack) Alfred Dearden was born in Douglas, Isle of Man on February 17, 1881 and educated at King William’s College.  His father, John Alfred Dearden was a surgeon and in 1901 he was living in Douglas, Isle of Man with his parents (mother, Mary Selina Beckwith Dickson) and three younger sisters (Cecil Maud Dearden, Violet Selina Dearden and Mary Dorothea Dearden) and two domestic servants. At this time, Jack was serving as a Lieutenant in the Militia in the 6th battalion Liverpool Regiment. He went on to serve in the Boer War from January to May 1902 and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal.

He was awarded a commission in the Regular Army with the Manchester Regiment as a Second Lieutenant on January 28, 1903 and promoted to Lieutenant on February 2, 1907. On March 12, 1912 he was made adjutant of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment and granted the temporary rank of Captain in the Territorial Force whilst holding the appointment of Adjutant.

The local newspaper reported on January 13, 1912:

Lieutenant J. A. Dearden, of the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment, now at Curragh Camp, Ireland, has been appointed to succeed Captain Minogue as adjutant of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment (Ashton Territorials), and will take up his duties in March.

He served with the Battalion in Egypt where he was promoted to Captain on December 1, 1914. He landed with the Battalion at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915, but was invalided to hospital in Malta shortly thereafter, leaving the Battalion on June 7th. He left Valletta on HMT City of Benares on July 4th arriving in the UK (Devonport) on July 13, 1915. Here he was diagnosed with Neurasthenia (an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance) and prescribed three months leave.

Throughout 1916 he was regularly medically assessed and repeatedly classified as unfit for General Service but was given light duty office work at the War Office. Finally, in December 1916 he was pronounced fit for General Service but not suitably fit to be posted to sunnier climates, such as those of Egypt or India. Since the 9th Battalion were still in Egypt at this time, guarding the Suez Canal, he continued his war service in the UK where he remained until the end of the war. During this time, on May 19, 1917, he was promoted to Major.

After the war, in September 1919, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment, as Staff Captain, for the purposes of being definitively assessed for his fitness to continue to serve. He somehow passed this assessment and served with the Manchester Regiment in Ireland when they deployed there in April 1920. This was the time of the Irish war of independence and on January 28, 1921 the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment was involved in the Dripsey Ambush. There is no evidence to suggest a connection but on February 17, 1921 Major John Alfred Dearden was the defendant in a Field General Court Martial under section 40 (acting to the prejudice of good order and military discipline) and was “severely reprimanded” and encouraged (forced) to resign his commission which he officially did on July 2, 1921. Nevertheless, he was permitted to join the Regular Army Reserve of Officers upon retirement and was paid an Army pension of £258/year.

Throughout his retirement he evidently had no other source of income as he repeatedly petitioned the Army to commute his pension for small amounts of cash. In 1926, due to his age, he was moved to R.A.R.O. Class 2 status (in the event of mobilization, or partial mobilization, you will take no action but should your services be required you will receive instruction from the War Office).

An amalgamation of newspaper reports published on July 27, 1928 follows:

MAJOR FOUND DEAD

Major John Alfred Dearden, the 47- years-old secretary of Knebworth Golf Club, was found dead in bed this morning. A glass containing disinfectant was by the bedside.

The discovery was made by the Club Steward in the Secretary’s bedroom at the Club House. Major Dearden was selected from a large number of applicants for the post of full-time Secretary of the Club some nine months ago, and he tendered his resignation yesterday, after being asked to do so. Major Dearden, who was single, was formerly of the Manchester Regiment.

Major John Alfred Dearden tragically died by his own hand on July 26, 1928 in Hertfordshire. He was 47 years old.

Major Michael Henry Connery, MC

Michael Henry Connery was born in Dublin on May 8, 1856. His father, Michael Connery, was a private on the married establishment of the 96th Regiment of Foot, a precursor to the Manchester Regiment. According to his own testimony, he travelled as a very young boy with the regiment to South Africa and then India before returning to England in October 1868 when the 96th Depot was stationed at Colchester.

Major MH CONNERY

And so it was that on April 19, 1869 he too joined the 96th Regiment of Foot, at Colchester as a boy soldier, giving his age on attestation as 15 when, in fact, he was not yet 13. He was promoted rapidly and by 1873 he was a corporal and living at the barracks at Ashton-under-Lyne. Here he met and married Ellen Egan and together they had three boys. His first son, William Lawrence Connery was born in Ashton-under-Lyne on November 25, 1875.  James Thomas Connery was born in Gorton on June 5, 1877 and Joseph Michael Connery on June 21, 1879. On July 1, 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the 96th Regiment of Foot amalgamated with the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment.

But in November of 1882 he discovered that his wife was committing adultery and so he petitioned for divorce and the final decree was granted on August 5, 1884. He retained custody of his three sons.

In May 1886 he married Emily Field while he was a Sergeant Quarter Master for the Manchester Regiment and still living at the Army Barracks in Ashton-under-Lyne. The following year his fourth son Arthur William Field Connery, named after his wife’s father, was born in Ashton on July 19, 1887.

On May 16, 1892 his son James Thomas Connery followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Manchester Regiment as a 15 year old boy. His younger brother Joseph Michael Connery followed his lead and also attested on June 19, 1893 just before his 15th birthday. His oldest son William Lawrence had joined the militia but on January 10, 1894, (while still serving in the militia), he too joined the Manchester Regiment.

On July 7, 1897 Michael Henry Connery was commissioned as Honorary Lieutenant and Quartermaster for the 3rd & 4th Battalions, Manchester Regiment (since regulations only allowed one Q.M. at the barracks and both battalions shared the depot there). By March 1901 he and his wife were both still living in the Army Barracks at Ashton, their youngest son Arthur away at boarding school.

From June 17, 1901 to September 30, 1902 he served in the South African Campaign as Transport Officer of the 5th Battalion (May 1901 to April 1902) and then Transport Officer of the 6th Battalion (May 1902 to September 1902). During his time with the 5th he also served as Supply & Transport Officer for Colonel Barker’s Mobile Column, at Wynburg (October 1901 to May 1902). He was awarded the South African Queen’s Medal with 5 Clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. He was also mentioned in despatches (Gazetted July 29, 1902) as was his oldest son, Colour Sergeant William Lawrence Connery (Gazetted September 10, 1901).  Based upon his service in the Boer War, Lieutenant Connery was promoted to honourary Captain on August 22, 1904 “for his conduct in the  field.”

Since he misrepresented his age when he attested, the Army reckoned that he had reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 years on April 19, 1909, by now serving with the 4th Battalion. Although he was eligible to retire on an annual pension of £200 per year, instead he elected to join the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force as their Quarter Master. By 1911 he had been promoted to Honorary Major and Quarter Master, (Gazetted April 22, 1909), and he and his wife had moved out of the Barracks and were living at “Willow Bank” on Henrietta Street, Ashton. In June 1911 he was honored by being selected to attend King George V’s coronation in London as Quartermaster to the composite battalion sent by the East Lancs Division.

He sailed with the 1/9th to Egypt in September 1914 and in April 1915 his youngest son, Arthur William Field Connery, joined him as a freshly commissioned Second Lieutenant and serving as an infantry officer. They landed with the 9th Battalion at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915, the day after his 59th birthday.  On June 14, 1915 Major Connery was slightly wounded in the left arm by shrapnel when a shell landed on his dugout but was treated at a field ambulance and remained at his post. He was again slightly wounded on July 13, this time in the right thigh, but once more remained at his post. A week earlier, his son 2/Lt. Arthur Connery had been wounded in the mouth and medically evacuated to England. On August 22 his son Hon. Lt. Joseph Michael Connery arrived to serve with him but his stay was very brief, becoming sick after 4 days and then subsequently medically evacuated to England.

He left the peninsula with the 1/9th Battalion in December 1915 and on December 29th was appointed Embarkation Officer for the 42nd Division for their move to Egypt. He continued to serve with the battalion in Egypt during the first half of 1916 until he was hospitalised for sunstroke on July 23, 1916 at El Ferdan. He was admitted to the 31st General Hospital at Port Said the following day where he was proscribed rest and then medically assessed on July 7th. They found him to be suffering from Nephritis and Granular Kidney.  He was invalided home from Egypt embarking the Hospital Ship Galika and arriving at Southampton on July 18, 1916. Here he was admitted to the 4th London General Hospital, Denmark Hill where he spent a couple of nights before they confirmed the diagnosis of chronic nephritis and sent him home.

Back in Ashton he went into Manchester and was medically assessed at the 2nd Western General Hospital, Withington Street on August 3 where they noted much albumin in the urine and that his heart beat was irregular. They recommended that he come in for treatment and granted him 1 month’s leave, effective from July 20. He remained in hospital for about 2 weeks.

On October 3, 1916 the War Office informed him that he was to be “Gazetted Out”. Not a man to take things lying down he had himself independently medically examined and wrote back to the War Office respectfully requesting that he be employed, for Home Service, in any other capacity.

Bedford House
Ashton-u-Lyne
October 18, 1916

I have examined Major M.H. Connery, M.C. and find he is still suffering from Nephritis with an intermittent high tension pulse. His general condition is however very good and he expresses himself as feeling very fit.

He is anxious to do something and personally I think he is quite capable of undertaking Home Service which would not in my opinion retard his recovery.
Robert Bleasdale, M.B.

The War Office informed him that due to the amalgamation of the reserve units of the Territorial Force that no vacancies existed for Quarter Masters and he relinquished his commission due to ill-health on October 7, 1916. Later in the year he was awarded the Military Cross for his services in Gallipoli and received his medal from the King at Buckingham Palace in late December.

April 1917 was a tumultuous month for Major Connery. A vacancy appeared with the Scottish Command at a Prisoner of War Camp and he reported for duty to Stobs Military Camp, near Hawick, on April 27, 1917. The following day his wife Emily passed away and was buried at Hurst Cemetery, Ashton. He later became Adjutant & Quartermaster at the Prisoner of War Camp, Caolasnacon, a camp for German PoWs who were building the road along the southern side of Loch Leven. He was still serving here on May 8, 1919 when he was ordered to report to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital, Edinburgh for a medical assessment. They found him to be “very stout”, surely a euphemism for a man over 15st but only 5ft 8″ tall, and still suffering from an irregular heartbeat. They noted that he was short of breath with the slightest exertion but had no pain or other symptoms. As a consequence he was placed on the retired list effective July 1, 1919 and given the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel for his long and distinguished service. He retired on a pension of £300 per year.

Major Connery, M.C.

He died peacefully at home in Ashton on April 25, 1921 at 8:30pm and was buried on April 29th at Hurst Cemetery with his wife, Emily, who predeceased him. Thousands of people lined the streets of Ashton to pay their respects. His oldest son, Lt.-Col. William Lawrence Connery, M.B.E., J.P., and mayor of Ashton, was later buried in the same plot when he died in April 1944.

The Ashton Reporter carried the following article published on Saturday April 30, 1921:

DEATH OF LIEUT.-COL. M. CONNERY

Fifty Years in the Service, and Four Sons with Commissions

POPULAR QUARTER-MASTER OF TERRITORIALS

We regret to report the death of Lieut.-Col. M. H. Connery, M.C., late of the 1/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, (T.F.), which occurred on Monday night at his residence, Willow Bank. Henrietta Street, Smallshaw. Col. Connery’s end was very peaceful. Although he had been under the care of Dr. Beasedale for some time, he had been able to go about and was out of doors on Monday. In the evening he sat reading in his favourite chair. He put his book down and said to his daughter-in-law, “I don’t think I will read any more”. His head fell on his shoulder and he passed away. He died practically in harness for he had been down to the Armoury practically daily since the Defence Corps was raised.

Col. Connery was born in Dublin 65 years ago. His father was in the old 96th foot (now the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment). He joined the Manchester’s as a boy of 16, and served his country for almost half a century. He rose from the ranks and was gazette quartermaster in the Manchester Regt. in July 1887. He served in the Boer War. Once he was thrown from his horse and he often was troubled with his leg as the result of the fall.

WITH THE TERRITORIALS

When he retired from the regular forces in April 1909 he accepted the post of Quartermaster with the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment. He needed no Army Manual to teach him the duties of a Quartermaster, he knew everything laid down in regulation and a good deal more besides.

It was his association with the Ashton Territorials that has endeared the name of Connery to Ashton. When Major Connery, (everybody knew him as Major), became the Quartermaster of the First Ninth, he soon became a prime favourite amongst the officers and men. He was no slacker, and he permitted no slacking. When the Major was in a reminiscent mood he could tell stories – tinged with an unmistakable brogue, and the point well emphasized by his slight impediment in speech – until one’s sides ached with laughing. He could conjure up rations and desirables when in camp, in a manner that was the despair and admiration of other quartermasters. He worked on a system, and if he said the transport would be ready at a given time, it was ready to the minute.

THE OUTBREAK OF WAR

When the Territorials were mobilised it was a study to watch the Major’s face when the appeal was made for overseas volunteers. How it lighted up when almost to a man the Battalion stepped forward. “I knew it”, he said, “the Ashton lads were always game!” If they were ready, so was he, and despite his age, he jumped like a schoolboy at the chance of once again taking active service. He endured the heat of Egypt and the trials, the sufferings and the horrors of Gallipoli.

In July 1916 he reluctantly returned home on sick leave after being with the Battalion since it left Ashton in August 1914. His moustache was a little greyer, and the burly figure not quite so pronounced, but his healthy sun-tanned face, with its irresistible smile, belied his years. It was easy to grasp why he was highly esteemed both by the men of the Battalion and the people at home. His warm-hearted sympathy, his cheery good humour, and his solicitude must have been like balm on a sore to the nerve-strung men – some only mere striplings – as they emerged from the firing line. There are many mothers and fathers in Ashton who have thanked God that Colonel Connery was there to cheer and comfort their sons and look after their welfare amid the trials and dangers of the war in foreign lands. He was father, counsellor, and guide to them, and whilst on the Gallipoli Peninsular he saw to it that the men wanted for nothing if he could get it for them.

AWARDED MILITARY CROSS

Whilst in Gallipoli, Colonel Connery was twice wounded and was awarded the Military Cross. The record of recommendation by Major-General Douglas, in charge of the 42nd East Lancashire Territorial Brigade was as follows: –

“For his consistent devotion to duty in the performance of his duties as quartermaster. He has been twice wounded by shrapnel in carrying out his duties but continued to carry them out. He personally saw his convoy of supplies each day to their destination, under heavy shell fire. His influence for good has had a marked effect in his battalion. He has given frequent assistance to inexperienced quartermasters of other battalions. He is one of the best quartermasters I have ever known. I cannot speak too highly of his services.”

A CHAT WITH THE KING

On Dec. 9th, 1916 Colonel Connery was presented to his Majesty the King, who pinned the Military Cross on his breast, and warmly congratulated him upon his gallant conduct.

The King greeted him with a pleasant smile as he advanced and bowed, which at once placed the gallant colonel quite at ease. Then, after pinning the Military Cross on the Colonel’s breast, his Majesty chatted pleasantly with him. The King asked Colonel Connery what length of service he had and was surprised when he was told it was 48 years.

“How old are you, Colonel?”, asked the King, adding “I see you have been wounded twice.”
“Sixty your Majesty,” replied Colonel Connery.
“Have you any sons serving?”
“Four, all bearing your Majesty’s commission,” proudly replied Colonel Connery.
“Wonderful!”, observed the King. “You have done well – very well.”

FOUR SONS WITH COMMISSIONS

Colonel Connery was justifiably proud of the fact that he and his four sons all gained commissions from the ranks. His sons are Captain and Quartermaster W. L. Connery, M.B.E., now stationed at the Ashton depot; Captain J. T. Connery, who holds an appointment at the War Office; Captain Joe Connery, now retired; and Captain Arthur Connery, M. C., who is now in the Argentine.

Colonel Connery was a man of abstemious, almost Spartan, habits. He lived simply and sparingly and was a staunch teetotaller. He has gone, but his memory will live long in the hearts of those who realized the heart of gold which throbbed under a brusque exterior. Simple in tastes, and a man who sincerely tried to do his duty for his King and country; a man who did many a good deed by stealth and blushed to find it fame. The loss of so true a man will be sincerely mourned.

The following paragraph was published in the Manchester Regiment Gazette regarding his funeral:

“The Requiem Mass took place, at St. Mary’s Church, Ashton, on Friday April 29th was attended by a large number of people. Full military honours attended the funeral. Those present included the Colonel’s relatives, a number of officers from the Depot, and a number of Territorial officers who had served with him during the war. A party of Territorials, and also another party from the Depot, marched in the rear. The interment took place at Hurst Cemetery, where, as all along the route, large numbers had assembled to pay their last tribute to an old comrade.”

Lt. Col. Doctor Herbert Wade

Lieutenant-Colonel Doctor Herbert Wade was the commanding officer of the 1/9th Manchesters at the outbreak of the war and landed with them at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 as their C.O.

Lt.-Col. D.H. Wade

Doctor Herbert Wade was born in Oldham on July 2, 1865. He was the only son of Mayall and Martha Wade (née Charnley) and was born 3 years after his older sister Ester Ann Charnley Wade. Mayall Wade was an affluent Chemist & Druggist and young Wade was educated at Oldham High School and later at College in Chester.

On February 14, 1885, when he was 19 years old, he joined the 1st Cheshire & Caernarvonshire Artillery Volunteers as a private and remained with them for two years. He left England to work in Singapore in a junior civil service job and while there picked up colloquial Malay and served as a private in the Singapore Volunteer Artillery (Straits Settlements) from September 1889 to March 1893.

Returning to the UK he married Ada Neal, the daughter of the Ashton-under-Lyne Borough Comptroller, on December 23, 1893 and settled in Ashton. His son, John Mayall Wade, was born there on September 28, 1894 and his daughter, Ida Wade, was born 18 months later on March 5, 1896. Working as a librarian and a teacher, (Director of Technical Instruction), he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment on April 11, 1900.

He rose through the ranks rapidly and just 15 months after being commissioned was promoted to Captain on July 13, 1901. Over the next few years, he passed several Army instructional courses including mounted infantry duties and musketry, (School of Musketry, Hythe Aug 21, 1908), before being promoted to Major on July 6, 1910, now in the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force, after its creation in 1908 through the Haldane Reforms. Outside of the Army his career flourished, becoming the Education Secretary of the Ashton Borough Council and he continued to live in Ashton with his wife, two children and a domestic servant. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment in July 1913, vice Lt.-Col. Charles Richard Wainright.

He sailed with the Battalion to Egypt in September 1914 along with his son, twenty-year-old Second Lieutenant John (Jack) Mayall Wade and his wife’s nephew, eighteen-year-old Second Lieutenant Thomas Grimshaw Hyde, both recently commissioned; his son only a week before they sailed. Lt.-Col. Wade commanded the battalion through their intensive field training and their brief role in the defence of the Suez Canal in April 1915.

They landed at Gallipoli under fire on May 9th but just 13 days after landing in Gallipoli, on May 22, 1915, he was shot and wounded in the abdomen and thigh while stepping over some sleeping men in the firing line. The bullet entered the left groin and lodged in the middle of the right thigh near the femur but without breaking any bones. He was treated on the peninsula for two days before being medically evacuated to Alexandria where he was admitted to the 15th General Hospital on May 27th. Over the next few weeks, the wound suppurated and the pus had to be drained through several large incisions. While he was undergoing treatment in Alexandria, he learned that his son, Second Lieutenant John (Jack) Mayall Wade, had been reported missing in action on June 19th while leading his men to attack the Turkish trenches. He was medically assessed on July 9 and was given an estimated six months recovery time and granted leave in the UK to recover. Consequently, on July 17 he embarked on the Hospital Ship Asturias at Alexandria arriving in Southampton 10 days later.

In the UK he initially spent some time in the 2nd Western General Hospital on Whitworth Street in Manchester but moved to outpatient treatment by the end of August. A few weeks later he was sufficiently recovered to command the Ashton Territorials present at the military funeral of Pte. Samuel Armitage in Ashton on October 7, 1915. He was also active in recruiting efforts in Ashton throughout October and November before joining the 3/9th Battalion in Southport, on light duty, on November 19. On December 7, 1915 he was medically assessed at the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester and pronounced fit for General Service.

He received orders to rejoin the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and embarked on the transport ship Llandovery Castle, at Devonport, on January 14, 1916 bound for Egypt. He rejoined the battalion on February 8, 1916 after they had evacuated Gallipoli and were guarding the Suez Canal at Shallufah. He commanded the Battalion throughout their stay in Egypt taking over temporary command of the 126th Brigade for a short period in May. He took a 3-day local leave in late October and then sailed with the battalion to France in March 1917. For distinguished services in Egypt June 1 to September 30, 1916 he was Mentioned in Despatches by General Sir Archibald Murray, K.C.B., Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. But he had spent the Egyptian summer in the northern Sinai as the battalion played its part in the Desert Column pushing the Turkish forces past El Arish and the heat and difficult living conditions were to take a physical toll.

He was by now almost 52 years old and less than two months after arriving in France he was taken ill and on April 27 was admitted to No 8 General Hospital at Rouen, physically breaking down due to his age and the sudden change in climate. After a few days’ rest, he embarked the transport Western Australia on the evening of May 1 arriving at Southampton the following morning. Here he was admitted to Farnborough Hill Hospital in Hampshire, the home of the Empress Eugenie but converted into an Officers’ Convalescent Hospital during the war. Three days later, he was medically assessed at Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot, pronounced permanently unfit for General Service and granted 3 weeks leave. Based on this diagnosis the War Office transferred him to the Territorial Reserve on June 6, 1917. He did not return to action.

He returned to his position as Director of Education at Ashton-under-Lyne and by this time was living with his wife and daughter at “Holly Bank”, Birch Polygon, Rusholme in Manchester. It was a difficult time for the family as the Turkish Foreign Office had confirmed at the end of January 1917 that they had no record of Jack Wade being held prisoner. The conclusion was clear and his son’s death was officially confirmed in due course.

On a more positive note, his daughter Ida was married in July 1918 and his grandson Helge John Neal Moe was born a year later in May 1919. That same year, Lt.-Col Wade was awarded the Territorial Decoration on July 15 and in civilian life he became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries.

After the war, orders to reform the regiment were received in October 1920 and Lt-Col. D. H. Wade was appointed Commanding Officer on October 29. In 1921 he was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the Borough of Ashton-under-Lyne but his tenure as Commanding Officer of the 9th Battalion was to be fairly short-lived when he was forced to retire from the Territorial Force on January 27, 1922 having reached the age limit of 57. Subsequent to his retirement, he was granted the rank of Brevet Colonel due to his long and distinguished services.

Lt.-Col. D.H. Wade T.D., J.P., Col. Sir Walter de Frece M.P., Lt.-Col. J. Broadbent T.D., J.P. and Major Ralph Lees T.D.
Sunday November 12, 1922. (Copyright Imperial War Museum)

By 1939 he had retired and he and his wife were temporarily living at Hill Top, Hale, Altrincham with Ada’s recently widowed sister, Margaret Hyde and two domestic servants. Their family home was on Mauldeth Road, Withington and they lived there with a housekeeper. When the housekeeper left in late 1949 Ada Wade became depressed and, despite their daughter temporarily coming home from Norway to help, Ada’s mental health deteriorated and she gassed herself in the oven. The inquest was held in October 1949 and the verdict rendered was suicide while the balance of her mind was disturbed.

Lt. Col. Doctor Herbert Wade died on March 14, 1954 at a private nursing home in Withington, Manchester. He was 89 years old.

 

 

Serbian Silver Medal

Foreign Gallantry Awards

Foreign gallantry awards were sometimes given as a “consolation” if a British medal was not awarded.  In some cases men were recommended for a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and it was downgraded to a Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) as it passed up the chain of command. Foreign awards were slightly different in that they generally passed down the chain of command and therefore there was more certainty over their award. The Military Medal was not established until March 1916 and although it was possible to make a retrospective award, it often didn’t happen and of course was not available in 1915.

Some foreign medals seem to have been made available to the British on a reciprocal basis, and were awarded to men who were chosen by British commanders as being particularly deserving, but who did not, for some reason, qualify for a British gallantry medal.

One particular feature of some of these foreign awards (which was in effect an MiD with related medal) was that they could be awarded posthumously. The French Croix de Guerre as an example. This made it especially useful for awarding to men who had lost their lives in gallant circumstances but who fell short of the requirements for the Victoria Cross, the only British gallantry medal that could be awarded posthumously. Confusingly, one hears sometimes of apparently posthumous awards of ‘lesser’ British gallantry medals, but on investigation these turn out to be confirmations after the recipient’s death of awards for which they had already been recommended.

Pte. WILLIAM SHEEKEY (2231) 1/9th Manchester Regiment was one such man who was awarded the Silver Medal, otherwise known as the Serbian “Milos Obilic” Silver Medal of Valour.  In the London Gazette, the Serbian Silver Medal was listed under the heading of “Decorations and medals conferred by HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SERBIA” and awarded for “gallantry and distinguished service in the field” which is the only citation available.  [Gazetted Feb 15, 1917]

Silver Medal Background:

Milos Obilic was a medieval Serbian knight, considered an epitome of bravery and honesty, and who, legend has it, was captured by the Ottoman Turks at the end of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Presented as a prisoner of war to the Turkish Sultan Murad I, Obilic produced a hitherto-hidden dagger and stabbed and killed the Sultan, an act for which Obilic was beheaded.  Ever since he personified the fearless, heroic Serbian warrior, ready to sacrifice own life in face of threatening defeat.

In the summer of 1913, the Kingdom of Serbia was overhauling its gold and silver Medals for Bravery, both in design and regulations, and opted to use the name and image of the great Serbian hero, Milos Obilic, in the design.

Award Criteria:

The medal was awarded for valour on the battlefield:

  • The gold version of the medal could be awarded to officers for “valour tested in battle” and, in exceptional cases, to NCOs for “fearless bravery in battle”.
  • The silver version could be awarded to NCOs and enlisted men for “bravery in battle”.

Description:

On one side of the medal is an ideal portrait of Milos Obilic in profile, wearing his armour and, near the edge, his name in Serbian Cyrillic, ‘MИЛОШ ОБИЛИЋ’.

Serbian Silver War Medal Front

On the other side of the medal, a cross with a pair of diagonal swords and, in the centre, the Serbian Cyrillic text, ‘ЗА ХРАБРОСТ’, which transliterates as ‘Za Hrabrost’, and translates to ‘For Bravery’.

Serbian Silver War Medal Back

Serbian recipients of the Milos Obilic Medal were exempt from taxes and it was the highest ranking Serbian medal at the time, which meant that, for a set of Serbian medals, it was worn in the leftmost position of the medal group, with the lower-ranking medals in their respective, regulated order or rank, being worn to the right of the Obilic medal.

References:

  1. ‘Serbian and Yugoslavian Orders and Decorations, 1859-1941’ by Pavel Car and Tomislav Muhić, 2009.
  2. The Europeana Collections Web Site.

1/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment in 1914-15

Before the War

Between 1906 and 1912 a series of sweeping changes were made to the British Army and named after the then Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. These “Haldane Reforms” were the first major reforms since the “Childers Reforms” of the early 1880s and were aimed to rectify shortcomings uncovered during the Second Boer War.

Along with changes to the Regular Army, the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 completely restructured the reserve forces to ensure a properly trained set of units and recruits to supplement the Regular Forces in times of war and to provide a more efficient force for home defence. The act called for the old Volunteer Force and Yeomanry to be reorganized into a new Territorial Force, administered by County Territorial Associations, and the old Militia was formed into the Special Reserve. The result was that the Territorial Force was established on April 1, 1908 and the men who joined agreed to be liable for service with the regular forces in wartime but the Act stipulated that ‘they could go abroad if they wish’.

Additionally, to help provide a ready supply of militarily trained potential officers, the Haldane Reforms also established an Officer Training Corps, (OTC), in public schools and Universities. Many of the men commissioned into the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment immediately after the outbreak of war came directly from, or had previously belonged to, an OTC.

In Ashton, the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force was duly formed on April 1st 1908 and the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment (VBMR) was dissolved. At that time, the “establishment”, (the official, authorized strength and structure of a military unit), of the battalion was set at 29 Officers and 980 men, as were the other 11 battalions of the East Lancashire Division. At the Annual Prize Giving Dinner for the 3rd VBMR on January 28, 1908 the commanding officer Lt.-Col. Charles Richard Wainright stated that the battalion then consisted of 927 men earning them a full capitation grant of £2,156. Indicative of the dissatisfaction that many of the ‘Old Volunteers’ felt with the new rules and requirements of the Territorial Force, by August 31, 1908 the battalion’s numbers had shrunk to just 25 Officers and 458 men.

Nevertheless, each of the NCOs and men of the old Volunteer Battalion were given the opportunity to re-engage with the new Territorial Force on April 1, 1908 and this process continued over the following weeks. New Territorial Force service numbers were assigned starting at ‘1’ and increasing sequentially based upon the date and the order in which their attestation paperwork was processed rather than by prior tenure in the Volunteers.

Thus, Cpl. Thomas Valentine who joined the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment on April 15, 1898 but did not re-engage with the Territorial Force until April 23, 1908, (22 days after the first group of men), was assigned a Territorial Force service number of 243. Whereas Sgt. Arthur Bashforth, who joined the Volunteers on March 20, 1903, (5 years after Valentine), was given a lower Territorial Force service number of 58 because he was part of the first batch of men who re-engaged with the Territorial Force on April 1, 1908.

The London Gazette belatedly announced in November 1908 that:

“Officers from the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, are appointed to the battalion with rank and precedence as in the Volunteer Force. Dated 1st April, 1908.”

Territorial Pre-War Training Camps

One of the requirements of service was to attend annual training camps and the following were those attended by the 9th Manchesters:

From To Camp Location
07-Jun-08 14-Jun-08 Ramsey (Isle of Man)
25-May-09 13-Jun-09 Salisbury Plain
14-May-10 28-May-10 Salisbury Plain
20-Aug-11 03-Sep-11 Dolphinholme, Lancs
28-Jul-12 11-Aug-12 East Marton, Yorks
10-Aug-13 24-Aug-13 Aldershot

The annual training camp for 1914 was scheduled to start on August 9, 1914 at Caernarfon, for two weeks but for obvious reasons was cancelled.

In July 1913, Major D. H. Wade was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, vice Lt.-Col. Charles Richard Wainright.

Pre-War Recruiting

The following table shows the “establishment” of each of the units of the East Lancashire Division and the actual numbers of men in each unit during the successful recruiting drive of January 1 to March 31, 1914.

Unit Estab 1-Jan 1-Feb 14-Feb 31-Mar
DLOY 438 450 460 464 470
1st EL Bde RFA 595 536 535 565 593
2nd EL Bde RFA 596 589 583 638 620
3rd EL Bde RFA 595 513 540 578 611
EL Divisional RE 485 426 491 491 512
5th Batt. LF 974 761 796 900 986
6th Batt. LF 979 859 846 890 902
7th Batt. LF 977 710 802 849 889
8th Batt. LF 975 619 751 811 873
4th Batt. ELR 976 559 571 670 690
5th Batt. ELR 976 562 587 607 716
9th Batt. MR 977 579 601 804 870
10th Batt. MR 976 728 806 878 889
5th Batt. MR 980 735 771 771 795
6th Batt. MR 987 852 934 934 987
7th Batt. MR 987 899 1057 1,084 1,046
8th Batt. MR 982 692 758 819 908
EL T & S Column 488 445 459 469 473
RAMC 1,004 951 967 964 996
Totals 16,008 12,465 13,315 14,186 14,826

It was further noted that the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment had 11 men due for discharge prior to that year’s Annual Camp and that on aggregate the East Lancashire Division expected only 50% of those men discharged for time served to re-enlist.

ENGLAND 1914

On July 1, 1914 the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force (Ashton Territorials), found themselves still substantially below their minimum required strength of 28 Officers and 977 men having a nominal roll of only 26 Officers and 888 men, despite a recent surge of over 150 new recruits from a very successful recruiting drive at Ashton Town Hall on the evening of February 14.

When War was declared on Tuesday August 4, 1914, another wave of recruits queued up outside the Armoury on Old Street to enlist in the battalion and by Friday evening at least 94 men had joined who were later to serve overseas; almost half with prior military service and with an average age of 25 years, substantially older and more experienced than most of those who had joined in February. Around a dozen more similarly aged and experienced recruits joined during the following week.

On the 10th August, 1914 Lord Kitchener announced that the Territorial Force could now volunteer to serve overseas. The news arrived at the battalion the following morning, via telegram, and it was explained to the men that although it could mean active service, it was more likely to be garrison duty in Malta, Gibraltar or Egypt to relieve the regular Army troops currently stationed there. The men went on a short route march and after they returned the names of volunteers were taken. It was reported that 858 men indicated their willingness to serve overseas. The following day a message was received from Brigadier-General Prendergast, the commanding officer of the East Lancashire Infantry Brigade:

My Dear Colonel Wade,

I must address you a line to send you my sincere congratulations on the splendid and patriotic response the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment has given to W.O. call for volunteers by units. I am much gratified by the results, as I feel now I shall have my brigade intact with me wherever we may have to go.

Very truly,

G. PRENDERGAST, Col.

On Saturday August 15, 1914 the complete list of officers and men of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment was published in the local papers of the Reporter newspaper group and is provided here. The list names around 1,000 men from Ashton, Bardsley, Limehurst, Waterloo, Hooley Hill, Smallshaw, Woodhouses, Littlemoss, Taunton, Hurst, Hurst Brook, Guide Bridge and Park Bridge along with men from the nearby towns of Dukinfield, Hyde, Stalybridge, Denton, Audenshaw, Openshaw, Droylsden, Gorton, Newton Heath, and Clayton.

Map of Ashton & District
Ordinance Survey Map of Ashton and District from the 1890s

At this point, the battalion being fully up to strength, recruiting into the battalion was halted.

On Thursday August 20th, the 9th Manchesters marched into Chesham Fold Camp, Bury (a tented camp at Chesham Fold Farm). Bury was the divisional headquarters of the East Lancashire Infantry Brigade, which included, the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, the 4th East Lancashires, (from Blackburn, Darwen and Clitheroe), the 5th East Lancashires, (from Burnley, Accrington, Haslingden, Baccup, Padiham and Ramsbottom), and the 10th Manchesters (from Oldham), three sections Signal Company, Headquarters Company of Engineers, Lancashire Brigade Company A.S.C., Transport and Supply, and the 2nd Field Ambulance. The battalion was housed in around 100 European pattern tents pitched on the long slope of a hillock overlooking Bury.

Signallers (Attached)

The nominal roll of the battalion published in the Reporter newspapers indicated that 18 men of the No. 3 Section, East Lancashire Divisional Signal Company were attached to the Battalion for pay, rations, and discipline. These men, having arrived at Chesham Fold Camp two days earlier, now joined the battalion.

RAMC (Attached)

The nominal roll of the battalion published in the Reporter newspapers also indicated that 5 men of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Territorial Force from the 1/2nd East Lancs Field Ambulance were attached to the battalion for war service. Amongst many other routine medical and sanitary duties, their role in combat would be to man the Regimental Aid Post when the battalion was in the trenches.

Rank No. Forename Surname
L/Sgt 176 HENRY (HARRY) COOPER
Pte 177 JOE BRIDGE
Pte 179 RICHARD COOPER
Pte 270 RICHARD HANDLEY
Pte 317 JOSEPH ROTHWELL

Almost a week later, on Wednesday August 26th, the day after Lord Kitchener’s first address to the House of Lords as secretary of state for war, Brigadier-General Prendergast addressed the men. According to the Ashton Reporter, he asked the battalion to volunteer as a whole for any service they were asked to do not simply the garrison duty he had stated two weeks earlier. He promised them their own officers and companies and asked them “to loyally represent their dearly loved company and patriotic town of Ashton in this cruel but necessary war.

Lt.-Col. D. H. Wade also addressed the men and exhorted them to “Be British!“. The men were then asked to show their willingness to volunteer for overseas service “anywhere” and around 70% of them showed their assent by sloping arms.

Three days later, with rumours of their imminent departure overseas becoming more concrete, a sense of urgency and reality set in. Lt.-Col. Wade again addressed the men and this time asked them in earnest, “Were they British enough” to volunteer for overseas service? The men debated amongst themselves and in the end 25 officers and 834 men gave their names. Orders were received to separate the “overseas” men from the “home service” men and a small camp of ten or eleven European pattern tents was setup a little removed from the rest of the battalion. By the evening of Monday August 31st around 25 home service men had changed their minds and re-joined the rest of the battalion.

At this point, the battalion was around 120 men and seven officers short of their full establishment.

Even though almost all the officers had volunteered, Major Edward Garside, the battalion’s second in command, at 55 evidently had failed the medical and so was not permitted to serve overseas. Additionally, Lieutenants Douglas Buchanan Stephenson and Alfred George Birchenall had not been able to join the battalion at Bury due to illness. And at camp, Captain Ralph Lees became quite ill and had to return to Ashton for an operation. Finally, Lt. George Makin, in charge of the battalion’s signallers, was also unable to serve overseas. Consequently, the following Second Lieutenants were quickly added to the battalion’s strength on September 2nd: William Hampson Lillie, Oliver Jepson Sutton, Hugh George Shatwell, John Mayall Wade (the CO’s son), Charles Earsham Cooke and Albert Edward “Ned” Stringer. Also, John Broadbent*, recently retired from the battalion, was in the process of rejoining which he officially did on September 5th. With the battalion now up to its full officer strength, Second Lieutenants Philip Sydney Marsden and Harold Edward Butterworth were added as supernumeraries.

*JOHN BROADBENT was commissioned in 1895, served in the Boer War, and reached the rank of Major before resigning his commission with the 9th Manchesters in 1912. He rejoined in 1914 at the outbreak of war, losing his rank and seniority and leaving behind a pregnant wife. He was 42 years old when he landed in Gallipoli.

To rectify the 120-man shortfall, on Tuesday September 1st the battalion sent word to Ashton that an additional 120 recruits were needed and Lt.-Col. D. H. Wade travelled from Bury to ensure they were quickly added. In the event, 125 men were recruited for the battalion in just 2 hours; 40 traveling to Bury with Lt.-Col Wade the following day and the remainder joining them on Friday. With recruiting done and departure overseas imminent, Capt. R. B. Nowell, who had been in command of the Depot at Ashton, along with QMS Thomas Burgess and the handful of others assisting them in the recruiting work joined the battalion at Bury on Saturday Sept 5th. The 120 new recruits had been required to sign their overseas paperwork (Army Form E.624) when they attested and in Bury the rest of the battalion started to sign theirs too.

A telegram, dated Saturday September 5, was received by the East Lancs Divisional Commander from Lord Kitchener:

“Inform the Division from me that I hope that they will push on hard with their training in Egypt, as, before they are ready, there will be plenty of troops from India to garrison Egypt, and I hope they will be one of the first of the Territorial Forces to join our Army on the Continent. All will depend on their fitness for service against the enemy in the Field. – Kitchener.”

In a final two-day push, back in Ashton on Monday September 7th Lt. A.G. Birchenall and Sergeant Thomas Lord resurrected the paused recruiting effort and attested another 20 men who immediately left Ashton to join the battalion in Bury. After they arrived, seven men from the 5th East Lancs Regiment, (from Burnley), were transferred to the ranks of the 9th Manchesters at Chesham Fold and without the proper coordination with the recruiting effort in Ashton, duplicate service numbers were allocated causing much confusion 110 years later. Nevertheless, with the last-minute additions to the ranks completed, and after weeks of rumours and false starts, the battalion entrained for Southampton, bound for Egypt, on the evening of Wednesday September 9th. The following day they boarded HMS Aragon, leaving at midnight bound for Egypt.

HT Aragon

Boy Soldiers of the Battalion

At least 28 members of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment who left for Egypt were, (or would have been), under the age of 17 when they landed in Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 and incredibly three of them were just 14 years old when they landed in Egypt on September 27, 1914. A detailed review of these boy soldiers can be found here.

Back in Ashton

Shortly after the 9th Manchesters left for Egypt a 2nd line battalion was formed in Ashton to receive recruits who would be trained in the UK before providing reinforcements for the overseas men. This new battalion was designated the 2/9th Manchesters and the overseas men became the 1/9th Manchesters.

Egypt 1914

Map of Cairo Showing Kasr-el-Nil Barracks, Bridge and Surrounding Area
50: Kasr-el-Nil Barracks

The 1/9th Manchesters arrived at Alexandria on the 25th September but, due to the scale and complexity of disembarking an entire Division, did not land until September 27th. Once disembarked they were transported to the Citadel and Kasr-el-Nil barracks, Cairo. The day before they arrived at the port of Alexandria they suffered their first casualty when 18 years old Private 1705 John Bridge died of pneumonia and was buried at sea, (commemorated at the Chatby Memorial, Alexandria).

Aerial View of Cairo with Kasr-el-Nil Barracks bottom LHS
Source: gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France
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Back home in Ashton, recruiting continued at a healthy rate with more than 475 new recruits volunteering in October and November alone. These men were recruited into the newly formed 2nd line battalion, the 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, whos purpose was to supply men to the 1/9th once they entered combat.

The Black Sea Raid

On October 29, 1914 two recently purchased ships of the Ottoman Empire’s navy, which were still crewed by German sailors and commanded by their German admiral, carried out the Black Sea Raid, a surprise attack against Russian ports. Russia replied by declaring war on November 1, 1914.

As a consequence, on November 1st martial law was declared throughout Egypt and Sudan. Egypt, which had been nominally part of the Ottoman Empire but under de facto British control since 1882, became a British protectorate, marking the end of the Khedivate and the establishment of the Sultanate of Egypt. On November 5th Britain and France declared war on Turkey.

The following promotions were Gazetted on November 4, 1914 in connection with the Ashton Territorial Battalion:
Captain R.B. NOWELL to be Major.
Lieut. F.W. KERSHAW to be Captain.
Second Lieuts. R.G. WOOD, W.T. FORSHAW, T.G. HYDEJ.A. PARKER and W.H. LILLIE to be Lieutenants.

9th Battalion Manchester Regiment Camel Corps October 1914
Copyright Imperial War Museum

Later that month the Battalion’s second death occurred when 15 year old Private 1845 Frederick Finucane died of dysentery on the 27th and was buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery.

On December 14, 1914 the Battalion left Kasr-el-Nil for Abbassia main barracks.

Abbassia Barracks
Source: Australian War Memorial
« of 2 »

On the 20th December the Khedive was deposed and Prince Hussein Kamel became the new Sultan of Egypt. British Troops stationed in and around Cairo lined the streets as an honour guard and a show of strength to the local populace. The contingent from the 9th Battalion taking charge of a section of Soliman Pasha Street, close to the Kasr-el-Nil barracks.

For months the Division had undergone strenuous training and by the end of 1914 the men were drilled, acclimated and thoroughly fit.

EGYPT 1915
From the beginning of 1915 the training became even more intense with long marches in the desert, in full marching order. And as part of their duties, from time to time, the East Lancs Divisional troops found themselves guarding the Suez Canal.

On January 30, 1915 the battalion moved from Abbassia and deployed to tents at Heliopolis in preparation for possible deployment to the Suez Canal.

Helioplolis Army Camp, December 1915
Source: Australian War Museum

In the early hours of February 3, 1915 12,000 Turks & Germans attacked the Canal defences South of Ismailia between Serapeum and Toussoum. They were repulsed and 1,600 prisoners taken by the Indians, Anzacs and East Lancs Division but the 1/9th were not directly involved in the hostilities. A contemporary newspaper report is provided here.

Ferry Landing at Ismailia

Ferry Landing at Ismailia. [Source: Australian War Memorial]

Sadly, in February and March the Battalion lost two of its senior Officers. Major WILLIAM HENRY ARCHBUTT suffered a heart attack on February 8, 1915 and Surgeon-Major ALBERT HILTON, the Battalion’s Medical Officer (M.O.), died of disease on March 4, 1915 while the 9th Battalion were under canvas at Heliopolis. Both are buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. Major Hilton was temporarily replaced as the battalion’s M.O. by Major Thomas Frankish, RAMC.

On Palm Sunday, 28th March 1915, General Sir Ian Hamilton, (the newly appointed commander of the Allied Mediterranean Expeditionary Force), reviewed the Division in Cairo.  Verbal orders were received for the 9th Battalion (as part of the East Lancashire Division) to prepare to move to the Dardenelles at short notice.

According to the 126th Brigade War Diary, the 1/9th arrived, by train, at Kantarra from Cairo with 32 Officers and 912 men on April 16, 1915. They spent the rest of the month defending the Suez Canal from Turkish attack.

On the 2nd May, 1915 the 9th Battalion received their firm orders to leave for Gallipoli and were concentrated at Port Said by the evening of the 4th. On 5th May, the men of 9th Battalion (and 1/2 of the 10th Battalion) embarked on the HMT AUSONIA. The transport section which included horses, mules, one cart and two machine-gun carriages, along with the recently promoted Major RICHARD BOTTOMLEY NOWELL, Lt. JOHN BROADBENT and 26 other ranks of the 1/9th embarked on HMT COMMODORE.

Approximately two dozen men were discharged from service, (primarily due to sickness rendering them not physically fit enough to serve in combat), during the 3 months leading up to the battalion’s embarkation for Gallipoli.

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname Discharged
Pte 2136 JAMES DOOLEY 15-Mar-15
Pte 2213 ABRAHAM J HADGETT 15-Mar-15
Pte 2214 CHARLES PARKER 15-Mar-15
Pte 2194 HARRY SPEAKMAN 15-Mar-15
Pte 1699 ROBERT THORNTON 15-Mar-15
Pte 1526 FREDERICK WALLWORK 15-Mar-15
Pte 1349 ROBERT BELL 23-Apr-15
Pte 2185 THOMAS BOWDEN 23-Apr-15
Pte 1362 THOMAS SMITH 23-Apr-15
Pte 2164 JAMES ASHTON 03-May-15
Pte 2082 JOHN A BLACK 03-May-15
Pte 2157 SYDNEY BURTON 03-May-15
Pte 1577 WILLIAM CONSTANTINE 03-May-15
Pte 471 WILLIAM FOGG 03-May-15
Pte 2023 WILLIAM HUNTER 03-May-15
Cpl 2163 JOHN IRVING 03-May-15
Pte 2017 ROBERT KING 03-May-15
Pte 1912 JOHN P MILLWOOD 03-May-15
Pte 1707 HARRY OLDFIELD 03-May-15
Pte 2114 BENJAMIN RENSHAW 03-May-15
Pte 2144 LAWRENCE SCHOFIELD 03-May-15
Pte 2233 WILLIAM WHEATLEY 03-May-15
Pte 2215 WILLIAM WHITTLE 03-May-15
Cpl 1992 JOSEPH WILSHAW 03-May-15

And at least three more men were discharged after returning home from Egypt in the following months without ever serving in Gallipoli.

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname Discharged
Pte 2188 WILLIAM G COLLIER 31-May-15
Col. Sgt 160 THOMAS BURGESS 11-Jun-15
Pte 1932 JAMES WATERS 28-Jun-15

Additionally, a member of the pre-war permanent staff of the Battalion, 2673 Col. Sgt. James Holt, returned from Egypt in March and did not land in Gallipoli. It is very likely that upon Col. Sgt. Holt’s departure, Sgt. John Alexander Christie, of the 5th East Lancashire Regiment, became permanently attached to the 9th Manchesters.

Note: First-hand, contemporaneous accounts of the battalion’s time in Egypt in late 1914 and early 1915 have been transcribed and are available here, here and here.

GALLIPOLI 1915
On the 9th May the 9th Battalion landed under heavy fire at Sedd-el-Bahr, (V Beach), and moved quickly from the beach into bivouac (the Commodore with the Transport section and Brigade HQ arriving on the 10th).

Context from Despatches:

The following short section seeks to put the landing of the 1/9th Manchesters into context from the selected despatches of Sir IAN HAMILTON, General, Commanding Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

At the close of the ten days and ten nights described in my first despatch our troops had forced their way forward for some 5,000 yards from the landing places at the point of the peninsula. Opposite them lay the Turks, who since their last repulse had fallen back about half a mile upon previously prepared redoubts and entrenchments. Both sides had drawn heavily upon their stock of energy and munitions, but it seemed clear that whichever could first summon up spirit to make another push must secure at least several hundreds of yards of the debatable ground between the two fronts. And several hundred yards, whatever it might mean to the enemy, was a matter of life or death to a force crowded together under gun fire on so narrow a tongue of land.

The net result of the three days’ fighting had been a gain of 600 yards on the right of the British line and 400 yards on the left and centre. The French had captured all the ground in front of the Farm Zjimmerman, as well as a redoubt, for the possession of which there had been obstinate fighting during the whole of the past three days.

From nightfall till dawn on the 9th-10th efforts were made everywhere to push us back. A specially heavy attack was made upon the French.

On the 11th May, the first time for eighteen days and nights, it was found possible to withdraw the 29th Division from the actual firing line and to replace it by the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade and by the East Lancs Division, which had completed its disembarkation two days previously.

The Nominal Roll of men of the 1/9th Manchesters landing on that day included at least the following 908 men listed below.

 Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Col Sgt 5 GEORGE BOOCOCK
Pte 11 JOHN FOSTER
Pte 16 JAMES RYDER
Sgt 22 WALTER HAWKINS
Pte 23 TOM LEE
Sgt 27 JAMES NOLAN
Pte 29 ALBERT HAGUE
Sgt 31 THOMAS LOMAS
Sgt 41 JAMES STOPFORD
Pte 48 WILLIAM LITTLEFORD
Sgt 54 ARTHUR BERESFORD
Sgt 58 ARTHUR BASHFORTH
Sgt 64 ALFRED SMITH
Sgt 65 JOSEPH FERNS
Sgt 76 JAMES LAWTON
Sgt 83 THOMAS MCDERMOTT
Sgt 104 HARRY INGHAM
Col Sgt 108 ROBERT JACKSON
Pte 109 SAMUEL CHARLES WHITTON
L/Cpl 113 FRANK SHAW
Cpl 121 JOHN WILLIAM TASKER
Sgt 128 THOMAS LANGAN
Sgt 136 HENRY HARRISON
CQMS 154 GEORGE NEWTON
Cpl 156 JAMES TOWNSEND
Sgt 164 ALFRED SCOTT
Cpl 174 JOHN HENRY SHAWCROSS
Sgt 176 HENRY (HARRY) COOPER
Pte 177 JOE BRIDGE
Pte 179 RICHARD COOPER
Cpl 180 SAMUEL BAYLEY
Sgt 220 ALBERT EDWARD FLETCHER
Pte 226 ALFRED ASHWORTH
Sgt 236 GEORGE TURNER
CSM 237 HENRY STRINGER
Pte 242 LEONARD BROOKE
Cpl 243 THOMAS VALENTINE
Col Sgt 257 JOHN WILLIAMSON
CSM 266 ALBERT GREEN
Pte 270 RICHARD HANDLEY
Pte 282 GEORGE SHAW
Pte 283 TIMOTHY McDERMOTT
Sgt 287 CHARLES SPENCER
Pte 288 JOHN PHILLIPS
Sgt 313 GEORGE GRAYSON MELLOR
Pte 317 JOSEPH ROTHWELL
Pte 326 JAMES WILLIAM HARLOW
Col Sgt 339 MATHEW JAMES BUCKLEY
Sgt 341 JOHN WILLIAM LEE
CSM 344 JOSEPH CHADDERTON
Pte 379 THOMAS GHENTY
Sgt 400 JAMES CHAPMAN
Dmr 419 FREDERICK ORAM WYATT
Sgt 427 THOMPSON TYM
Sgt 445 JOHN ALBERT SIMCOX
Pte 447 ERNEST EYRES
Pte 459 ARTHUR ROYLE
Pte 463 HENRY RICHARDSON
Sgt 469 HARRY ILLINGWORTH
Pte 487 JOSEPH TURNER
Pte 489 JAMES EASTHAM
L/Cpl 508 HARRY GIBSON
Pte 512 JOHN MORGAN
Pte 515 WILLIAM VICKERS
Pte 517 FRANK CAWLEY
Sgt 526 THOMAS MOSS
Pte 528 HARRY HAUGHTON
CQMS 540 WILLIAM BIRCHALL
Pte 548 SAMUEL POWERS
Dmr 551 HAROLD ARNOLD CRITCHLEY
Pte 555 WILLIAM BARKER
Pte 580 WALTER WILD
Pte 596 HARRY WHITEHEAD
Pte 621 FRANK GOODE
Sgt 643 SQUIRE ELLOR
Pte 660 THOMAS ALDRIDGE
Sgt 680 THOMAS HARGREAVES
Cpl 714 REGINALD WARNER
Sgt 719 JOHN MUTCH
Cpl 724 JOSEPH EDWARD APPLEBY
Cpl 728 ARTHUR GREEN
Cpl 736 JAMES WHITTLE
Pte 745 ARNOLD BOOTH
Dmr 759 SAMUEL SCHOLES
Pte 768 JAMES BENYON
Pte 781 HARRY TAYLOR
Pte 782 HARRY EDWARDS
Pte 787 GEORGE WILLIAM STRINGER
Sgt 806 CORNELIUS FINCH
Pte 822 THOMAS DAVIES
Pte 839 WILLIAM HERBERT PASCOE
Pte 849 HERBERT NADIN
Pte 885 FRANK GODDARD
Cpl 921 HARRY BOLTER
Pte 930 ERNEST BRADBURY
Pte 932 WILLIE HORTON HAMER
Pte 956 HAROLD PYE
Sgt 969 HARRY GRANTHAM
Pte 972 SAMUEL TAYLOR
Pte 973 HARRY SMITH
Pte 998 HARRY HOLDEN
L/Cpl 1000 JAMES EARNSHAW
Pte 1004 ALBERT CUNDAY
Sgt 1010 SIDNEY WOOD
Pte 1019 SAMUEL ATHERTON
Pte 1028 FRED HODGIN
Pte 1042 HARRY HOLLAND
Pte 1044 THOMAS GORMAN
Pte 1057 JAMES WILLIE STOPFORD
Pte 1066 TOM GARLICK
Pte 1068 PETER NOLAN
Pte 1070 CHARLES SMITH
Pte 1071 JAMES FRANCIS BARLOW
Pte 1081 CLAUDE DAVIES
Pte 1083 SAMUEL LITTLEFORD
Pte 1112 WILLIAM EMMANUEL HAWLEY
Pte 1118 DOUGLAS GERALD HORNBY
Cpl 1119 PERCY BORSEY
Cpl 1120 THOMAS FORREST
Pte 1121 JOHN JOSEPH KENNEY
Pte 1123 WIL MARSH
Sgt 1125 NOEL DUNCAN BRAITHWAITE
Sgt 1126 JOSEPH COX HARROP
Pte 1127 HARRY TAYLOR
Sgt 1128 HARRY EARLE
Cpl 1129 BENJAMIN NEWTON
Pte 1130 RUPERT PILLING
Pte 1132 HARRY GORDON CARPENTER
Pte 1133 ALBERT MULLEN
Pte 1134 FRANK ERNEST ORTON
Pte 1137 TOM SMITH
Pte 1139 HARRY PARTRIDGE
Pte 1140 ARTHUR PRITCHARD
Pte 1141 JAMES SMITH
Pte 1142 DAVID SMITH
Pte 1146 JOHN WILLIAM JAKEMAN
Pte 1147 JAMES RATCLIFFE
Pte 1148 JOHN MUTTER
L/Cpl. 1150 FRED ARMITAGE
Pte 1152 JOHN GEORGE BLANDFORD
Pte 1153 JOHN PEAKE
Dmr 1154 HAROLD COOKE
Pte 1155 WILLIAM BURKE
Pte 1156 FRANK BARKER
Pte 1157 WILLIAM HENRY ILLINGWORTH
Pte 1158 JOHN RILEY
Pte 1159 WILLIAM WATSON
Drm 1160 HAROLD BROADHURST
Pte 1164 FRANK DYSON
Drm 1165 EDWARD BERRY
Pte 1167 WILLIAM OGDEN
Pte 1169 HERBERT HOPKINS
Pte 1170 ROBERT KERSHAW ILLINGWORTH
Sgt 1171 GEORGE EYRE
Pte 1175 ALBERT CLEMENT CLAYTON
Pte 1178 MATTHEW REDFERN
Pte 1179 SAMUEL EDWARD BONSALL
Cpl 1180 ARTHUR BRITTON
Pte 1182 JAMES HOPWOOD
Pte 1184 ALBERT BROADHURST
Pte 1187 WILLIAM KINDER
Cpl 1188 WILLIAM HENRY MARTIN
Pte 1189 HAROLD NEWTON
Pte 1190 JOSEPH HARRISON ROWBOTTOM
Pte 1192 HARRY TRUNKFIELD
Pte 1193 JOSEPH BATTY
Cpl 1194 WILLIAM CHORLTON
Pte 1195 THOMAS DORAN
L/Cpl 1197 JOHN LOWNDS
Cpl 1199 THOMAS RADCLIFFE
Pte 1200 WILLIAM TAYLOR
Pte 1201 JAMES WILLIAMS
Cpl 1202 ROBERT GRIMSHAW
Pte 1203 JOHN CUMMINS
Cpl 1205 SAMUEL EYRE
Pte 1209 LEONARD WHITEHEAD
Pte 1210 JOHN ARTHUR CRANE
Pte 1211 BEN CUTHBERT
Pte 1212 THOMAS HOLDEN
Pte 1215 JOSEPH WILDE
Pte 1216 JOSEPH CARUS
L/Cpl 1217 HAROLD COOKE
Pte 1218 JAMES HOLLINGWORTH
Pte 1220 FRANK MADELEY
Pte 1221 THOMAS PORTER
Pte 1222 JOHN ROURKE
Pte 1224 WILLIAM TEMPEST
Pte 1225 JOSEPH HAROLD ARMSTRONG WHITTAKER
Pte 1226 TOM GODDARD WOOD
Pte 1230 WILLIAM EDISON LOFT
Dmr 1234 JAMES BRADLEY
Pte 1235 SAMUEL INGHAM
Pte 1236 BENSON BARRETT
Pte 1239 HAROLD BULLOCK
Pte 1240 GEORGE MOSS
Pte 1243 ARNOLD LEES
Sgt 1244 WALTER STEUART EATON
Pte 1246 JOHN HAMPSON
Pte 1252 ERNEST MITCHELL SMITH
Pte 1253 JOHN BENNETT
Pte 1255 JAMES BURKE
Dmr 1257 TOM JACKSON
Dmr 1258 ROBERT LANDERS
Pte 1262 GEORGE ALLOTT
Dmr 1263 ALBERT MARLAND
Pte 1266 FREDERICK WILLIAM KERFOOT
Pte 1268 JESSE EDWIN CONNOLLY
Pte 1269 OLIVER JONES
Pte 1270 JONATHAN HAWKE
Sgt 1271 JAMES TAYLOR
Pte 1273 JOSEPH HAROLD HIGGINBOTTOM
Pte 1274 JOHN WILLIAM DONNELLY
Pte 1276 GEORGE MARLAND
Pte 1277 JOHN CHARLES TURNER
Pte 1278 ALBERT EDWARD SUMMERSGILL
Pte 1281 JOHN TRAVIS
Pte 1283 SAMUEL JEPSON DONOGHUE
Pte 1284 WILLIAM BLACKSHAW
Pte 1285 ALBERT MacCORMACK
Pte 1286 WILLIAM BENNISON
Pte 1287 WILLIAM THORNTON
Pte 1288 CLARENCE WILLIAM PAUL
Pte 1289 GERALD MASSEY
Pte 1290 JOHN SMITH
Pte 1291 ROBERT EDWARD DALEY
Pte 1292 GEORGE HALL
Pte 1293 THOMAS BELL
Pte 1294 FRANK CHEVALIER
Pte 1295 PERCY BRADSHAW
Pte 1298 ENOCH MARTYN
Pte 1300 JOHN KINSELLA
Pte 1301 WILLIAM POTTER MURPHY
Pte 1302 HARRY WOLSTENHOLME
Pte 1303 HARRY ALLEN
Pte 1305 JAMES WRIGHT
Cpl 1306 REUBEN TYSON
Pte 1307 ROBERT CONSTANTINE
Pte 1308 THOMAS TAYLOR
Pte 1309 HERBERT BROOKE
Sgt 1310 HERBERT ALLEN MORRIS
Pte 1311 WILLIAM HULME
Pte 1313 JAMES WILLIAM RAMSDALE
Pte 1314 JOHN WILLIAM ANDREW
Pte 1316 WILLIAM ADAMS
Pte 1317 JAMES WILLIAM STOCKTON
Pte 1322 JAMES HALKYARD
Pte 1324 JAMES SHAW MILLAR
Pte 1325 JOSEPH KENT
Sgt 1326 HAROLD SHAW
Pte 1327 GEORGE HENRY BURGESS
Pte 1330 HARRY POTTER
Pte 1331 WILLIAM HIGGENBOTTOM WOOD
Dmr 1332 WILLIAM MALONEY
Pte 1334 CHARLES LEE
Pte 1338 GEORGE HENRY (HARRY) STEWART
Pte 1339 JAMES WILLIAM DALEY
Pte 1340 THOMAS ROLAND BUTTERWORTH
Pte 1341 THOMAS HENRY TWEEDALE
Pte 1342 HERBERT BRADBURY
Pte 1343 TOM HALL
Pte 1345 ERIC GOLIGHTLY
Pte 1346 FREDERICK FLINDLE
Pte 1347 REGINALD HUXLEY POTTS
Drm 1348 WILLIAM SHAW
Pte 1351 ROBERT MELIA
Pte 1353 JOHN WILLIAM DODD
Pte 1354 WILLIAM LLOYD SHUTTLEWORTH
Pte 1357 WILLIAM DALTON
Cpl 1358 GEORGE JAMES SILVESTER
Pte 1361 THOMAS HAWKINS
L/Cpl 1364 FRANK HOWARD
Pte 1365 HARRY COOKE
Pte 1366 ALFRED HODGSON
Pte 1367 FRANK DITCHFIELD RADCLIFFE
Pte 1368 WILLIE GIBSON
Pte 1369 ALBERT GIBSON
Pte 1371 ALBERT EDWARD NEALE
Pte 1373 NOEL WILLIAMSON STOCKDALE
Pte 1374 JOSEPH DUTTON
Pte 1375 BEN CUSICK
L/Cpl 1377 FRANK OLDFIELD
Pte 1380 BERNARD RAWLINGS
Pte 1381 ERNEST LOWNDS
Pte 1382 SAM ERNEST ROBINSON
Pte 1383 CHARLES IRVINE RIMINGTON
Pte 1384 THOMAS LEWIS EVANS
Pte 1386 HERBERT LAMB
Pte 1388 WILFRED LOCKWOOD
Pte 1389 CHARLES VERE KINNA
Pte 1390 ALBERT HAGUE
Pte 1391 GEORGE GORDON HAUGHTON
Pte 1393 PERCY TILBURY
Pte 1394 BENJAMIN COWLEY
Pte 1396 WILLIAM HEBBLEWAITE
Pte 1397 JOHN HANSON
Pte 1399 JAMES ALBERT EDWARDS
Pte 1400 WILLIAM BROWN HODGKISS
Pte 1401 EDWARD HODGKISS
Pte 1402 CEPHAS TURNER
Pte 1404 JAMES DUNDAVAN
Pte 1405 JOHN DALEY
Pte 1407 WALTER LEIGH
Pte 1408 JOSEPH CROPPER
Pte 1410 RICHARD FLETCHER
Pte 1411 LEWIS BEELEY
Pte 1413 THOMAS PENNY
L/Cpl 1415 WILLIAM MASON
Pte 1422 GEORGE WILLIAM MOORES
L/Cpl 1423 ALBERT BURGESS
Pte 1424 HARRY JONES
Cpl 1425 EDWARD BROWN
Pte 1426 JOHN (JACK) WALKER
Pte 1427 SAMUEL KELLETT
Pte 1428 STANLEY HAYDEN STEPHENS
Pte 1429 ROBERT HARTLEY
Pte 1430 JOHN BRUCKSHAW LEES
Pte 1434 PERCY BAILEY LEES
Dmr 1437 WILLIAM REVELL
Pte 1438 TOM RADCLIFFE
Pte 1439 TOM HILL
Pte 1440 ROBERT NICHOLS
Pte 1442 ALBERT CROWTHER
Pte 1443 JAMES MALLINSON
Pte 1445 ERNEST CECIL MATLEY
Pte 1446 RICHARD MORTON MAY
Pte 1448 JOHN HALL
Pte 1450 GEORGE SHAWCROSS
Cpl 1451 WILLIAM ROWLAND
Pte 1453 LAWRENCE KING
Pte 1455 SYDNEY VICTOR HILL
Pte 1457 JOHN BRADY
Pte 1458 GEORGE MOORES
Pte 1460 JOHN ALBERT DAWSON
Pte 1464 GEORGE BROMLEY
Pte 1465 JAMES THRIFT PYE
Pte 1466 FRED HANSON
Cpl 1468 ALFRED ATHERTON
Pte 1470 THOMAS HEWITT
Pte 1472 HARRY ANDREW
Pte 1473 GEORGE HENRY LAMB
Pte 1475 WALTER BENNETT
Pte 1476 GEORGE EDWARD HANSON
L/Cpl 1478 BENJAMIN LOVE
Pte 1479 THOMAS ROGERS
Cpl 1480 JAMES HORSFIELD
Pte 1481 CLIFFORD HOLDEN
Pte 1483 JAMES PORTER
Cpl 1484 JOHN WILLIAM HUGHES
Cpl 1486 CHARLES ERNEST WOOD
Cpl 1487 ERNEST RIMINGTON
Pte 1488 RICHARD EDWIN BURGESS
Pte 1490 BERT ASHWORTH
Pte 1491 FRED GENDERS
Pte 1493 FRANK SHEPHERD LEES
Sgt 1495 THOMAS JAMES KNIGHT
Pte 1496 JOHN BULLOCK
Pte 1497 JAMES WILLIAM CHATBURN
Pte 1498 JOHN WHARTON
Pte 1499 ALBERT ASHTON
Pte 1500 HERBERT MONKS
Pte 1501 GEORGE MARKHAM
Pte 1503 RAYMOND PLANT
Pte 1504 ALBERT TOWNSEND
Pte 1506 WILLIAM HEADDOCK
Pte 1509 RICHARD ASPDEN
Pte 1511 ALFRED VINCENT CLEGG
Pte 1512 WILLIAM ASPINALL
Pte 1513 ALBERT BURKE
Pte 1514 HARRY SYKES
Pte 1515 JAMES WILLIAM CHEETHAM
Pte 1516 ERNEST BARLOW
Pte 1517 SAMUEL HOOD
Sgt 1520 FRANK MORTON
Pte 1521 JAMES ATHERTON
Pte 1524 JOHN WILLIAM JENNEYS
Pte 1528 WILLIAM DEAN
Pte 1529 GEOFFREY CLEGG
Pte 1531 WALTER MUTTER
Pte 1532 HERBERT BERTENSHAW
Pte 1534 ALFRED EDWIN SNAPE
Pte 1535 JOHN HENRY CONNOLLY
Pte 1536 LEWIS LONGSON GRIMSHAW
Pte 1540 WALTER BRYAN
Pte 1542 FRED McDONNELL
Pte 1544 JOHN BURGESS
Pte 1545 NORMAN TAYLOR
Pte 1546 JOHN FRANCIS FINNIGAN
Pte 1549 JOHN EDWARD CUNNINGHAM
Sgt 1550 THOMAS WINDED
Pte 1553 HAROLD MORRIS
Pte 1554 HAROLD SMITH
Pte 1555 GEORGE ELLIS
Pte 1556 ERNEST RICHARD BELL
Pte 1557 ISAAC WALKER
Pte 1558 LAWRENCE FINNERAN
Pte 1559 ANDREW WINTERBOTTOM
Pte 1560 WILLIAM WOOD
Pte 1561 ROBERT KENWORTHY
Pte 1562 JOHN WALSHAW BLAND
Pte 1566 GEORGE BOSWELL
Pte 1567 ALBERT IVELL
Pte 1568 ALBERT VICTOR GODDING
Pte 1569 JOHN BATES
Pte 1570 WILLIAM GENT ANDREWS
Pte 1571 GEORGE ALCOCK
Pte 1573 SAM ENTWISTLE
Pte 1574 THOMAS BOON
Pte 1575 WILLIAM HENRY VINEY
Pte 1576 WILLIAM PETER BRIERELY
Pte 1578 THOMAS GASKELL
Pte 1579 JOHN (JACK) WILLIAM GASKELL
Pte 1580 NORMAN HARGREAVES
Pte 1581 SAMUEL BARBER
Pte 1583 NORMAN LEIGH
Pte 1584 FRED BRADLEY
Pte 1585 JOSEPH GEE
Pte 1586 HERBERT POTTER
Pte 1588 WILLIAM SIDEBOTTOM
Pte 1591 EDWARD LEES
Cpl 1592 EDWARD ALLOTT
Pte 1593 ALBERT EASTWOOD
Pte 1595 WILLIAM RUSHWORTH
Pte 1596 JOHN OAKDEN
Pte 1597 ERNEST HAWKRIDGE
Cpl 1598 ARTHUR ARTINGSTALL
Pte 1601 WALTER CLEGG
Pte 1604 WILLIAM HENRY CORLETT
Pte 1605 STANLEY CARTER
Pte 1606 WILLIAM TOWNLEY
Pte 1607 ERIC LISTER
Pte 1608 HARRY WHITTAKER
Pte 1609 ROBERT DANIEL MacCORMACK
Pte 1612 GEORGE LITCHFIELD
Pte 1613 EDWARD JONES
Pte 1615 LEONARD GILL
Pte 1616 WILLIAM PRIESTNALL
Pte 1617 JOHN TURNER
Pte 1618 CHARLES LLEWELLYN HIGGINS
Pte 1619 PERCY SAMPSON
Pte 1621 JOHN BRIDGE
Pte 1622 HARRY JACKSON
Pte 1623 JAMES GREENHALGH
Pte 1625 ARTHUR BURN
Pte 1626 HENRY BENT
Pte 1627 GEORGE FRATER
Pte 1628 HAROLD MOSS
Pte 1629 JOSEPH WHIPP
Pte 1632 WILFRED EDWARD BARBER
Pte 1634 JAMES EDWARD HOKE
Drm 1635 WILLIAM HENRY TAYLOR
Pte 1637 HERBERT FISH
Pte 1638 WILLIAM HENRY HAZELL
Pte 1639 JAMES HENRY DAWSON
Pte 1640 JAMES GARRAGAN
Pte 1641 EDWARD LEWIS GREEN
Pte 1642 ENOCH CHARLES WARHURST
Pte 1643 SAMUEL NEWTON
Pte 1644 ARTHUR ADSHEAD
Pte 1645 TOM LONGWORTH
Pte 1646 JOHN MASON
Pte 1649 TIMOTHY WIDDUP
Pte 1651 FRANK NEWTON
Pte 1652 RICHARD STOTT
Pte 1653 GEORGE SAMUEL ASHTON
Pte 1654 JOHN HUGH HAMER
Pte 1655 RICHARD BOON
Pte 1656 EDWARD HENNESSEY
Pte 1658 JONATHAN TAYLOR POTTER
Pte 1659 PERCY WOODRUFF
Pte 1660 HAROLD GARTSIDE
Pte 1662 HARRY OWEN
Pte 1663 WILLIAM ALLCOCK
Pte 1664 JOHN EASTWOOD
Pte 1665 HARRY BYROM
Pte 1667 JOHN HILL
Pte 1668 JOSEPH TAYLOR
Pte 1669 JOSEPH WILDE
Pte 1670 JOSEPH O’DONNELL
Pte 1671 ERIC HYATT
Pte 1673 RONALD MACIVOR WATERS
Pte 1674 CHARLES ARTHUR MIDDLETON
Pte 1675 ALFRED SUMNER
Pte 1676 TOM LITTLEFORD
Pte 1677 RUPERT RYLANCE
Pte 1678 ARTHUR BUCKLEY
Pte 1679 GEORGE LOWE
Pte 1681 HARRY ROBINSON
Pte 1682 ERNEST PEPPER
Pte 1683 FRANK HADFIELD
Pte 1684 EDWIN JONES
Pte 1685 ROBERT FISH
Pte 1686 JOSEPH LEES
Pte 1688 JAMES WILLIAM WILSHAW
Pte 1690 ANDREW GEE
Pte 1691 GEORGE NEWTON
Pte 1693 ALBERT EDWARD ORTON
Pte 1694 BEN CUMMINGS
Pte 1695 ALFRED SMITH
Pte 1696 JAMES CROWTHER
Pte 1698 JAMES BROUGH
Pte 1700 FREDERICK GRAHAM WORSLEY
Pte 1702 ARNOLD MYERS
Pte 1703 THOMAS GILBEY
Pte 1706 JAMES ALFRED HILL
Pte 1708 PERCY POULSTON
Pte 1709 JAMES TAYLOR
Pte 1710 EDWARD BROWN
Pte 1711 SIDNEY OGDEN
Pte 1712 THOMAS McBRIDE
Pte 1713 WILLIAM EDWARD LOMAS
Pte 1715 WALTER ROEBUCK
Pte 1716 WILFRED BRIERLEY
Pte 1718 DAVID THORPE
Pte 1720 JOE TRUNKFIELD
Pte 1722 ALFRED PHILLIPS
Pte 1725 WILFRED PEACH COLCLOUGH
Pte 1727 ROBERT ALLEN LEWIS THOMAS
Pte 1728 HARRY HULME
Pte 1729 HARRY SMITH
Pte 1730 THOMAS HARROP BYROM
Dmr 1731 JAMES HENRY ELLIOTT
Pte 1733 THOMAS HUGHES
Cpl 1734 HERBERT WILFRED MATTHEWS
Pte 1735 WILLIAM HENRY BATKIN
Pte 1736 WILLIAM HENRY PRIDHAM
Pte 1737 THOMAS RACKSTRAW
Pte 1740 JOSHUA BENNETT
Pte 1741 ARTHUR BANTON
Pte 1742 HARRY SIDEBOTTOM
Pte 1744 ANTHONY SHERIDAN
Pte 1745 WILLIAM HENRY HALL
Pte 1746 JOHN CHAPMAN
Pte 1748 WILLIAM HIGGINBOTTOM
Pte 1751 CHARLES LEE
Pte 1753 JOSEPH SWINTON
Cpl 1754 GEORGE ALFRED WALKER
Pte 1755 EDWARD SPRAGG
Pte 1757 EDWARD ASHWORTH
Pte 1758 PERCY LAWRENCE WATSON
Pte 1759 SAMUEL HALKYARD
Pte 1760 JAMES HENRY COOPER
Pte 1767 WILLIAM ROBERTSON
Pte 1768 MAURICE BARKER
Pte 1769 HERBERT BARRATT
Pte 1770 BENJAMIN GLADSTONE DRANSFIELD
Pte 1771 WILLIAM WILSON
Pte 1772 CECIL MURRAY
Cpl 1773 ALFRED BINNS
Pte 1774 JOHN JOSEPH CARROLL
Pte 1775 WILLIAM POSTLE
Pte 1776 THOMAS FINNERTY
Pte 1778 CHARLES GEORGE GOODWIN
Pte 1782 ALFRED WILDE
Pte 1785 ERNEST WILLIAMSON
Pte 1786 JOHN COFFEY
Pte 1787 FRED JONES
Pte 1789 NORMAN RICHARDSON
Pte 1790 GEORGE HARRY CLOUGH
L/Cpl 1792 ALBERT DAVIES
Pte 1794 WILLIAM WALTON
Pte 1796 RICHARD VAREY
Pte 1799 HAROLD ABBOTT
Pte 1800 WILLIAM BOOTH
Pte 1801 WILLIAM BARFIELD
Pte 1802 FRANCIS TAYLOR
Pte 1803 JAMES RYDER
Pte 1804 HARRY MARSDEN
Pte 1807 HENRY ELLIOTT
Sgt 1808 ERNEST ALFRED DUDILL SUTHERLAND
Pte 1809 ISAIAH SMITH
Pte 1810 EDWARD BORSEY
Pte 1811 HARRY ANDREW
Pte 1812 FRANK WARHURST
Pte 1816 ALEXANDER McKENZIE WHITTET
Pte 1817 JOHN COFFEY
Pte 1818 JAMES HENRY CRUTCHLEY
Pte 1820 JOHN PATRICK TAGGART
Pte 1821 GEORGE WILLIAM HUDSON
Pte 1823 WALLACE LILLEY
Pte 1825 HUGH CAMPBELL WHITE
Pte 1827 ADAM PLENDERLEITH
Pte 1829 JOHN WILLIAM JUBB
Pte 1830 WILLIAM MURPHY
Pte 1831 JAMES SMITH
Pte 1832 JAMES CASSIDY
Pte 1833 JOSEPH HAGUE
Pte 1834 JOSEPH ARMITAGE
Pte 1835 WILLIAM HANDLEY
Pte 1836 JAMES HAMPSON
Pte 1837 JOHN ROBERT NIELD
Pte 1840 EARL WILKINSON
Pte 1841 EDWARD JONES
Pte 1843 JOHN LEWIS
Pte 1848 JOSEPH ABBOTT
Pte 1850 WILLIAM NUTTALL
Pte 1851 WILLIAM MATHER
Pte 1852 ALBERT WILKINSON
Pte 1853 HENRY LEWIS
Pte 1854 CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
Pte 1855 JOHN EDWARD SWAIN
Pte 1857 ROBERT WALKER
Pte 1858 JOSEPH WILFRED BENNISON
Pte 1859 EDDY HEINEMANN
Pte 1860 GEORGE FREDERICK CAIN
Pte 1862 FRANK JACKSON
Pte 1863 WILLIAM ADSHEAD
Pte 1864 WALTER HODGKISS
Pte 1865 HARRY GRAFTON
Pte 1866 JOSEPH STARKEY BELL
Pte 1867 JAMES BELL
Pte 1868 SYDNEY WILDE
Pte 1869 GEORGE BARKER
Pte 1871 JOSEPH RUSHTON
Pte 1872 HARRY OGDEN
Pte 1873 THOMAS CARTER
Pte 1874 JOHN RICHARD PURCER
Pte 1876 TOM FIELDING
Pte 1878 SAMUEL WILLIAM MORLEY
Pte 1879 WILLIAM HARROTT
Pte 1880 THOMAS CRONIN HARDY
Pte 1882 ALFRED FINAN
Pte 1884 ALFRED DIXON
Pte 1885 EMANUEL KEMP
Pte 1886 ALBERT BENDEL
Pte 1887 MARK ROBINSON
Pte 1888 HARRY JACKSON
Pte 1889 JAMES WILLIAM GARSIDE
Pte 1890 PERCY HALL
Pte 1891 JOSEPH JACKSON
Pte 1892 JAMES MORRISON
Pte 1893 ARTHUR RANSON
Pte 1894 JOSEPH McDERMOTT
Pte 1895 GEORGE WRIGHT
Pte 1896 THOMAS HARDMAN
Pte 1897 EDWARD JONES
Pte 1900 WILLIAM CUSICK
Pte 1903 HAROLD ELLIS
Pte 1904 JOSEPH EDWARD TAYLOR
Pte 1905 ERNEST OATES
Pte 1906 THOMAS ISAAC EVANS
Pte 1907 JOHN JAMES DONALD
Pte 1909 WILLIAM SIMPSON HALL
Pte 1910 THOMAS TAYLOR
Pte 1911 SAMUEL OGDEN
Pte 1913 GEORGE EWDARD DRANSFIELD
Pte 1914 ARTHUR OWEN
Pte 1915 GEORGE MURPHY
Pte 1916 JOHN SEDDON
Pte 1917 FRED CHARLES BRADBURY LEE
Cpl 1920 WILLIAM MITCHESON
Pte 1921 JAMES PLAYER
Pte 1922 EDWARD KELLY
Pte 1923 HARRY WHITTAKER
Pte 1924 FRED CHAPMAN
Pte 1927 JOSEPH SELLARS
Pte 1930 JAMES HENRY THWAITES
Pte 1931 DAVID CLINTON
Pte 1933 ROBERT GATER
Pte 1935 HARRY BARRATT
Pte 1936 ARTHUR SAMUEL GROSVENOR
Pte 1937 THOMAS JOHN LUXON
Pte 1939 ALBERT BROADBENT
Pte 1944 SAMUEL NEWTON
Pte 1945 WILLIAM FIELDER
Pte 1946 MOSES “RALPH” BIRCHENOUGH
Pte 1947 HAROLD RHODES
Pte 1948 JOHN JAMES KELLY
Pte 1950 HERBERT HAMPSON
Pte 1951 JOHN TINDALL
Pte 1952 HAROLD HARGREAVES
Pte 1954 JAMES ALBERT TRUEMAN
Pte 1957 JAMES ROWBOTTOM
Pte 1958 JAMES THOMAS MOTTERSHEAD
Pte 1959 WILFRED SCHOFIELD
Pte 1960 MICHAEL JOSEPH KEARNS
Pte 1961 RICHARD LAPTHORNE
Pte 1962 ENOCH GODFREY CLAY
Cpl 1963 RAYMOND GIBSON
Pte 1964 JOHN (JACK) DODD
Pte 1966 NORMAN JACKSON
Pte 1968 ARNOLD WILLERTON
Pte 1972 GEORGE BARRATT
Pte 1973 JOSEPH WRIGLEY
Pte 1974 JAMES HENRY THORPE
Pte 1975 THOMAS ANDREW HALL
Pte 1977 JAMES McGRATH
Cpl 1978 ARTHUR THURSTON SPURRETT
Pte 1979 WILLIAM EDWARD COYNE
Pte 1980 WILLIAM SMITH
Pte 1982 TOM HALL
Pte 1983 GEORGE CRIGHTON
Pte 1984 JAMES EDWARD KERR
Pte 1985 LEONARD SMART
Pte 1988 RICHARD MASSEY
Pte 1989 WILLIAM ROBERTS
Pte 1990 ARNOLD ASHLEY
Pte 1991 ARNOLD RUSHFORTH
Pte 1993 FRED ASPINALL
Pte 1994 JOHN FLORANDINE
Pte 1996 WILLIAM JONES
Pte 1997 JOSEPH EDWIN ANDREW
Pte 1998 SAMUEL ARMITAGE
Pte 1999 ALBERT SMITH
Pte 2000 ROBERT PENNY
Pte 2003 FRANK BALLARD
Pte 2004 THOMAS HENRY RAMSBOTTOM
Pte 2005 FRANCIS McCLUSKY
Pte 2006 JAMES GILBERT CRAGG
Pte 2007 THOMAS BUTLER
Pte 2009 FRANK MYCOCK
Pte 2010 JOHN GLADSTONE TYSON
Pte 2011 JOSEPH POLLARD
Pte 2012 JOHN ROBERT TETLOW
Pte 2013 ARTHUR LILLEY
Pte 2014 HAROLD VICKERS
Pte 2015 THOMAS LEE
Pte 2016 JOSEPH COOPER
Pte 2018 WILLIAM WILLIAMS
Pte 2019 WILLIAM GASKELL
Pte 2022 WILLIAM DEAKIN
Pte 2026 WILLIAM HENRY HEELAM
Pte 2027 FREDERICK GORMAN
Pte 2028 JOHN POTTER
Pte 2029 JAMES ROBERT OGDEN
Pte 2030 WILLIAM CHATTERTON
Pte 2031 JOHN SCHOLES
Pte 2032 JOSEPH SHAW
Pte 2033 HARRY SAXON
Pte 2035 WILLIAM HENRY McDONALD
Pte 2036 ALBERT COMMERFORD
Pte 2037 ALBERT VICTOR FORD
Pte 2038 JOB LLOYD
Pte 2039 WILLIAM OATES
Pte 2041 GEORGE BIRCHALL
Pte 2042 HARRY HESKETH
Pte 2043 JOHN LONGSON BROADBENT
Pte 2045 JAMES WILLIAM HURST
Pte 2048 WILLIAM DONNELLY
Pte 2049 CHARLES WILLIAM GIBSON
Pte 2050 PETER TAYLOR
Pte 2051 THOMAS ASHCROFT
Pte 2052 JAMES HILTON DRAYCOTT
Pte 2054 WILLIAM HENRY CADMAN
Pte 2055 ROBERT HALL
Dmr 2057 STEPHEN WOOD
Pte 2058 WILLIAM MOSS
Pte 2059 ANDREW HOWARD
Pte 2060 THOMAS KERSHAW
Pte 2061 HUGH DAVENPORT RYDING
Pte 2062 ERNEST EDWARD ALTHORPE
Pte 2063 THOMAS WILLIAM PRESTON PORTINGTON
Pte 2064 JOHN HENRY WOODCOCK
Pte 2065 EDWARD ATHERTON
Pte 2066 JAMES CROMPTON
Pte 2067 JOSEPH CUNLIFFE SWINDELLS
Pte 2068 ALBERT WRIGLEY
Boy 2069 ALFRED BOOCOCK
Boy 2070 JAMES BOOCOCK
Cpl 2071 CHARLES DEVINE JOYCE
Pte 2072 HENRY McCLUSKY
Pte 2073 EVERRETT JONES
Pte 2074 JAMES HALL
Pte 2075 HARRY GIBSON
Pte 2077 JOHN WILLIAM EASTHAM
Pte 2078 FRED WARD
Pte 2079 JOHN VAUSE
Pte 2081 WALTER BLAKE
Pte 2083 FRANK SMITH
Pte 2084 MATHEW SWAIN
Pte 2085 MATTHEW BAILEY
Pte 2086 TIMOTHY TIPTON
Pte 2087 WILLIAM OLLERENSHAW
Pte 2088 WILLIAM HENRY GILBERTSON COOKE
Pte 2089 PERCY STONES
Pte 2090 JAMES HORROCKS
Pte 2091 HARRY WATERHOUSE
Cpl 2092 JOHN CUPPELLO
Pte 2093 EDMUND WHITTAKER
Sgt 2094 GEORGE ROEBUCK
Pte 2095 JOHN JOSEPH O’CONNOR
Pte 2096 JOHN SLATER
Pte 2097 HAROLD WALSH
Pte 2098 HARRY SAMUEL FARRER
Pte 2100 HAROLD CLAYTON
Pte 2102 DAVID KIRK
Pte 2103 THOMAS PICKFORD
Pte 2104 SAMUEL COX
Pte 2105 LAW TAYLOR GREGORY
Pte 2106 JAMES FREDERICK ROGERS
Pte 2107 ABEL HUGHES
Pte 2108 CHARLES WARBURTON
Cpl 2109 JAMES JOYCE
Pte 2110 THOMAS HENRY BATES
Pte 2111 RALPH THOMPSON
Pte 2112 FRANK ALLONBY
Pte 2113 HARRY HADFIELD
Pte 2115 ARTHUR COLE
Sgt 2116 WILLIAM HENRY GARNER
L/Cpl 2117 TITUS KNIGHT BROADLEY CROPPER
Pte 2118 WILLIAM ROWBOTTOM SMITH
Pte 2119 HARRY LILLEY
Pte 2120 ARTHUR CECIL HIRST
Cpl 2121 ROBERT HANDLEY
Pte 2122 JAMES WILLIAM BRAY
Pte 2123 THOMAS EDWARD GARSIDE
Pte 2125 JOHN HYSLOP
Pte 2126 JAMES MARTIN
Cpl 2127 SIDNEY GARSIDE
Pte 2128 FRED KENWORTHY
Pte 2129 JOHN HOWARTH
Pte 2130 REUBEN HILL
Pte 2131 WILLIAM MATHEWS
Pte 2132 JAMES EDWARD GREENWOOD
Pte 2133 JOSEPH SMITH
Pte 2134 ROBERT SENTHOUSE
Pte 2137 THOMAS BAILEY
Pte 2138 JAMES GARSIDE BROADHURST
Pte 2139 GILBERT HIGHAM
Pte 2140 JOHN HENRY JONES
Pte 2141 JOSEPH RICHARD BERTENSHAW
Pte 2142 JAMES McDONALD
Pte 2143 HERBERT ROBERTS
Pte 2145 THOMAS LUMLEY
Cpl 2146 ALBERT PLATT
Pte 2147 JOHN HENRY BRYAN
Pte 2148 STANLEY PEARSON
Pte 2149 ELKANAH HULLEY
Pte 2150 PERCY HILTON
Pte 2151 WILLIAM HENRY FODEN
Pte 2152 RICHARD LONGSDEN
Pte 2153 CHARLES WILLIAM BAGWELL
Pte 2154 ROBERT CHEETHAM
Pte 2155 REUBEN TURNER
Pte 2156 JAMES WILLIAM YOUNG
Pte 2158 PERCY BERTENSHAW
Pte 2159 JOHN WILLIE GREAVES
Pte 2160 THOMAS JACKSON
Pte 2161 JAMES TRAVIS
Pte 2165 EDWARD BARLOW
Pte 2166 THOMAS FOSTER
Pte 2167 JOSEPH ARTINGSTALL
Pte 2168 ALBERT BARRATT
Pte 2169 JOHN JACKSON
Pte 2170 GEORGE NOONAN
Pte 2171 JOHN JACKSON
Pte 2172 POLLARD MITCHELL
Pte 2173 FRED HAGUE
Pte 2174 HARRY PRATT
Pte 2175 FRANK LIONEL FAVIER
Pte 2176 WILLIAM RATCLIFFE
Pte 2177 JAMES PATTERSON BEVAN
Pte 2178 GEORGE HENRY ROBSON
Pte 2179 ERNEST SPENCER EVANS
Pte 2180 HAROLD ELLOR
Pte 2182 GEORGE HARRY WALKER
Pte 2183 EPHRAIM MARGRAVE
Pte 2186 PERCY BORWICK
Pte 2187 WILLIAM BELL
Pte 2189 FRANK EMMERSON
Pte 2190 JOHN (JACK) THOMPSON
Pte 2191 JOHN (JACK) CUMMINGS
Pte 2192 JOHN (JACK) JONES
Pte 2193 SYDNEY STELFOX
Pte 2195 HARRY KENYON
Pte 2197 SAMUEL YARWOOD
Pte 2198 HENRY (HARRY) OGDEN
Pte 2201 FRED ARCHER
Pte 2202 JOHN (JACK) HAGUE
Pte 2203 HUBERT WILLIAM EDWARD LEACH
Pte 2204 JAMES McCARTHY
Pte 2205 CHARLES TUCKER WELLS
Pte 2206 JOHN RICHARDSON
Pte 2207 BEN THOMPSON
Pte 2208 GEORGE ALMA PRICE
Pte 2209 WILLIAM BRITTON
Pte 2210 JOSEPH HILTON
Pte 2211 FRANK LOMAS
Pte 2212 WILLIAM BLACKSHAW
Pte 2216 ABRAHAM HARE
Pte 2217 HERBERT HARRISON
Pte 2218 GEORGE VAUSE
Pte 2219 FREDERICK EDWARD COLLINS
Cpl 2220 THOMAS FOGERTY
Pte 2221 HARRY FERNLEY
Pte 2222 WILLIAM LORD
Pte 2224 WILLIAM BROMLEY
Pte 2225 GILBERT RATCLIFFE
Pte 2226 THOMAS PATTISON
Pte 2227 THOMAS ORMESHER
Pte 2228 HARRY CLAYTON
Pte 2229 JOSEPH FOSTER
Pte 2230 HENRY CONSTANTINE
Pte 2231 WILLIAM SHEEKEY
Pte 2232 GEORGE JACOB HOWELL
Pte 2234 JOHN ANDERSON
Pte 2235 JAMES McGUINNESS
Pte 2236 ALBERT HESKETH
Pte 2237 JAMES ALBERT BOSTOCK
Pte 2238 JOHN LOVE
Pte 2239 WALTER REVELL
Cpl 2240 HIRST CHADDERTON
Pte 2242 JOHN WALSH
Pte 2243 HARRY BAISTOW
Pte 2245 JOHN McNAB
Pte 2246 ALBERT WOODWARD
Pte 2248 HERBERT WALTER CLEGG
Pte 2249 WILLIAM RABY

Amongst them were a number of “Old Volunteers” (men who had served with the Volunteer Force before April 1, 1908).

Old Volunteers Age at Gallipoli Landing

And the battalion’s Officers with the rank and seniority they held on landing, included:

Rank Forename Middle Surname Age
L. Col. DOCTOR HERBERT WADE 50
Maj. MICHAEL HENRY CONNERY 61
Maj. RICHARD BOTTOMLEY NOWELL 35
Capt. JOHN ALFRED DEARDEN 34
Maj. THOMAS EGBERT HOWORTH 37
Capt. HAROLD SUGDEN 37
Capt. FRANK HAMER 35
Capt. THOMAS ALBERT PLATT 35
Capt. FRANK WOODHOUSE 24
Capt. GEORGE HAROLD O’KELL 37
Capt. FREDERICK WILLIAM KERSHAW 29
Capt. ERIC RICHARDSON 25
Lt. FREDERICK ARTHUR MAKIN 40
Lt. GEORGE WILLIAM HANDFORTH 30
Lt. HENRY CHORLTON SHAW 25
Lt. ROBERT GARTSIDE WOOD 25
Lt. WILLIAM THOMAS FORSHAW 25
Lt. THOMAS GRIMSHAW HYDE 19
Lt. JAMES ALFRED PARKER 28
Lt. WILLIAM HAMPSON LILLIE 27
Lt. OLIVER JEPSON SUTTON 33
2/Lt. HUGH GEORGE SHATWELL 26
2/Lt JOHN MAYALL WADE 20
2/Lt. PHILLIP SIDNEY MARSDEN 21
2/Lt. HAROLD EDWARD BUTTERWORTH 27
2/Lt. CHARLES EARSHAM COOKE 19
2/Lt. ALBERT EDWARD STRINGER 37
2/Lt. JOHN BROADBENT 42
2/Lt. FRED JONES 20
2/Lt. ALLAN HARRISON HUDSON 20
2/Lt. JOHN MATLEY ROBSON 23
2/Lt. ARTHUR WILLIAM FIELD CONNERY 28
2/Lt. WALTER JAMES ABLITT 23

Notes:

  1. 2/Lt. J.M. Robson remained in Egypt commanding the base depot in Alexandria and did not land at Gallipoli until June 2, 1915.
  2. Capt. F.W. Kershaw arrived with the Battalion at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 but was immediately invalided to Malta due to sickness and did not rejoin them until June 20, 1915.
  3. Major Thomas Frankish RAMC landed with the Battalion as their Medical Officer.
  4. Capt. F. Hamer had been assigned for duty as Adjutant and Quartermaster of the Turkish Prisoners’ Camp at Mahdi, Egypt and it is not clear whether or not he remained there for a short period of time before joining the battalion in Gallipoli or whether he landed with them on May 9, 1914.

On May 11th, the East Lancs Division received orders to take over the front line. The 9th Battalion, as part of the 126th East Lancashire Brigade, were now in reserve positions behind the (127th) Manchester Brigade and the (125th) Lancashire Fusilier Brigade.

The 1/9th went into the line on May 21st and remained there until the 26th. At this time, the “line” was actually three lines; the firing line, the redoubt line and the support line each one further back from the Turkish trenches. Divisional orders for the 126th Brigade were to advance the line by digging new trenches under cover of darkness.

On May 23, Lt. Col. DOCTOR HERBERT WADE, commanding officer of the 1/9th, was shot by a sniper while stepping over some sleeping men. He was evacuated from the peninsula and did not return to the battalion until March 1916, when they were in Egypt. During his absence the 1/9th went through half-a-dozen temporary C.O.s. Major RICHARD BOTTOMLEY NOWELL temporarily assumed command on the 23rd. A list of all of the battalion’s COs throughout the war can be found here.

On the evening of May 23/24 the 1/5th East Lancs battalion on the right and the 1/9th Manchesters in the center both advanced 100 yards by digging a series of rifle pits but the 1/10th Manchesters on the left failed in their attempt. During the night’s digging 1358 L/Cpl. GEORGE JAMES SILVESTER saw that 1413 Pte. THOMAS PENNY had been wounded and brought him back to the trenches and then went back out and returned to digging even though he himself had been wounded.  Pte. PENNY died of his wounds in hospital in Malta two weeks later.

The following day, on May 24, 2/Lt. FRED JONES was shot and killed and became the first of the 1/9th Battalion’s Officers to die in Gallipoli. He would not be the last. Also on that day, Lt. Col. ARTHUR FREDERICK EGERTON, DSO (9th Royal Scots) took over command of the Battalion.

The 1/10th Manchesters having failed to advance their line under cover of darkness were forced to try again during the day. The Divisional war diary reports that they were able to advance the firing line by 50 yards. The following day, on May 25, Lieut. ROBERT GARTSIDE WOOD brought back a wounded man of the 1/10th Manchesters but was seriously wounded in the leg. Evacuated by hospital ship to Malta, he declined to have his leg amputated en-route, and surgeons managed to save it after two operations. Lieut. WOOD was awarded the Military Cross in November 1915 for his actions that day.

On May 25th, the designation of the Division was changed and as the 42nd East Lancashire Division it took precedence in numerical order over the other Territorial Divisions since it had been the first to deploy overseas.

Meanwhile, on May 24, Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston was promoted to acting Lieutenant-General and placed in command of VIII Corps (29th Division, the Royal Naval Division, 42nd Division and the 49th Indian Infantry Brigade). On May 27 he issued orders to immediately and simultaneously advance the front line trenches across the whole of the British and French fronts to within assault distance (200 yards) of the Turkish trenches. This they mostly accomplished over the following days.

May Fatalities:

Rank No. Forename MI Surname When How
Pte. 1178 MATTHEW REDFERN 23-May DoW
Pte. 1524 JOHN W JENNEYS 23-May DoW
Pte. 1809 ISAIAH SMITH 28-May DoW
Pte. 1690 ANDREW GEE 30-May KIA
Pte. 2175 FRANK L FAVIER 31-May KIA
2/Lt. FRED JONES 24-May KIA

Note: The primary difference between Killed in Action (KIA) and Died of Wounds (DoW) is that men designated as Died of Wounds were deaths recorded in the  medical evacuation chain rather than on the battlefield. Also note that some of the men listed as Killed in Action were actually Missing in Action and their bodies were never recovered or otherwise identified.

May Casualties:

Note: The list of Casualties provided here (and in the tables below for each month) is the list of men appearing in the Times of London daily casualty lists published throughout the following month. Anecdotal evidence from local newspaper reports indicate that many more men were wounded but they are not listed here.

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 555 WILLIAM BARKER
Pte. 1837 JOHN ROBERT NIELD
Pte. 781 HARRY TAYLOR
Pte. 1727 ROBERT ALLEN LEWIS THOMAS

May Honors:

1358 L/Cpl. GEORGE JAMES SILVESTER, DCM
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Although wounded on 20th May 1915, he continued to perform his duties, and showed the highest courage on 25th May in aiding the wounded under fire. [Gazetted Sept 15, 1915]

Additionally, 1904 Pte. J. E. TAYLOR, 1155 Pte. W. BURKE and Lt. R. G. WOOD were all recommended for gallantry for their actions on May 25th. Pte. Burke carrying Lt. RG Wood from the trench to the Field Ambulance and Pte. Taylor rescuing another man while under fire. All three men were subsequently mentioned in despatches, as reported in the London Gazette of November 5, 1915.

Field General Courts Martial:

32 enlisted men of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment were court martialed in Gallipoli, the first two of which were held on May 21, 1915. The range of offences was quite broad resulting in punishments ranging from the loss of one day’s pay to death. A full account of these cases is provided here.

Contradicting the implication that this group of men were somehow of low moral fiber it’s important to note that at least two of them were underage and four of them were subsequently decorated for bravery in the field. And nobody from the battalion was charged with cowardice or desertion.

June Operations:

Now that the 8th Army Corps front line had been painstakingly moved closer to the Turkish front lines, orders were issued to attack them on June 4th, the attack to be preceded by heavy artillery fire. This action was to become known as the Third Battle of Krithia.  This action and the subsequent operations in June resulted in the deaths of at least 110 Officers and men of the Battalion.

Context from Despatches:

This brings the narrative up to the day of the general attack upon the enemy’s front line of trenches which ran from the west of the Kereves Dere in a northerly direction to the sea. Taking our line of battle from right to left the troops were deployed in the following order: -The Corps Expeditionnaire, the Royal Naval Division, the 42nd (East Lancs) Division and the 29th Division. The length of the front, so far as the British troops were concerned, was rather over 4,000 yards, and the total infantry available amounted to 24,000 men.

On the stroke of noon the artillery increased their range and along the whole line the infantry fixed bayonets and advanced. The assault was immediately successful.

The attack, timed for 3 p.m., was twice postponed at the request of General Gouraud, who finally reported that he would be unable to advance again that day with any prospect of success. By 6.30 p.m., therefore, the 42nd Division had to be extricated with loss from the second line Turkish trenches, and had to content themselves with consolidating on the first line which they had captured within five minutes of commencing the attack.

Although we had been forced to abandon so much of the ground gained in the first rush, the net result of the day’s operations was considerable- namely, an advance of 200 to 400 yards along the whole of our centre, a front of nearly 3 miles.

The Manchester Brigade of the 42nd Division advanced magnificently. In five minutes the first line of Turkish trenches were captured, and by 12.30 p.m. the Brigade had carried with a rush the line forming their second objective, having made an advance of 600 yards in all. The working parties got to work without incident, and the position here could not possibly have been better.

By 1.30 p.m. the whole of the captured trenches in this section had been lost again, and the Brigade was back in its original position, the ”Collingwood” Battalion, which had gone forward in support, having been practically destroyed. The question was now whether this rolling up of the newly captured line from the right would continue until the whole of our gains were wiped out. It looked very like it, for now the enfilade fire of the Turks began to fall upon the Manchester Brigade of the 42nd Division, which was firmly consolidating the furthest distant line of trenches it had so brilliantly won. After 1.30 p.m. it became increasingly difficult for this gallant Brigade to hold its ground. Heavy casualties occurred; the Brigadier and many other officers were wounded or killed; yet it continued to hold out with the greatest tenacity and grit.

The 1/9th went into the line on June 3rd and remained there until they were relieved on June 22nd.

June 7th:

The result of the recent actions were that on the morning of June 7th the 125th Brigade reported that the 1/6 Lancs Fusiliers were not able to be relieved due to a Turkish machine gun flanking their position. The Brigade proposed an attack, supported by artillery, along a line from the S.E. corner of the Vineyard to the Western Nullah. The objective of the 1/9th in the center was to capture trench G.11.

After dark on 7th June 100 men of C company of the 9th Battalion, along with two Companies of the Chatham Battalion of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, Royal Naval Division engaged in a frontal assault of the Turkish front line trenches. Although the 9th battalion succeeded in taking the Turkish trench, the Royal Naval Division failed to achieve their objective. Consequently, the 1/9th had to relinquish the trenches they had just captured at dawn.

Capt. GEORGE HAROLD OKELL and Lieut. ALBERT EDWARD STRINGER led the charge against one trench, and Capt. FRANK HAMER and 2/Lieut. JOHN (JACK) MAYALL WADE against the other trench. Capt. HAMER fell before reaching the trench. Lieut. STRINGER succeeded in reaching the trench but was subsequently killed by the enfilading fire from a machine gun. At least 20 men were killed and many more wounded.

Context from Despatches (Continued):

From the date of this battle to the end of the month of June the incessant attacks and counter-attacks which have so grievously swelled our lists of casualties have been caused by the determination of the Turks to regain ground they had lost, a determination clashing against our firm resolve to continue to increase our holding. Several of these daily encounters would have been the subject of a separate despatch in the campaigns of my youth and middle age, but, with due regard to proportion, they cannot even be so much as mentioned here.

On June 9th 2/Lt. PHILIP SIDNEY MARSDEN was reported wounded and on June 12, 2/Lt. ALLAN HARRISON HUDSON was reported missing (later reported to have been killed). Three days later Major MICHAEL HENRY CONNERY, the Battalion’s Quarter Master was slightly wounded when a Turkish shell hit his dug-out.

June 18:

An attack was planned to retake trench H.11 which had been partially re-taken by the Turks.  However, 30 minutes before the attack the Turks heavily shelled the position causing the 88th Brigade to withdraw from the left.  The allied attack was repulsed by the Turks who were already massed in the trenches for their own attack. They then counter-attacked causing trenches H.10 and H.11 to be entirely lost along with one machine gun and one trench mortar.

The initial attack was undertaken by B Company and included 2/Lt. JOHN MAYALL WADE and 2/Lt. ARTHUR WILLIAM FIELD CONNERY of C Company who had both volunteered to join them. Capt. HAROLD SUGDEN lead the attack and was mortally wounded. 2/Lt. WADE was seen jumping into a Turkish trench with six men and was never seen again.

The Turkish counter-attack was against a trench held by some men of C Company along with men of the 1/10th Manchesters. By the end of the fighting 2 Officers and 30 men had been killed, with dozens more wounded.

On June 22, 2/Lt. EDWARD BALMFORD and 16 men arrived from England, the first reinforcements to do so. An additional four men arriving on the 25th. The men from this draft are listed here.

The Battalion left the line on June 22nd but the next day the bivouac was heavily shelled requiring the 1/9th to move a further 600 yards back to their old bivouac but not before 9 men had been wounded. This just after they had suffered so heavily in the line.

June Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 1405 JOHN DALEY 1-Jun Fever
Sgt. 469 HARRY ILLINGWORTH 5-Jun KIA
Pte. 1401 EDWARD HODGKISS 5-Jun KIA
Pte. 1606 WILLIAM TOWNLEY 5-Jun KIA
Pte. 1866 JOSEPH BELL 5-Jun KIA
Pte. 2216 ABRAHAM HARE 5-Jun KIA
Pte. 1413 THOMAS PENNY 6-Jun DoW
Sgt. 76 JAMES LAWTON 7-Jun KIA
Sgt. 1125 NOEL D BRAITHWAITE 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1210 JOHN A CRANE 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1215 JOSEPH WILDE 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1321 GEORGE W HUDSON 7-Jun DoW
Pte. 1339 JAMES W DALEY 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1382 ERNEST ROBINSON 7-Jun KIA
Pte 1384 THOMAS L EVANS 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1542 FRED McDONNELL 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1859 EDDY HEINEMANN 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1860 GEORGE F CAIN 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 1896 THOMAS HARDMAN 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2009 FRANK MYCOCK 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2012 JOHN TETLOW 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2050 PETER TAYLOR 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2061 HUGH RYDING 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2068 ALBERT WRIGLEY 7-Jun KIA
Cpl. 2121 ROBERT HANDLEY 7-Jun KIA
Pte. 2126 JAMES MARTIN 7-Jun KIA
L/Cpl. 2141 JOSEPH R BERTENSHAW 7-Jun KIA
Cpl. 1734 HERBERT W MATTHEWS 8-Jun KIA
Pte. 1775 WILLIAM POSTLE 8-Jun DoW
Pte. 2085 MATTHEW BAILEY 8-Jun DoW
L/Cpl. 1000 JAMES EARNSHAW 9-Jun KIA
Pte. 1354 WILLIAM SHUTTLEWORTH 9-Jun KIA
Pte. 1380 BERNARD RAWLINGS 9-Jun KIA
L/Cpl. 1415 WILLIAM MASON 9-Jun KIA
Pte. 1760 JAMES H COOPER 9-Jun DoW
Pte. 1796 RICHARD VAREY 9-Jun Died
Pte. 1390 ALBERT HAGUE 11-Jun DoW
Pte. 1546 JOHN FINNIGAN 11-Jun KIA
Pte. 2238 JOHN LOVE 11-Jun KIA
Pte. 2193 SYDNEY STELFOX 12-Jun KIA
Pte. 1652 RICHARD STOTT 13-Jun DoW
Pte. 1746 JOHN CHAPMAN 13-Jun Fever
Pte. 2003 FRANK BALLARD 13-Jun KIA
Pte. 2151 WILLIAM H FODEN 13-Jun KIA
Pte. 2192 JOHN JONES 13-Jun KIA
Pte. 1044 THOMAS GORMAN 14-Jun KIA
Pte. 1488 RICHARD BURGESS 14-Jun KIA
Pte. 1855 JOHN E SWAIN 14-Jun Died
Pte. 555 WILLIAM BARKER 15-Jun DoW
L/Cpl. 1152 JOHN G BLANDFORD 16-Jun KIA
L/Cpl. 1484 JOHN W HUGHES 16-Jun Fever
Pte. 1660 HAROLD GARTSIDE 16-Jun KIA
Sgt. 1128 HARRY EARLE 17-Jun KIA
Pte. 1278 ALFRED E SUMMERSGILL 17-Jun DoW
Pte. 1851 WILLIAM MATHER 17-Jun KIA
Pte. 1853 HENRY LEWIS 18-Jun KIA
Pte. 1927 JOSEPH SELLERS 18-Jun KIA
Cpl. 508 HARRY GIBSON 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 932 WILLIE H HAMER 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1070 CHARLES SMITH 19-Jun KIA
Pte 1137 TOM SMITH 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1154 HAROLD COOKE 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1169 HERBERT HOPKINS 19-Jun KIA
Sgt. 1171 GEORGE EYRE 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1263 ALBERT MARLAND 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1269 OLIVER JONES 19-Jun KIA
L/Cpl. 1289 GERALD MASSEY 19-Jun KIA
L/Cpl. 1377 FRANK OLDFIELD 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1426 JOHN WALKER 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1427 SAMUEL KELLETT 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1428 STANLEY H STEPHENS 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1466 FRED HANSON 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1569 JOHN BATES 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1601 WALTER CLEGG 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1684 EDWARD JONES 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1698 JAMES BROUGH 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1700 FREDERICK G WORSLEY 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1736 WILLIAM PRIDHAM 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1740 JOSHUA BENNETT 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1742 HARRY SIDEBOTTOM 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1803 JAMES RYDER 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1807 HENRY ELLIOTT 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1862 FRANK JACKSON 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1872 HARRY OGDEN 19-Jun DoW
Pte. 1886 ALBERT BENDEL 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 1917 FRED LEE 19-Jun DoW
L/Cpl. 2075 HARRY GIBSON 19-Jun KIA
Pte. 2170 GEORGE NOONAN 19-Jun Died
Pte. 1708 PERCY POULSTON 20-Jun Died
Pte. 1711 SIDNEY OGDEN 20-Jun DoW
Pte. 2043 JOHN BROADBENT 20-Jun DoW
Pte. 2161 JAMES TRAVIS 20-Jun DoW
Pte. 1195 THOMAS DORAN 21-Jun DoW
Pte. 1786 JOHN COFFEY 21-Jun DoW
Pte. 2133 JOSEPH SMITH 21-Jun KIA
Pte. 2183 EPHRAIM MARGRAVE 24-Jun DoW
Pte. 1375 BEN CUSICK 25-Jun Fever
Pte. 1758 PERCY WATSON 25-Jun Died
Pte. 1768 MAURICE BARKER 25-Jun KIA
Pte. 1785 ERNEST WILLIAMSON 25-Jun KIA
Cpl. 1920 WILLIAM MITCHESON 26-Jun DoW
L/Cpl. 1769 HERBERT BARRATT 28-Jun DoW
Pte. 1298 ENOCH MARTYN 29-Jun DoW
Pte. 2066 JAMES CROMPTON 30-Jun DoW
Rank Forename Middle Surname Died Cause
Capt. FRANK HAMER 07-Jun KiA
Lt. ALBERT EDWARD STRINGER 07-Jun KiA
Lt. ALLAN HARRISON HUDSON 13-Jun KiA
2/Lt JOHN MAYALL WADE 18-Jun KiA
Capt. HAROLD SUGDEN 20-Jun DoW

June Casualties:

Rank No First Middle Surname
Pte. 339 MATHEW JAMES BUCKLEY
Pte. 2006 JAMES CRAGG
Pte. 1192 HARRY TRUNKFIELD
Pte. 2179 ERNEST SPENCER EVANS
Pte. 2132 JAMES EDWARD R GREENWOOD
Pte. 1848 JOSEPH ABBOTT
Pte. 2081 WALTER BLAKE
Pte. 1374 JOE DUTTON
Pte. 1745 WILLIAM HENRY HALL
Pte. 1891 JOSEPH JACKSON
Pte. 1607 ERIC LISTER
Pte. 2152 RICHARD LONGSDEN
Pte. 1675 ALFRED SUMNER
Pte. 1358 GEORGE JAMES SILVESTER
Pte. 1570 WILLIAM ANDREWS
Pte. 1993 FRED ASPINALL
Pte. 1496 JOHN BULLOCK
Pte. 1535 JOHN HENRY CONNOLLY
Pte. 2123 THOMAS EDWARD GARSIDE
Pte. 1706 JAMES HILL
Pte. 1389 CHARLES KENNA
Pte. 1988 RICHARD MASSEY
Pte. 2226 THOMAS PATTISON
Pte. 2032 JOSEPH SHAW
Pte. 1127 HARRY TAYLOR
Pte. 1951 JOHN TINDALL
Sgt. 236 GEORGE TURNER
L/Sgt. 1010 SIDNEY WOOD
Pte. 2243 HAROLD HODGIN
Pte. 1884 ALFRED DIXON
Pte. 1473 GEORGE HENRY LAMB
Pte. 1148 JOHN MUTTER
Pte. 1545 NORMAN TAYLOR
Pte. 1857 ROBERT WALKER
Pte. 1544 JOHN BURGESS
Pte. 1945 WILLIAM FIELDER
Sgt. Mjr. 2716 JOSEPH FOWLER
Pte. 2128 FRED KENWORTHY
Pte. 1674 CHARLES ARTHUR MIDDLETON
Pte. 1068 PETER NOLAN
Pte. 1789 NORMAN RICHARDSON
Pte. 1715 WALTER ROEBUCK
Dmr. 1348 WILLIAM SHAW
Pte. 1200 WILLIAM TAYLOR
Pte. 1998 SAMUEL ARMITAGE
Pte. 1733 THOMAS HUGHES
Pte. 2198 HARRY OGDEN
Pte. 1487 ERNEST RIMINGTON
Pte. 1681 HARRY ROBINSON
Pte. 1592 EDWARD ALLOTT
Pte. 1516 ERNEST BARLOW
Pte. 1236 BENSON BARRATT
Pte. 1293 THOMAS BELL
Pte. 1655 RICHARD BOON
Pte. 1625 ARTHUR BURN
Pte. 1873 THOMAS CARTER
Pte. 1066 TOM GARLICK
Pte. 2019 WILLIAM GASKELL
Pte. 1623 JAMES GREENHALGH
Pte. 2120 ARTHUR CECIL HIRST
Pte. 23 TOM LMA LEE
Pte. 2204 JAMES McCARTHY
Pte. 1643 SAMUEL NEWTON
Pte. 174 JOHN HENRY SHAWCROSS
Pte. 973 HARRY SMITH
Pte. 1137 TOM SMITH
Pte. 1300 JOHN KINSELLA
Pte. 2029 JAMES ROBERT OGDEN
Pte. 1799 HAROLD ABBOTT
Pte. 1521 JAMES ATHERTON
L/Cpl. 1156 FRANK BARKER
Pte. 1604 WILLIAM HENRY CORLETT
Pte. 2036 ALBERT COMMERFORD
Pte. 1748 WILLIAM HIGGINBOTTOM
Pte. 1182 JAMES HOPWOOD
Pte. 1212 THOMAS HOLDEN
Pte. 2183 EPHRAIM MARGRAVE
Pte. 288 JOHN PHILLIPS
Pte. 2208 GEORGE ALMA PRICE
Pte. 2004 THOMAS HENRY RAMSBOTTOM
Pte. 1668 JOSEPH TAYLOR
Pte. 1649 TIMOTHY WIDDUP

July Operations:

July was a month of consolidation for the 42nd Division. The 1/9th were in the trenches from July 2 to July 18, then going to bivouac at divisional reserve.  However, the number of deaths due to sickness and disease started to rise.

On July 2,  four new Officers arrived and were assigned to the 1/9th; Lt. ARTHUR CLAUDE VYVYAN-ROBINSON, (10th South Lancs Regiment), Lt. SAMUEL PORTER, Lt. JOHN KNOWLES and 2/Lt. HARRY YORSTON DIXON all of the 11th Yorks and Lancs Regiment. Lt. PORTER and 2/Lt. DIXON were assigned to C company.

C company lost two Officers in early July.  On July 5th 2/Lt. ARTHUR WILLIAM FIELD CONNERY was badly wounded in the mouth by shrapnel and went to hospital. Shortly after, on July 7th, 2/Lt. JOHN MATLEY ROBSON went to hospital with fever and died of enteric fever on July 17 in Egypt.

On July 10 2/Lieut. OLIVER JEPSON SUTTON and 969 Sgt. HARRY GRANTHAM made a reconnaissance at night, using string to measure their distance from their trench, and discovered that the Turks were digging to the S.E. of trench G12. They repeated their reconnaissance the following night to verify their observations.

On July 14, the recently arrived, 2/Lt. HARRY YORSTON DIXON was killed by shrapnel during an advance by 52nd Division and 2/Lt. EDWARD BALMFORD and 15 men were wounded. Two weeks later, on July 27, Lt. JOHN KNOWLES and 14 men were wounded.

On July 23, reinforcements arrived from England for all Infantry units of the 42nd Division. The 1/9th received 5 Officers and 222 men. The Officers arriving that day were:

Lt. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN STEPHENSON
2/Lt. WILLIAM MARSDEN BARRATT
2/Lt. SYDNEY WILLIAM RUTTENAU
2/Lt. HAROLD INGHAM
2/Lt. WILLIAM GILBERT GREENWOOD

The list of other ranks arriving that day is provided here.

July Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 2202 JACK HAGUE 03-Jul Fever
Pte. 1457 JOHN BRADY 09-Jul Fever
Pte. 419 FREDERICK O WYATT 12-Jul DoW
Sgt. 1271 JAMES TAYLOR 12-Jul DoW
Pte. 1501 GEORGE MARKHAM 12-Jul KIA
Pte. 1922 EDWARD KELLY 12-Jul KIA
Pte. 1218 JAMES HOLLINGWORTH 14-Jul Fever
Pte. 1688 JAMES WILSHAW 15-Jul KIA
Pte. 2207 BEN THOMPSON 15-Jul Died
L/Cpl. 1957 JAMES ROWBOTTOM 18-Jul Died
Sgt. 31 THOMAS LOMAS 22-Jul KIA
Pte. 1557 ISAAC WALKER 22-Jul KIA
Pte. 1787 FRED JONES 26-Jul DoW
L/Cpl. 1155 WILLIAM BURKE 28-Jul Fever
Lt. JOHN M ROBSON 17-Jul Fever

July Casualties:

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 1972 GEORGE BARRATT
QMS 5 GEORGE BOOCOCK
Pte. 1576 WILLIAM PETER BRIERLEY
Pte. 2138 JAMES GARSIDE BROADHURST
L/Cpl. 1665 HARRY BYROM
Pte. 2036 ALBERT COMMERFORD
Cpl. 1120 THOMAS FORREST
Cpl. 2127 SIDNEY GARSIDE
Pte. 379 THOMAS GHENTY
Pte. 1369 ALBERT GIBSON
Pte. 1368 WILLIE GIBSON
Pte. 1909 WILLIAM SIMPSON HALL
Pte. 2160 THOMAS JACKSON
Pte. 1334 CHARLES LEE
Pte. 2013 ARTHUR LILLEY
Sgt. 1310 HERBERT MORRIS
Pte. 512 JOHN MORGAN
L/Cpl. 1313 JAMES WILLIAM RAMSDALE
Pte. 1271 JAMES TAYLOR
Pte. 2086 TIMOTHY TIPTON
Pte. 1688 JAMES WILSHAW
Pte. 1150 FRED ARMITAGE
Pte. 680 THOMAS HARGREAVES
Pte. 1954 JAMES ALBERT TRUEMAN
Pte. 1597 ERNEST HAWKRIDGE
Pte. 1388 WILFRED LOCKWOOD
Pte. 1755 EDWARD SPRAGG
Pte. 2197 SAMUEL YARDWOOD
Pte. 2018 WILLIAM WILLIAMS

July Honors:

969 Sgt. HARRY GRANTHAM, DCM
For conspicuous gallantry and ability south of Krithia, Gallipoli Peninsula, on 10th and 11th July 1915, when making a reconnaissance of the enemy’s new trenches under very dangerous circumstances. He gained valuable information and located the hostile positions. [Gazetted Sept 15, 1915].

Capt. OLIVER JEPSON SUTTON, MC
The War Diary for the 1/9th Battalion notes that both Sgt. GRANTHAM and Capt. SUTTON were congratulated by the Division Major-General for their reconnaisance work.  Capt. SUTTON was subsequently awarded the Military Cross. [Gazetted Feb 1, 1916].

August Operations:

August saw the Battalion heavily engaged in the Battle of Krithia Vineyard from the 7th – 9th August and the rigours of front line trench warfare throughout the rest of the month.

Context from Despatches:

Once the date was decided a certain amount of ingenuity had to be called into play so as to divert the attention of the enemy from my main strategical conception. This-I repeat for the sake of clearness-was: –
(1) To break out with a rush from Anzac and cut off the bulk of the Turkish Army from land communication with Constantinople.
(2) To gain such a command for my artillery as to cut off the bulk of the Turkish Army, from sea traffic whether with Constantinople or with Asia.
(3) Incidentally, to secure Suvla Bay as a winter base for Anzac and all the troops operating in the northern theatre.
My schemes for hoodwinking the Turks fell under two heads: First, strategical diversions, meant to draw away enemy reserves not yet committed to the peninsula. Secondly, tactical diversions meant to hold up enemy reserves already on the peninsula.

But upon the 6th of August attacks in the south were only to form a subsidiary part of one great concerted attack. Anzac was to deliver the knock-down blow; Helles and Suvla were complementary operations.

As the aim of my action in this southern zone was to advance if I could, but in any case to contain the enemy and prevent him reinforcing to the northwards, I persevered on the 7th with my plans, notwithstanding the counter-attack of the Turks which was actually in progress.

On the right and on the centre the first enemy line was captured, and small parties pushed on to the second line, where they were unable to maintain themselves for long. On the, left but little ground was gained, and by 11a.m. what little had been taken had been relinquished. But in the centre a stiff battle raged all day up and down a vineyard some 200 yards long by 100 yards broad on the west of the Krithia road. A large portion of the vineyard had been captured in the first dash, and the East Lancashire men in this part of the field gallantly stood their ground here against a succession of vigorous counter-attacks.

Two specially furious counter-attacks were delivered by the Turks on the 8th August, one at 4.40 a.m. and another at 8.30 p.m., where again our bayonets were too much for them. Throughout the night they made continuous bomb attacks, but the 6th Lancashire Fusiliers and the 4th East Lancashire Regiment stuck gamely to their task at the eastern corner of the vineyard. There was desperate fighting also at the northern corner, where the personal bravery of Lieutenant W. T. Forshaw, 1/9th Manchester Regiment who stuck to his post after his detachment had been relieved (an act for which he has since been awarded the V.C.), was largely instrumental in the repulse of three very determined onslaughts.

The 1/9th went into the trenches on Aug 7, remaining there until Aug 13, and were divided into two separate groups.

On Aug 7, Lt. SAMUEL PORTER was mortally wounded and Major RICHARD BOTTOMLEY NOWELL and Lt. OLIVER JEPSON SUTTON were both wounded.

On Aug 22 a draft of 4 Officers and 145 men (formerly of the 2/9th Battalion) arrived from England as reinforcements for the 1/9th. The Officers arriving that day were:

2/Lt. PERCY ASPDEN WOODHOUSE
2/Lt. HAROLD HARRISON KNIGHT
2/Lt. PERCY AINSWORTH
Hon Lt. JOSEPH MICHAEL CONNERY*

* Another son of Major M.H. CONNERY the Battalion’s Quarter Master.

The list of other ranks who landed that day is provided here.

August Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Lt. SAMUEL PORTER 7-Aug DoW
Pte. 1850 WILLIAM NUTTALL 7-Aug KIA
Pte. 2946 WILLIAM B FORRESTER 7-Aug KIA
Pte. 745 ARNOLD BOOTH 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 1189 HAROLD NEWTON 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 1324 JAMES S MILLAR 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 1568 ALBERT V GODDING 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 2089 PERCY STONES 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 2514 ALFRED MOLYNEUX 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 2742 JAMES SPEDDINGS 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 2971 ALBERT G HARLING 8-Aug KIA
Pte. 1999 ALBERT SMITH 9-Aug KIA
Pte. 2330 HAROLD CHADWICK 9-Aug KIA
Pte. 2616 JOHN BARDSLEY 9-Aug DoW
Pte. 2182 GEORGE H WALKER 11-Aug Died
Pte. 1342 HERBERT BRADBURY 12-Aug KIA
L/Cpl. 1423 ALBERT BURGESS 12-Aug DoW
Pte. 2095 JOHN J O’CONNOR 12-Aug KIA
Pte. 1252 ERNEST SMITH 13-Aug KIA
Pte. 2625 JAMES WALKER 13-Aug KIA
Pte. 2718 BENJAMIN SHATWELL 13-Aug DoW
Pte. 1863 WILLIAM ADSHEAD 15-Aug DoW
Pte. 1535 JOHN H CONNOLLY 16-Aug DoW
Pte. 2941 JAMES H BROWN 26-Aug DoW
Pte. 1314 JOHN W ANDREWS 29-Aug DoW
Pte. 2195 HARRY KENYON 29-Aug KIA
Pte. 1402 CEPHAS TURNER 30-Aug DoW

August Casualties:

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 2109 JAMES JOYCE
Pte. 1305 JAMES WRIGHT
Pte. 1300 JOHN KINSELLA
Pte. 1570 WILLIAM ANDREWS
Pte. 3118 WILLIAM BOOTH
Pte. 3048 SAMUEL CASE
Pte. 1294 FRANK CHEVALIER
Pte. 1353 JOHN WILLIAM DODD
Pte. 1770 BEN G DRANSFIELD
Pte. 2994 ERNEST GEORGE ELLIS
L/Cpl. 1627 GEORGE FRATER
L/Cpl. 3016 GEORGE FULLARD
Cpl. 2049 CHARLES WILLIAM GIBSON
Pte. 2328 WILLIAM S GODDARD
Pte. 1936 ARTHUR SAMUEL GROSVENOR
Pte. 1397 JOHN HANSON
Pte. 2345 ALFRED HARDING
Pte. 1656 EDWARD HENNESSY
Pte. 1470 THOMAS HEWITT
Pte. 1829 JOHN WILLIAM JUBB
Pte. 2102 DAVID KIRK
Pte. 2694 JOSEPH MANCLARK
Pte. 2702 SAMUEL MATLEY
L/Cpl. 1553 HAROLD MORRIS
L/Cpl. 1133 ALBERT MULLEN
Pte. 2341 PERCY NICHOLSON
Pte. 2227 THOMAS ORMESHER
Pte. 2605 ERNEST SHAW
Pte. 1831 JAMES SMITH
Pte. 1727 ROBERT ALLEN LEWIS THOMAS
Pte. 2014 HAROLD VICKERS
Pte. 3066 WILLIAM WALKER
Pte. 2260 THOMAS WELLENS
Pte. 1895 GEORGE WRIGHT
Pte. 2186 PERCY BORWICK
Pte. 2465 HARRY CHAPMAN
Pte. 1511 ALFRED CLEGG
Pte. 1536 LEWIS LOGSON GRIMSHAW
Pte. 1952 HAROLD HARGREAVES
Pte. 2107 ABEL HUGHES
Pte. 1662 HARRY OWEN
Pte. 1682 ERNEST PEPPER
Pte. 2249 WILLIAM RABY
L/Sgt. 1978 ARTHUR SPURRETT
Pte. 2382 ARTHUR STALEY
Pte. 1317 JAMES WILLIAM STOCKTON
Pte. 1820 JOHN TAGGART
Pte. 2985 ROBERT THEWLIS
Pte. 2485 FRANK CUMMINS
Pte. 2831 WILLIAM THOMAS LOMAS
Pte. 1539 MATHEW SHEA
Pte. 2808 WILLIAM WOOD
Pte. 1863 WILLIAM ADSHEAD
Pte. 2434 REGINALD BENNETT
Pte. 1448 JOHN HALL
Pte. 1381 ERNEST LOWNDS
Pte. 2244 ABEL ROBINSON
Pte. 1305 JAMES WRIGHT

August Honors:

Lt. WILLIAM THOMAS FORSHAW, VC
For most conspicuous bravery and determination in the Gallipoli Peninsula from 7th to 9th August, 1915.  When holding the north-west corner of the “Vineyard” he was attacked and heavily bombed by Turks, whoi advanced time after time by three trenches which converged at this point, but he held his own, not only directing his men and encouraging them by by exposing himself with the utmost disregard to danger, but personally throwing bombs continuously for 41 hours. When his detachment was relieved after 24 hours he volunteered to continue the direction of operations.  At three times during the night of 8-9th August he was again heavily attacked, and once the Turks got over the barricade, but, after shooting three with his revolver. he led his men forward and recaptured it. When he rejoined his Battalion he was choked and sickened by bomb fumes, badly bruised by a fragment of shrapnel, and could barely lift his arm from continuous bomb throwing. It was due to his personal example, magnificent courage and endurance that this very important corner was held. [Gazetted Sept 9, 1915]

180 Cpl. SAMUEL BAYLEY, DCM
For conspicuous bravery on the 7th and 9th August 1915, at Cape Helles (Dardenelles), Cpl. BAYLEY remained with Lt. FORSHAW, VC; holding a barricade for forty-one hours continuously. On the evening of 8th August his party was relieved by another unit, but he volunteered to remain on. He displayed the greatest gallantry and endurance under the most trying circumstances in repelling many severe attacks, and when the barricade was at last broken through he was the foremost in the successful counter-attack, led by Lt. FORSHAW, which regained it, and finally retained it. On being ultimately relieved he was utterly exhausted by his arduous and gallant work of bomb-throwing. [Gazetted Nov 16, 1915]

2148 L/Cpl. STANLEY PEARSON, DCM
For conspicuous gallantry on the 7th and 8th August 1915, at Gallipoli, when acting as a look-out man and sniper. He displayed great bravery and skill and although enfiladed from both flanks he remained at his post and by his example gave great encouragement to all with him. [Gazetted March 11, 1916]

2103 L/Cpl. THOMAS PICKFORD, DCM
For conspicuous gallantry on the 8th August, 1915, at Gallipoli, when he rallied his party, which had been driven back by bombs in the Barricade of the Vineyard, and by his bravery and example was largely instrumental in saving a precarious position. [Gazetted March 11, 1916]

1347 Pte. REGINALD POTTS
On August 12, Pte. POTTS volunteered to join the bombing party of the 1/4th East Lancashire Regiment and subsequently was issued a Congratulatory Card for gallantry. [War Diary Aug 26th]

2/Lt. CHARLES EARSHAM COOKE, MC
The Battalion War Diary notes that the Brigadier-General of the 126th Brigade personally congratulated the commanding officer of the 1/9th Manchesters on the gallant behavior of Lt. FORSHAW, 2/Lt. COOKE and the 2 platoons under them. 2/Lt. COOKE was subsequently awarded the Military Cross. [Gazetted Feb 1, 1916]

General's Letter 14th August 1915

September Operations:

September brought a welcome relief from the intense fighting of previous months but for the first time the number of sick exceeded those of the killed and wounded.  As the number of men reporting sick increased, the 126th Brigade began to record the numbers of sick per Battalion, starting on September 14th. In the second half of September 104 men of the 1/9th went onto the sick list.

On Sept 1, Capt. FRANK WOODHOUSE went to hospital sick.

On the evening of Sept 2, Lt. ARTHUR CLAUDE VYVYAN-ROBINSON and a party of 14 men were detailed to dig a trench joining the current Firing Line with the Northern Barricade. As they made their way in the dark they lost their bearings, going too far East, and were fired on by the Royal Naval Division.  Lt. VYVYAN-ROBINSON was wounded, one man was reported missing and three were wounded. A court of enquiry was held and the details passed to the Division.

The next day, on Sept 3 at around 2pm, the Turks exploded a mine right under a sap known as FOUR HOLE POST in the Firing Line where the 1/9th were located. The explosion destroyed the Sap and 12 yards of the Firing Line, killing 2 men and wounding 3 others. Four additional men were extracted suffering from shock.

On Sept 10 Lt. Col. ROBERT WORGAN FALCON, temporary commanding officer of the 1/9th reported sick. He was replaced the next day by Major RODERICK LIVINGSTONE LEES of the 1/6 Lancs Fusiliers who had distinguished himself in August at the Battle of Krithia Vineyard.

The 1/9th went into the trenches on September 18th and remained there until October 1st.  A few days later on Sept 20 Capt. GEORGE WILLIAM HANDFORTH reported sick. He was quickly followed by Lt. WILLIAM GILBERT GREENWOOD on the 22nd and by Lt. HAROLD EDWARD BUTTERWORTH on the 25th.

On Sept 27 Major RODERICK LIVINGSTONE LEES was awarded the DSO and on Sept 30 he relinquished command of the 1/9th and Major WILLIAM JAMES ANDERSON (of the 33rd Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment) assumed command.

September Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 2063 THOMAS PORTINGTON 3-Sep KIA
Pte. 2304 PERCY GARSIDE 3-Sep KIA
Pte. 1618 CHARLES L HIGGINS 4-Sep DoW
Pte. 2897 HARRY CLEGG 4-Sep KIA
Pte. 2306 PERCY RIDINGS 6-Sep Died
Pte. 2356 FRED SMITH 6-Sep DoW
Pte. 1947 HAROLD RHODES 7-Sep DoW
Pte. 2965 ISAAC THOMPSON 7-Sep KIA
Cpl. 921 HARRY BOLTER 10-Sep DoW
Pte. 2642 WILLIAM BRAMALL 13-Sep Died
Cpl. 2049 CHARLES W GIBSON 15-Sep DoW
Pte. 2710 FREDERICK J BACON 28-Sep Died
2/Lt. PERCY A WOODHOUSE 11-Sep Fever

September Casualties:

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 3055 JOSEPH BARLOW
Pte. 2174 HARRY PRATT
Pte. 1624 ELLIS HARTLEY
Pte. 1374 JOE DUTTON
Pte. 2451 ARTHUR HAYNES
Pte. 2479 TOM KILSHAW
Pte. 3135 WALTER ROGERS
Pte. 2672 ARTHUR SLATER
Pte. 1287 WILLIAM THORNTON

October Operations:

October saw the number of men reporting sick spike to 143 even as the number of killed and wounded dropped to the lowest levels of the campaign.

The 1/9th were relieved from the trenches on October 1st and moved to Divisional Reserve at GEOGHEGAN’S BLUFF. Here they were mostly engaged in fatigues supporting the extensive mining and digging work going on in the trenches. They later moved to Bivouac at GULLY BEACH.

On October 6th a small draft of 25 other ranks arrived. The following day a draft of 5 Officers from other regiments (Essex and South Lancs) arrived and were assigned temporarily to the 1/9th.

Rank Forename Middle Surname
2/Lt. GEORGE ROBERT BERNARD
2/Lt. GEORGE FREDERICK BARKER
2/Lt. ARTHUR JAMES SOUTHCOTT
2/Lt. LAIRD KIRWAN
2/Lt. GEORGE GREENE KELLY

2/Lt. JOHN BROADBENT of the transport section also reported sick this day followed by Capt. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN STEPHENSON on October 10th.

On October 14th the Battalion moved back to the line; half the Battalion with the 1/10th Manchesters and half with the 1/5th East Lancs. The split made for tactical reasons to maximize the use of senior Officers and NCOs across the Brigade. A & C companies attached to the 1/5th East Lancs under Capt. FRANK WOODHOUSE and B & D companies to the 1/10th Manchesters under Capt. FREDERICK WILLIAM KERSHAW. The Battalion remained in the trenches until October 29th.

On October 16, Capt. ERIC RICHARDSON was appointed Staff Captain of the 126th Brigade and left the Battalion.

On October 19th Major WILLIAM JAMES V. ANDERSON was killed by a bomb while visiting the trenches. He was temporarily replaced by Lt. Col. GODFREY WALKER ROBINSON of the 1/10th Manchesters.

On October 22 a draft of 3 Officers and 139 men, of the 2/9th Battalion, arrived from England. The Officers arriving that day were:

2/Lt. THOMAS AINSWORTH
2/Lt. BELTRAN FORD ROBINSON
2/Lt. WILLIAM HENRY DEMEL

The list of other ranks who landed that day is provided here.

And on October 26th a further 11 Officers arrived from England, (and 110 other ranks returning from hospital in Egypt). The Officers arriving this day were as shown below:

2/Lt. WILLIAM NEVILLE BROADBENT BURY
2/Lt. SYDNEY NAYLOR
2/Lt. IRVINE DEARNALEY
2/Lt. BERNARD HAROLD BRISTER
2/Lt. OSCAR STOCKTON NEEDHAM
2/Lt. PERCY PARKER FIELDING
2/Lt. FRANCIS CYRIL HAMPSON
2/Lt. FREDERICK BEARD
2/Lt. ROBERT JACOMB NORRIS DALE
2/Lt. JOHN REGINALD TOMMIS
2/Lt. ALFRED GRAY

October Fatalities:

October brought only three fatalities at Gallipoli, Pte. Armitage dying at home from sickness contracted overseas.

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 1998 SAMUEL ARMITAGE 3-Oct Died
L/Sgt. 2139 GILBERT HIGHAM 7-Oct DoW
Pte. 2630 HARVEY THOMPSON 17-Oct KIA
Pte. 1343 TOM HALL 20-Oct KIA

October Casualties:

The only man listed in the following month’s London Times casualty lists was 1179 Pte. SAMUEL E. BOSNALL.

1/9th Manchesters Casualties October 1915

November Operations:

Disease, sickness and heavy rain that turned to snow blizzards and frost in November of 1915 created new hardships and claimed yet more casualties. The 9th Battalions numbers were dwindling fast despite three significant drafts of reinforcements from England arriving in July, August and October.

In November 117 men reported sick, a slight reduction from the previous month. Nevertheless, 3 Officers (Capt. FREDERICK WILLIAM KERSHAW, Lt. L. G. NASH, RAMC (attached) and 2/Lt. WILLIAM NEVILLE BROADBENT BURY) all reported sick on the same day, November 9th.

The Battalion moved into the line again on November 12th and remained there until November 26th. On the 15th a very heavy rainfall occurred filling some parts of the trenches to a depth of 3 feet.  Despite the terrible conditions the Turks were relatively quiet until the 23rd when heavy shelling and a large number (40-50) stick grenades were fired at the trenches. 2/Lt. IRVINE DEARNALEY was killed this day.

On the 26th November the Battalion was relieved and went into Bivouac in GULLY RAVINE. A period of heavy fatigues followed for the remainder of the month. On November 29, 2/Lt. SYDNEY NAYLOR, recently arrived the previous month, was wounded.

Context from Despatches:

During the month of November, beyond the execution of very clever and successful minor enterprises carried out by Corps Commanders with a view to maintaining an offensive spirit in their commands, there remains little to record-except that an increased activity of the the Turkish artillery against our front became a noticeable factor.

On the 21st November the Peninsula was visited by a storm said to be nearly unprecedented for the time of the year. The storm was accompanied by torrential rain, which lasted for 24 hours. This was followed by hard frost and a heavy blizzard.

Gully Ravine
An ambulance wagon of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division in Gully Ravine, showing the mud after the storm of November 1915. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source.

November Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 1641 EDWARD GREEN 13-Nov DoW
Pte. 3321 JOHN BALLAGHER 15-Nov KIA
Pte. 2297 SAM MATHER 22-Nov Died
Pte. 3090 JESSE LAWTON 22-Nov DoW
Pte. 3291 AARON JONES 23-Nov KIA
Pte. 2282 JOHN FINUCANE 27-Nov Died
Pte. 2757 WILFRED LILLEY 27-Nov DoW
2/Lt. IRVINE DEARNALEY 23-Nov KiA

November Casualties:

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 2855 ROBERT ANDREW
Pte. 1293 THOMAS BELL
Pte. 3203 A BOOTH
Pte. 2505 TOM KENDRICK LLOYD
Pte. 3427 HARRY MARSLAND
Pte. 3211 ROBERT OGDEN
Pte. 1134 FRANK ERNEST ORTON
L/Cpl. 2148 STANLEY PEARSON
L/Cpl. 3334 THOMAS RIDLEY
Pte. 3398 WILLIAM RUSSELL
Cpl. 2190 JOHN THOMPSON

December Operations:

In December 54 men reported sick.  2/Lt. ARTHUR JAMES SOUTHCOTT reported sick on December 5th, returning to the Battalion (from 17th Stationary Hospital) on the 10th. The next day he reported sick again.  In the meantime, 2/Lt. GEORGE FREDERICK BARKER, (who arrived with 2/Lt. SOUTHCOTT in November), also reported sick on December 8th.

2/Lt. LAIRD KIRWAN and 2/Lt. GEORGE GREENE-KELLY were transferred to the 1/10th Manchesters on the 8th December.

The Battalion went into the Line on December 10th and remained there until December 24th, moving to Divisional Reserve at GEOGHEGAN’S BLUFF. On December 17th Brigade Operational Order 28 was issued outlining a plan to explode a mine in front of the Turkish trenches with the objective of creating a crater. Men of the Brigade would go out the the crater and secure it by building barricades. The purpose of these small offensive operations carried out by the 52nd and 42nd Divisions was to act as a distraction during the evacuation of troops elsewhere on the peninsula.

Unfortunately, the mine that was exploded (600lbs at a depth of 40 ft) failed to produce a crater, the force of the explosion creating a ridge of earth only about 1 foot high. 16 bombers, a working party under 2/Lt. ALFRED GRAY and 26 men of B company dutifully went over the top and occupied the depression. With the Turkish trenches untouched, they were mercilessly shot at from the front and the right.  Finding the position untenable the troops eventually were forced to retire. The casualties reported for the 1/9th on the day were 3 killed, 1 missing and 11 wounded. 2/Lt. GRAY, Sgt. GREENHALGH and Cpl. BARKER were mentioned in the Brigade war diary for showing “great courage and ability remaining out and covering the retirement of the parties although fired at from 12yds range.” Sgt. GREENHALGH and Cpl. DAVIS subsequently received DCMs for their acts of bravery that day.

A letter from Sgt. GREENHALGH was subsequently published in the Ashton Reporter on Saturday July 15, 1916 providing a version of the events in his own words:

“No doubt it came as a surprise at home when they heard that I had got the D.C.M. I can tell you it was a surprise to me also. The first I heard about it was in a letter I had from home, but the day following our commanding officer told me about it. As you are all wanting to know what I did to get it, I will try to tell you.

It was on the 19th December, 1915, I was ordered to take a party of men over the top, and we got to within ten yards of the Turkish trench. At the same time there was a mine blown up. It should have made a big hole in the front of the Turkish trench. The intention was for us to have got in this hole, but when we got to the place no hole had been made, and we had to lie in the open, and the Turks potting at us from ten yards away. It was a good job the Turks were nervous, or else there would have been none of us left to tell the tale.

The object was for us to get in the crater and build it up with sandbags, and then our bombers could have bombed the Turks out of their trench, but it didn’t come off as we expected. Anyway, we all got back to our trench except one poor lad who was killed.

Lance-Corporal Davies, D.C.M. was with the same party of men.”

On the 26th December, orders were received to leave the Peninsula, and on the 27th a Turkish shell made a direct hit on the Battalion bivouac killing a number of men in a cruel last minute reminder of the constant dangers they were leaving behind. Pte. Arthur Slater was buried alive and only survived because he was dug out by his comrades. The next day the 9th Battalion embarked on H.M.T. Redbreast bound for Mudros West.

Context from Despatches:

The following is taken from Sir Charles Monro’s Gallipoli Despatch, who was sent to replace the sacked Sir Ian Hamilton as Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

On the 8th December, consequent on your Lordship’s orders, I directed the General Officer Commanding Dardanelles Army to proceed with the evacuation of Suvla and Anzac at once.

Lieutenant-General Birdwood proceeded on receipt of his orders with the skill and promptitude which is characteristic of all that he undertakes, and after consultation with Rear-Admiral Wemyss, it was decided, provided the weather was propitious, to complete the evacuation on the night of the 19th-20th December.

On the 24th December, General Sir W. Birdwood was directed to make all preliminary preparations for immediate evacuation, in the event of orders to this effect being received.

December Fatalities:

Rank No. 1st Name MI Surname When How
Pte. 3281 JAMES R FERNLEY 4-Dec DoW
Pte. 3340 CLARENCE BOOTH 8-Dec Died
L/Cpl. 1391 GEORGE G HAUGHTON 11-Dec KIA
Pte. 1534 ALFRED E SNAPE 12-Dec KIA
Pte. 1829 JOHN W JUBB 16-Dec KIA
Cpl. 724 JOSEPH E APPLEBY 18-Dec KIA
Cpl. 2092 JOHN CUPPELLO 19-Dec KIA
Pte. 2446 ALEXANDER GREEN 19-Dec KIA
Pte. 2968 JOE DOWNS 19-Dec KIA
Pte. 3241 ALFRED METCALF 19-Dec KIA
Pte. 3218 EDGAR NEWTON 21-Dec KIA
Pte. 3391 HORACE BENNETT 22-Dec DoW
Pte. 1805 JOHN F JENKINSON 27-Dec KIA
Pte. 2310 HEZEKIAH HARRISON 27-Dec KIA
Pte. 2365 GEORGE H WALKER 27-Dec KIA
L/Cpl. 2601 GEORGE HEROD 27-Dec KIA
Pte. 3312 HAROLD GREEN 27-Dec KIA
Pte. 3418 RALPH SCHOFIELD 27-Dec KIA
Pte. 3396 HARRY GREGORY 31-Dec DoW

December Casualties:

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte. 1801 WILLIAM BARFIELD
Pte. 2949 HERBERT BENNETT
Pte. 3422 JOHN JAMES BOOTH
Pte. 2847 HAROLD COOKSON
Pte. 3113 HERBERT HOLT
Pte. 3311 ERNEST JONES
Pte. 2954 GEORGE NOLAN
Pte. 3190 RALPH PLATT
Pte. 787 GEORGE W STRINGER
Pte. 2985 ROBERT THEWLIS
Pte. 1946 MOSES BIRCHENOUGH
Pte. 3031 SIDNEY GARSIDE
Pte. 3399 FRANK HAMER
Pte. 2293 WALTER HARDY
Pte. 1439 TOM HILL
Sgt. 1358 GEORGE JAMES SILVESTER
Pte. 1331 WILLIAM HEGGENBOTTOM WOOD
Pte. 3341 EDWIN BEECH
Pte. 2339 HERBERT DAWSON
Pte. 1580 NORMAN HARGREAVES
Pte. 2810 THOMAS STEVENSON
Pte. 1677 RUPERT RYLANCE
Pte. 3201 JOHN BROCK
Pte. 2563 EDWARD HINDLEY
Pte. 3169 JAMES HULME
1/9th Manchesters Casualties December 1915

The Divisional Order of Battle and Field State report for May 1-5t, 1915 indicates that  958 enlisted men of the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment embarked for Gallipoli. During the campaign a series of small drafts brought and additional 524 men to replace those who had been killed or had left due to sickness or wounds. The Embarkation Return for the evacuation of the peninsula on December 27, 1915 listed just 469 remaining men. Acknowledging a handful of men who were repatriated towards the end of the campaign as time expired still leaves a staggering 68% casualty rate excluding those who were temporarily medically evacuated and returned after treatment and convalescence.

At least 192 men of the 1/9th Battalion died from the fighting, sickness or disease they were exposed to at Gallipoli. Many more men were wounded or otherwise hospitalised and approximately 100 men were awarded the Silver War Badge and discharged from service due to sickness or wounds they were unable to fully recover from.

Pte. 3765 Fred Dickinson serves as an example. He was discharged as permanently unfit for any kind of military service and awarded the Silver War Badge on March 23, 1916 suffering from Nephritis. His Service Record shows that his medical issues “originated on December 18, 1915 in Gallipoli. Sent into hospital in Cairo on account of general dropsy and discovered to be suffering from Nephritis. No history of previous illness of a similar nature. States that while on active service in the trenches he had to stand waist deep in water for a considerable time during a severe storm. Heart sounds fine but there is an accentuated sound heard at the apex. Urine contained albumen and blood is still present. Result of active service, exposure to cold and wet. Permanent [Disability].”

Pte. Dickinson only arrived in the Dardanelles on October 22, 1915 and was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital in Giza, just over two months later, on December 26 suffering from oedema to the legs (a swelling  due to the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues). He was subsequently invalided to the UK leaving Alexandria on January 17, 1916 sailing on the Hospital Ship GLENGORN CASTLE. He was subsequently treated in the UK for 38 days at the 4th Scottish General Hospital, RAMC (Territorial Force) at Stobhill, Glasgow. He received a small, and decreasing, military pension over the next nine months following his discharge.

December Honors:

The Battalion War Diary on December 18 reports that three Congratulatory Cards from the Major-General Commanding the Division were received for:
No 5 QMS G BOOCOCK
400 Sgt. Mjr. Cook JOHN CHAPMAN
1659 Pte. P. WOODRUFF

And, in a rather belated recognition of their efforts, the Battalion War Diary for March 1916 reported that Cards of Congratulation were received from the Major-General Commanding the 42nd Division, for good work done in Gallipoli for the following men:
341 Sgt. JOHN LEE
2146 Cpl. PLATT A.
728 L/Cpl. GREEN A.
2826 Pte. SMITH A.
2231 Pte. WILLIAM SHEEKEY
2067 Pte. JOSEPH S. SWINDELLS

2231 Pte. WILLIAM SHEEKEY was additionally awarded the Serbian Silver Medal of Valour and was Gazetted Feb 15, 1917.

EGYPT 1916-17

FRANCE 1917-18

Commanding Officers
A list of the Battalion’s Commanding Officers in World War One can be found here.

2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment

The 2nd-line (or reserve) Territorial Force battalions, brigades and divisions had no existence before the outbreak of the Great War.

On the 15th August, 1914, instructions were issued by the War Office to separate the home-service men of those T.F. units which had volunteered for service abroad; the home-service men were to be formed into reserve units. On the 3lst August the formation of a reserve (or 2nd-line) T.F. unit was authorized for each original (or 1st-line) unit in which 60 percent of the men had volunteered for foreign service. The title of the 2nd-line unit would be the same as that of the corresponding 1st-line imperial-service unit, and these reserve units were to be located at the peace headquarters of their 1st-line units. After being clothed, organized, and armed the reserve units would gradually be grouped into larger formations at training centres, war stations, etc. In this way the 2nd-line T.F. divisions came into existence.

The 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force was formed at the Armoury in Ashton-under-Lyne immediately after the 1/9th Battalion sailed for Egypt on September 10, 1914. They were formed under the command of the 2nd/East Lancashire (later the 198th) Brigade, 2nd/East Lancashire (later the 66th Division) Division.

Capt. Ralph Lees Marching at the head of the 2/9th Battalion in Ashton, 1914
Copyright Imperial War Museum

Their original purpose was as a feeding battalion for the 1/9th, providing much needed drafts of men to replace their mounting casualties in Gallipoli.  In this capacity they supplied significant reinforcements for the 1/9th Battalion on three separate dates; July 23, 1915, August 22, 1915 and October 22, 1915 and through three much smaller drafts on June 22, June 25 and December 1, 1915.

The 2/9th moved from Ashton to Southport on Friday November 13, 1914, where they were billeted in digs, mainly on King Street.

2943 Private G W Chandler 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment Outside Digs in Southport
Copyright Manchester Regiment Image Archive Ref No: MR03031

They remained in Southport until May 25, 1915 when they moved to Haywards Heath, in Sussex.  A little over a month later, on June 26, 1915 they made the short move to Pease Pottage and they stayed there until September 21st when they moved again, this time to Burham Camp, near Maidstone, Kent. On October 31st they moved to Crowborough Camp.

The battalion faced a number of difficulties including a dearth of trained instructors and a lack of equipment. The battalion eventually received 600-700 Japanese rifles and bayonets, and 180,000 rounds of ammunition. The Japanese rifles were retained until the end of 1915, and then they were replaced by charger-loading Lee-Enfield rifles, together with bayonets and .303″ ammunition. Shortage of technical equipment was not confined to the infantry battalions of the Division. The artillery lacked guns, with modern sights and gears, ammunition wagons, directors, telephones, and harness. Even in August, 1915, no veterinary officer was attached to any of the artillery brigades, and at this time the artillery had 1,373 horses.

Despite these difficulties the men trained as best they could, the training consisting of Squad Drill, Platoon Drill, Rifle Exercise, Care of Arms, Physical Exercises, Outpost Exercise, Company Exercise (in attack and defence), Company Exercise (in Fire Control), Judging Distance and Visual Training, etc. , Entrenching, Route Marching, Bayonet Fighting. Musketry & Lectures.

June 22-25, 1915

The first draft of men to arrive in Gallipoli from England was a small group of 16 men along with 2/Lt. EDWARD BALMFORD on June 22, 1915, as reported in the 126th Brigade war diary. These men were taken on the strength of the Battalion as they embarked ship on June 4, 1915. Fourteen of the 16 men are listed below.

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte 2447 ALBERT BUTTERWORTH
Pte 3027 JAMES CALDERBANK
Pte 2492 OWEN CONNOLLY
Pte 3035 TOM COOPER
Pte 2802 REGINALD JONES
Cpl 3025 JOHN KELLY
Pte 2408 JOHN LEECH
Pte 2496 WALTER LEECH
Pte 2456 ARTHUR REDFERN
Pte 2718 BENJAMIN SHATWELL
Pte 2326 THOMAS SMITH
Pte 3033 SAMUEL STOPFORD
Pte 2506 EDWIN WHITE
Pte 2689 FRANK WRIGLEY

Shortly after this draft arrived, on June 25, a small group of other ranks also arrived. It is almost certain that these men travelled from England with the original draft and were for some reason detained for a few days at Mudros before travelling to Cape Helles and joining the Battalion.

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte 2713 JOSEPH TAYLOR

Other men with disembarkation dates of June 1915 but who don’t exactly match the above dates are shown below:

Rank No. Forename M.I. Surname Date
Cpl 2765 WALTER TRACEY 02-Jun-15
Pte 2605 ERNEST SHAW 24-Jun-15

July 23, 1915

The War Diary for the 1/9th Manchesters indicates that a draft of 222 men and five officers arrived in Gallipoli on July 23, 1915.  They left Devonport on July 3, 1915 sailing on the Transport Ship IONIAN. The following list of 215 men has been pulled mainly from the 1914-1915 Star Medal Roll and includes men with “disembarkation” dates of July 1 (when they embarked the ship), July 5 (when the men were taken on strength), July 21 (when the IONIAN arrived at Mudros) and July 23 (when they actually joined the Battalion in Gallipoli). The vast majority of men belonging to the latter group.

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte 2449 JOSEPH HIGHAM ANDREW
Pte 2375 THOMAS ATHERTON
Cpl 3085 LEONARD BAILEY
Pte 3069 SAMUEL BARBER
Pte 3050 HERBERT BARDSLEY
Pte 2391 JAMES WILLIAM BARDSLEY
Pte 2616 JOHN BARDSLEY
Pte 2241 JEREMY BARKER
Pte 3055 JOSEPH BARLOW
Pte 3175 WILLIAM BARTON
Pte 3122 SAMUEL BATTY
Pte 2889 HUGH BAXTER
Pte 2975 FRANK BEARD
Pte 2645 JOHN BENDALL
Pte 2949 HERBERT BENNETT
Pte 2434 REGINALD BENNETT
Pte 2995 ERNEST BENNISON
Sgt 3047 ROBERT BEVAN
Pte 3171 SAMUEL BLEAKLEY
Pte 3307 WALTER BOLD
A/Cpl 2542 JAMES WILLIAM BOON
Pte 3118 WILLIAM BOOTH
Pte 2678 JAMES BOSTOCK
Pte 2959 PERCY BRADLEY
Pte 2846 VICTOR BRAMALL
Pte 3039 GEORGE BROCKLEHURST
Pte 3097 FRED BROMLEY
Pte 2963 ARTHUR BROOKS
Pte 2874 JOHN BROOKS
Sgt 2425 ERNEST BROWN
Pte 3316 THOMAS BUCKLEY
Pte 2433 SAMUEL BUTTERWORTH
Pte 2680 SYDNEY CAINE
Pte 2265 JOHN WILLIAM CAMPBELL
Pte 3029 TOM ARNOLD CARR
Pte 2952 HAROLD CARTER
Pte 3048 SAMUEL CASE
Pte 2905 JOHN CASSIDY
Pte 2330 HAROLD CHADWICK
Cpl. 2324 WILLIAM PARKES CHALMERS
Pte 2878 GEORGE BANNERMAS CHAPMAN
Pte 2465 HARRY CHAPMAN
Pte 2275 JAMES WILLIAM CHAPMAN
Pte 2399 HAROLD CHARNLEY
Pte 2251 ROBERT CHEETHAM
Pte 2727 GEORGE CLARKE
Sgt 2410 JOHN CLAYTON
Pte 2897 HARRY CLEGG
Pte 2607 JOHN WILLIAM COLLINS
Pte 3089 SAMUEL COOKE
Pte 2258 ALBERT COXON
Pte 3094 WILLIE CRABTREE
Pte 2337 WILLIAM HENRY CRANE
Sgt 2533 JOSEPH CRYER
Pte 2485 FRANK CUMMINS
Pte 2859 JAMES DARCY
Pte 2935 JAMES DAVIES
Pte 2924 JOSEPH DAVIES
Pte 2685 LAWRENCE DAWSON
Pte 2695 SYDNEY DEVLIN
Pte 3078 JOSEPH DOLAN
Pte 2968 JOSEPH DOWNS
Pte 3052 ARTHUR DYBALL
Pte 2994 ERNEST GEORGE ELLIS
Pte 2728 WILLIAM ELLIS
Pte 2646 CHARLES ARTHUR ELLY
Pte 2807 WILLIAM FIELDING
Pte 2764 EDWIN FITTON
Pte 2946 WILLIAM BELL FORRESTER
Pte 3170 ROBERT FOSTER
Pte 3178 JOSEPH FOULKES
Pte 2806 ARTHUR FOX
Pte 3016 GEORGE FULLARD
Pte 2904 WILLIAM GILL
Pte 2328 WILLIAM SYKES GODDARD
Pte 2756 ROBERT ALLEN GRAHAM
Pte 2902 RICHARD GRAINGER
Pte 3144 WILLIAM GREAVES
Pte 2547 JOHN HADFIELD
Pte 2374 ERNEST HAGUE
Pte 2627 WILLIAM HAGUE
Cpl 2393 FRED HALKYARD
Sgt 2262 JOSHUA HALL
Pte 3017 WILLIAM HALL
Dmr 2978 WILLIAM HALLATT
Pte 2734 VICTOR HAMER
Pte 2875 RICHARD HAMPSON
Pte 2345 ALFRED HARDING
Pte 2293 WALTER HARDY
Pte 2349 JOHN HARGREAVES
Pte 2971 ALBERT GEORGE HARLING
Pte 3061 ERNEST HARRISON
Pte 2574 HARRY HARRISON
Pte 2427 HUGH HARRISON
Pte 2271 PERCY HARROP
Pte 2344 JOSEPH WILLIAM HARTWELL
Pte 2242 WILLIAM HARWOOD
Pte 2854 FRANCIS PETER HAWKINS
Pte 2451 ARTHUR HAYNES
L/Cpl. 2601 GEORGE HEROD
Pte 2618 LEONARD HEROD
Pte 2731 EDWIN HIBBERT
Pte 3036 JOSEPH HIBBERT
Pte 3006 ALFRED HOBSON
Sgt 2580 HERBERT HOLDEN
Pte 2758 THOMAS HORSEFIELD
Pte 1213 ERNEST HOUGH
Pte 2435 JOHN HOWARD
Pte 3005 JOSEPH HOWARD
Pte 2598 JOHN HULME
Pte 2595 GEORGE HENRY HUNT
Pte 2821 ROBERT HUNT
Pte 3125 WILLIAM HUNT
Pte 1805 JOHN FREDERICK JENKINSON
Pte 1360 JOHN LEVI KENDALL
Pte 2384 SAMUEL KENYON
Pte 2479 TOM KILSHAW
Pte 2285 FRED LATCHFORD
Pte 1697 ARTHUR LATHAM
Sgt 1151 JOHN LAWLER
Pte 2673 ERNEST LAWTON
Pte 3090 JESSE LAWTON
Sgt. 2916 THOMAS HENRY LEE
Pte 2483 ALFRED GODFREY LEECH
Pte 3042 WILLIAM LEECH
Pte 2983 HARRY LEES
Pte 2676 JOHN LEES
Pte 2883 ALBERT LOADER
Pte 2831 WILLIAM THOMAS LOMAS
Pte 2694 JOSEPH MANCLARK
Pte 2610 JOHN MARLAND
Cpl 2322 EDWARD MARLOR
Pte 2543 CHARLES MATELY
Pte 2702 SAMUEL MATLEY
Pte 2423 JAMES McDONALD
Pte 2747 JOHN McKENZIE
Pte 3200 JAMES McNEISH
Cpl 2403 JAMES MELLOR
Sgt 2631 HARRY METCALFE
Pte 2472 ALLAN MILLWARD
Pte 2514 ALFRED MOLYNEUX
Pte 2687 THOMAS ALBERT MORRIS
Pte 2737 REGINALD NEEDHAM
Pte 2863 JOHN DENNIS O’BRIEN
Pte 2488 RICHARD O’DONNELL
Pte 2651 WILLIAM O’SULLIVAN
Pte 2379 DAVID OGDEN
Pte 2837 FRED OULTON
Pte 2861 JAMES OWEN
Pte 2596 FRED PEARSON
Pte 3101 ANDREW PEMBERTON
Pte 2478 WILLIAM PEMBERTON
Pte 2873 JOHN PENNINGTON
Pte 2766 SAMUEL PICKFORD
Pte 2644 ABRAHAM PICKLES
Pte 3079 ALBERT PLANT
Pte 2684 WILLIAM POULSTON
Pte 2828 ERNEST RAWLINSON
Pte 2699 ARTHUR JAPSON REDFERN
Sgt 2364 JOHN REGAN
Pte 2725 NORMAN REVELL
Pte 2614 JAMES RIDINGS
Pte 2244 ABEL ROBINSON
Pte 2842 SIDNEY ROWBOTHAM
Pte 2665 GEORGE THOMAS CHADWICK
Pte 2385 FRANK SCAMBLER
Pte 2418 WILLIAM SHAW
Cpl 1539 MATTHEW SHEA
Pte 2426 ELISHA SHELMERDINE
Pte 2269 HARRY BERNARD SIDEBOTTOM
Pte 3086 THOMAS SIDDALL
Pte 2672 ARTHUR SLATER
Pte 2359 GEORGE HARRY SLATER
Pte 2356 FRED SMITH
Pte 3151 JAMES SPEEDLES
Pte 2742 JAMES SPEDDINGS
Pte 3158 FRED SPENCER
Pte 2256 LESTER STAFFORD
Pte 2383 ARTHUR STALEY
Cpl 2810 THOMAS STEVENSON
Pte 2984 WILLIAM STOTT
Pte 2663 STANLEY STRUTT
Pte 2499 PERCY TAYLOR
Pte 2468 SAMUEL TAYLOR
Pte 2985 ROBERT THEWLIS
Pte 1969 FRANK THICKETT
Pte 2630 HARVEY THOMPSON
Pte 2965 ISAAC THOMPSON
Pte 2759 JACK THOMPSON
Pte 3010 THOMAS EDWARD THORPE
Cpl 2657 WILLIAM TURNER
Pte 2617 HARRY WAINWRIGHT
Pte 1181 ARNOLD OSWALD WALKER
Pte 2365 GEORGE HENRY WALKER
Pte 2625 JAMES WALKER
Pte 3066 WILLIAM WALKER
Pte 2355 WILLIAM WALSH
Pte 2827 GEORGE WALTON
Pte 2613 FRANK WARD
Pte 2691 FRED WARD
Pte 3137 JOHN WARD
Pte 2260 THOMAS WELLENS
Pte 3181 JOSEPH RICHARD WEST
Pte 2900 FRANK WHITE
Pte 2797 JAMES WHITE
Pte 2751 ROBERT WRIGHT WHITEHEAD
Pte 2477 JAMES WILLIAMSON
Pte 2704 BENJAMIN WILCOCKSON
Pte 1779 CHARLES EDWIN WILLS
Pte 2910 JOSEPH ALEXANDER WILSON
Pte 1752 GEORGE EDWARD WILSON
Pte 1582 HENRY DANIEL WILSON
Pte 1780 ROBERT FREDERICK WILSON
Pte 1350 GEORGE HENRY WILTON
Pte 2808 WILLIAM WOOD
Rank Forename Middle Surname
Capt. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN STEPHENSON
2/Lt. WILLIAM MARSDEN BARRATT
2/Lt. SYDNEY WILLIAM RUTTENAU
2/Lt. HARRY INGHAM
2/Lt. WILLIAM GILBERT GREENWOOD

Another 5 men with disembarkation dates of July 1915 but whose dates do not exactly match the known dates of the July 22 draft are shown below:

Rank No. Forename M.I. Surname Date
Pte 3135 WALTER ROGERS 13-Jul-15
Pte 2815 HAROLD CHATTERTON 15-Jul-15
Sgt 3009 HARRY ROBERTS 15-Jul-15
Pte 2047 HARRY ANDERSON 18-Jul-15
Pte 2640 HARRY BENNETT 22-Jul-15

August 22, 1915

Although there is no mention of this draft in the Battalion war diary, the 126th Brigade War Diary states that a batch of 4 Officers and 145 men joined the 1/9th Manchesters in Gallipoli this day. The 1/4th East Lancs and the 1/5th East Lancs each recorded the arrival of reinforcements of 120 men and 123 men on the 20th and 21st respectively). From this batch, the following 139 men includes men with “disembarkation” dates of August 2 (when they embarked the ship and were taken on strength), August 19 (when the HMT ARCADIAN arrived at Mudros) and August 22 (when they actually joined the Battalion in Gallipoli).

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
L/Cpl 2350 ALFRED ADAMS
Pte 2989 JOHN ROBINSON ALCOCK
Sgt 2955 GEORGE ALLEN
Pte 2688 JOHN SAMUEL ANCHOR
Pte 2855 ROBERT ANDREW
Pte 2743 CHARLES HERBERT ASHTON
L/Cpl 2744 ERNEST SPENCER ASHTON
Cpl 2270 ALFRED ASHURST
Pte 2519 JOSEPH ASHWORTH
Pte 2710 FREDERICK JOHN BACON
Pte 2964 EDWARD BAILEY
Pte 3102 WILLIAM BALL
Pte 2804 ALFRED BANN
Pte 2336 THOMAS BASKWELL
Pte 2912 JOSEPH BELFIELD
Pte 3132 SAMUEL BENNETT
Pte 2526 THOMAS BESWICK
Pte 3146 WILLIAM BIRCH
Pte 3154 GEORGE HARRY BOOTH
Pte 2745 JOHN HENRY BOOTH
Pte 3112 FRANK BOTTOMS
Pte 2739 JOSEPH BOULTON
Pte 2911 ELLIS BOWKER
Pte 3267 JOHN BOWKER
Pte 2642 WILLIAM BRAMALL
Pte 2502 JOHN BROADBENT
Pte 2941 JAMES HENRY BROWN
Pte 2553 WALTER BURTON
Pte 3244 ERNEST CHADDERTON
Pte 2943 GEORGE WILFRED CHANDLER
Pte 2746 HORACE CHARLESWORTH
Pte 2460 HERBERT CHRISTIAN
Pte 2314 JAMES CLAYTON
Pte 2635 JOHN COKELEY
Pte 2491 HAROLD COLLINS
Pte 2255 JOHN COMMERFORD
Pte 2847 HAROLD COOKSON
Pte 2624 WILLIAM COOPER
Pte 3141 SAMUEL LESLIE CROOKALL
Pte 3207 ELIJAH CURTIS
Pte 2561 JOHN DALE
Pte 3131 JACK DAVENPORT
Pte 2394 GEORGE HARRY DAVIES
Pte 2629 ENOCH DENTON
Pte 2794 WILLIAM DIBSDALL
Pte 2848 WILLIAM DOXEY
Pte 2436 FRANK DUCKWORTH
Pte 3049 PETER EADES
L/Cpl 2987 HAROLD EASTWOOD
L/Cpl 2782 WILLIAM EATON
Pte 2771 FRANK FELL
Pte 2428 JOHN HENRY FERN
Pte 2282 JOHN FINUCANE
Pte 2266 JOSEPH GARFORTH
Pte 2304 PERCY GARSIDE
Pte 3031 SIDNEY GARSIDE
Pte 2540 WILFRED GARSIDE
Pte 2715 JAMES GASKELL
Pte 3081 GEORGE GREATWICK
Pte 2446 ALEXANDER GREEN
Pte 2342 HARRY GREENHALGH
Pte 3149 FRED GUNNELL
Pte 3062 ALBERT HADFIELD
Pte 3124 WALTER HAGUE
Pte 1590 HARRY HALLAM
Pte 2716 JOHN WILLIAM HALL
Pte 3345 GEORGE HAMBLETON
Pte 3093 LEONARD HARROP
Pte 2572 ALFRED HARROTT
Pte 1624 ELLIS HARTLEY
Pte 2926 HAROLD HELLIWELL
Pte 2603 GEORGE HESKETH
Pte 2820 WILLIAM HETHERINGTON
Pte 2974 ELLIS HIBBERT
Pte 2830 FRED HILL
Pte 2563 EDWARD HINDLEY
Pte 3113 HERBERT HOLT
Pte 2608 JAMES HORROCKS
Pte 2723 ALBERT HOULDSWORTH
Pte 2406 JOHN HOWARD
Pte 2401 WILLIAM HOWARTH
Pte 2791 AMBROSE HUGHES
Pte 3169 JAMES? HULME
Pte 2868 JOHN HUNT
Pte 2877 WILLIAM JENKINSON
Pte 3134 BENJAMIN JEVONS
Pte 3110 JOHN WILLIAM JEVONS
Cpl 2249 CHARLES WILLIAM JOLLY
Pte 2376 SAMUEL JONES
Pte 2917 ROBERT KANE
Sgt 2475 FRANK KERSHAW
Pte 2558 ROBERT KIMLIN
Pte 2509 ROBERT LEE
Cpl 2668 ALBERT LEES
Pte 2320 EDWARD JOHN LEWIS
Pte 2757 WILFRED LILLEY
Pte 2505 TOM KENDRICK LLOYD
Pte 2599 TOM LOWE
L/Cpl 2872 GEORGE MacGREGOR
Pte 3045 FRANK REUBEN MARTIN
Pte 3030 GEORGE HARRY MATHER
Pte 2297 SAM MATHER
Pte 2549 WILLIAM MATLEY
Pte 2951 EDWARD McLOUGHLIN
Pte 2721 WILIAM MELLOR
Pte 2432 HAROLD MILLS
Pte 2937 CHARLES WILLIAM NEWCOMBE
Pte 2999 HARRY NEWMAN
Pte 2546 ROBERT PERRY
Pte 3059 FRED PICKFORD
Pte 3072 WILLIAM HENRY POTTER
Pte 2929 OLIVER RATCLIFFE
Pte 2309 ERNEST MALTRAN RAWLINGS
Pte 2335 HAROLD REEVES
Pte 2513 JOSEPH REYNER
Pte 2306 PERCY RIDINGS
Pte 2833 WILLIAM EDWARD RUSSELL
Pte 2960 JOHN SAMUELS
Pte 2584 FRED SEVILLE
Pte 2829 HARRY SHARPLEY
Pte 2730 NORMAN SIMISTER
Pte 2931 DOUGLAS SIMISTER
Pte 2915 GEORGE WILLIAM SISSIONS
Pte 1233 JOHN WILLIAM SMITH
Pte 2327 THOMAS SMITH
Pte 2639 FRANK STOCKDALE
Pte 2922 ALBERT STOTT
Pte 1452 ALVIN SUMNER
Pte 3187 HARRY SUMNER
Pte 3053 ARTHUR TAYLOR
Pte 2439 WILLIAM THORPE
Pte 2002 WILLIAM TINSLEY
Pte 2573 HARRY WALMSLEY
Pte 2352 DANIEL WEBB
Cpl 2638 FRANK WILDE
Pte 2788 ERNEST WILSON
Pte 2537 ALBERT WINTERBOTTOM
Pte 2623 WILLIAM WOOLDRIDGE
Pte 2779 ERNEST WRIGHT

The 4 Officers who arrived with this draft were:

Rank Forename Middle Surname
2/Lt. HAROLD HARRISON KNIGHT
2/Lt. PERCY AINSWORTH
2/Lt. PERCY ASPDEN WOODHOUSE
Hon Lt. JOSEPH MICHAEL CONNERY

2/Lt. PERCY ASPDEN WOODHOUSE who joined the Battalion with this draft of men died of Dysentery a few weeks later on the Hospital Ship DELTA on his way back to England.

Honorary Lt. JOSEPH MICHAEL CONNERY was commissioned from the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment and was the son of Major MICHAEL HENRY CONNERY, the Battalion QM.

The six men below all have disembrkation dates of August but their dates do not exactly match those associated with the draft. However, it is likely that they arrived with, and were part of, the draft and their dates differ due to clerical inconsistencies and errors.

Rank No. Forename M.I. Surname Date
Pte 2870 FRANK S CHARLESWORTH 14-Aug-15
Pte 3007 HERMAN DEAN 14-Aug-15
Pte 2302 CLIFFORD PROCTOR 14-Aug-15
Pte 2386 AUSTIN O’NEILL 16-Aug-15
Pte 2712 ROBERT HATTON 20-Aug-15
Pte 2339 HERBERT DAWSON 21-Aug-15

October 22, 1915

On October 22, 1915 a final large Draft arrived from England consisting of 3 Officers and 134 Other Ranks. This draft of men left Devonport on October 8, 1915 sailing on the Transport Ship DEMOSTHENES. The following list of 117 men have “disembarkation” dates of September 30 (when some embarked the ship), October 8 (when the majority embarked and were taken on strength) and October 22 (when they actually joined the Battalion in Gallipoli).

Rank No. Forename Middle Surname
Pte 3255 JAMES ALBINSON
Cpl 3408 FRED ALLEN
Pte 3358 HARRY ANDREW
Pte 3360 ARTHUR APPERLEY
Pte 1328 WILLIAM NOEL BEACON
Pte 3321 JOHN BALLAGHER
Pte 3341 EDWIN BEECH
Pte 3391 HORACE BENNETT
Pte 3203 A BOOTH
Pte 3340 CLARENCE BOOTH
Pte 3422 JOHN JAMES BOOTH
Cpl. 3346 CHARLES BOTTOMS
Pte 3423 ERNEST BRADBURY
Pte 3329 NORMAN BRAMWELL
Pte 3802 JAMES HARRY BROADBENT
Pte 3368 LEONARD BROADHURST
Pte 3201 JOHN BROCK
Pte 3224 JAMES BUCKLEY
Pte 3206 JOHN ALFRED CHADWICK
Sgt 3411 JAMES CLARE
Pte 3314 JAMES CUNCAR
Pte 3376 MICHAEL CUNCAR
Pte 3355 ALEXANDER DAVENPORT
Pte 3765 FRED DICKINSON
Pte 3317 WALTER DONE
Pte 3389 PHILIP DONNELLY
Pte 3386 JOHN DORAN
Pte 3365 JOHN DUNKERLEY
Pte 3347 WALTER EASTWOOD
Pte 3208 JOSEPH EVANS
Pte 3222 JAMES FALLON
Pte 3379 THOMAS FARRELL
Pte 3414 WILLIAM FEATHERSTONE
Pte 3281 JAMES RALPH FERNLEY
Pte 3223 JOHN FLETCHER
Pte 3192 JAMES FRATER
Pte 3335 MARTIN GATELEY
Pte 3258 ARTHUR GREEN
Pte 3312 HAROLD GREEN
Pte 3383 WILLIE GREEN
Pte 3367 JOHN GREENHALGH
Pte 3396 HARRY GREGORY
Pte 3406 WILLIAM HACKWELL
Pte 3378 WILLIAM HADFIELD
Pte 3284 NIMROD HAGUE
Pte 3399 FRANK HAMER
Pte 3243 DAVID HANSON
Pte 3361 ROBERT HARRISON
Cpl 3322 JOSEPH SIDNEY HOLT
Pte 3210 THOMAS MULLEN HOWARD
Pte 3416 JOHN HUGHES
Pte 3248 WILLIAM HULIN
Pte 3353 JOSEPH HYDE
Pte 3291 AARON JONES
Pte 3608 ALFRED JONES
Pte 3311 ERNEST JONES
Cpl 3359 HARRY JONES
Pte 3216 WILLIAM KINDER
Pte 3246 HARRY LAWLER
Pte 3377 JAMES LEAH
Pte 3356 SAMUEL LEES
Pte 3295 EDMUND LOMAX
Pte 3420 HARRY LOWE
Pte 3260 JAMES WILLIAM MANSFIELD
Pte 3268 JAMES MARLAND
A/Cpl 3196 PERCY MARLAND
Pte 3427 HARRY MARSLAND
Pte 3225 HAROLD MAYALL
Pte 3410 EDWARD MERCER
Pte 3241 ALFRED METCALF
Cpl 3364 JAMES MILLER
Pte 3417 THOMAS MITCHESON
Pte 3237 HARRY NAISH
Pte 3338 WILLIAM NALLY
Pte 3218 EDGAR NEWTON
Pte 3232 ERNEST NOKES
Pte 3387 JOHN O’BRIEN
Cpl 3413 HENRY OGDEN
Pte 3211 ROBERT OGDEN
Pte 3415 GEORGE PARKER
Pte 3296 FRED PEMBERTON
Pte 3288 THOMAS PENNY
Pte 3190 RALPH PLATT
Pte 3194 TOM PLATT
Pte 3276 WILLIAM FREDERICK POTTER
Pte 3297 ALBERT POTTS
Pte 3305 HARRY RAYNER
Pte 3320 CAMPBELL REECE
L/Cpl 3334 THOMAS RIDLEY
Pte 3357 FRANK ROBERTS
Pte 3315 HARRY ROBERTS
Pte 3294 ARTHUR ROWE
Pte 3398 WILLIAM RUSSELL
Cpl 3426 IRVINE SCHOFIELD
Pte 3418 RALPH SCHOFIELD
Pte 3220 ROBERT SHANDLEY
Pte 3286 ALBERT SHAW
Pte 3193 WALTER SILCOCK
Pte 3394 JOHN STANDRIN
Pte 3279 HAROLD SUGDEN
Pte 3343 JOHN EDWIN TATE
Pte 3395 FRANK TAYLOR
Pte 3269 ALBERT THOMAS
Pte 3351 ROBERT WILLIAM THOMAS
Pte 3266 HAROLD TOMLINSON
Pte 3729 HENRY THOMPSON
Pte 3400 JOHN THOMPSON
Pte 3369 WILLIAM WALKER
Pte 3323 HAROLD WARBERG
Pte 3301 CHARLES WARD
Pte 3302 JAMES WATERFORD
Pte 3283 JAMES WHITEHEAD
Pte 3217 NORMAN WHITTAKER
Pte 3397 WILLIAM WILKINSON
Pte 3290 SIDNEY WILLIAMS
Pte 3262 THOMAS WILMOTT
Pte 3392 RICHARD WRIGHT

One of these men, 3301 Pte. Charles Ward, has a Medal Index Card disembarkation date of October 25th but an examination of his service record reveals that his B.103 form was missing the disembarkation date and, upon request, the Manchester Regiment provided the next dated entry which was when he joined ‘B’ Company on October 25th. This neatly illustrates the problems inherent in compiling nominal rolls of men from inconsistently created medal rolls. Nevertheless, he was clearly a member of the October 22, 1915 draft.

Rank Christian M.I. Surname
2/Lt. THOMAS AINSWORTH
2/Lt. BELTRAN F ROBINSON
2/Lt. WILLIAM H DEMEL

 

October 26, 1915

On October 26, 1915 a draft of 11 Officers arrived from England, via Alexandria, along with 110 Other Ranks returning from hospital treatment in Egypt. The Officers embarked HMT SCOTIAN at Devonport on October 13th, 1915 arriving at Mudros on October 24th, finally joining the Battalion on the 26th.

Rank Forename Middle Surname
2/Lt. WILLIAM NEVILLE BROADBENT BURY
2/Lt. SYDNEY NAYLOR
2/Lt. IRVINE DEARNALEY
2/Lt. BERNARD HAROLD BRISTER
2/Lt. OSCAR STOCKTON NEEDHAM
2/Lt. PERCY PARKER FIELDING
2/Lt. FRANCIS CYRIL HAMPSON
2/Lt. FREDERICK BEARD
2/Lt. ROBERT JACOMB NORRIS DALE
2/Lt. JOHN REGINALD TOMMIS
2/Lt. ALFRED GRAY

December 1, 1915

On December 1, 1915 a draft of 7 Other Ranks, (machine gunners), arrived from England.

Rank No. Forename MI Surname
Pte 3717 JOHN BURGESS
Pte 3705 MATTHEW ELLISON
Pte 1084 JOHN JACKSON
Pte 3594 ERNEST RILEY
L/Cpl 3853 ALBERT SHEPLEY
Pte 3697 JAMES G WHITEHOUSE

Additionally, 3289 Pte. Charles Henry Brown has a disembarkation date of December 10, 1915 and was likely part of this draft.

Back home, it was August 1915 before the 66th Division effected its concentration at its war stations in Kent and Sussex. The division now formed part of the Second Army, Central Force. At this time divisional headquarters, three infantry brigades, and the engineers were at Crowborough, three of the artillery brigades were at Forest Row, and the howitzer brigade and the heavy battery were at Plow Hatch. By the end of August all the home service men left the various units, and only those men were retained who had Imperial Service obligations.

1916

At the end of 1915, their role as a feeding unit ceased and they were brought up to strength from additional recruits drawn mainly from the Chester and Merseyside areas. On May 18, 1916 the battalion moved from Crowborough Camp to Colchester.

The 66th Division was transferred to Southern Army, Home Defence Force, and was entrusted with the defence of part of the East Coast. At this time, divisional headquarters, divisional mounted troops, two infantry brigades, the artillery, and the engineers were at Colchester, one infantry brigade was at Wivenhoe, and the heavy batteries (2/1/London and 2/2/London) were at Thorpe le Soken and St. Osyth. Now that it was compactly quartered, the division could soon have been brought to a high state of efficiency had it not been for the provision of large drafts for overseas. To provide even one draft of 250 trained gunners considerably delayed the preparation of the division for war.

Consequently it was the 18th January, 1917, before the War Office was able to notify G.H.Q., France, that the 66th Division would embark about the 1st March.

1917

On the 11th February, 1917, embarkation orders were received; and on the 22nd February the 66th Division was inspected at Colchester by H.M. the King. Entrainment began on the 25th, divisional headquarters started on the 28th February, and on the 1st March the division began detraining at Berguette and Thiennes. On the 16th March 1917 the move to France was completed, and the division concentrated under XI Corps, First Army.

From 26 June to 25 September they were engaged in Operations on the Flanders Coast under the command of XV Corps, Fourth Army.

On 9 October they were involved in the battle of Passchendaele, at the Battle of Poelcappelle, under the command of II Anzac Corps, Second Army.

1918

On the 19th February 1918 the 2/9th were amalgamated with the 1/9th Battalion. The 66th Division was by now under the command of XIX Corps, Fifth Army.

From 21-23 March they were involved in the Battle of St. Quentin.
On 24 and 25 March they were involved in Actions at the Somme Crossings.
And on 26 and 27 March they were engaged in the Battle of Rosières.

When the 66th Division was withdrawn from the front line, owing to the losses which it had suffered during the Battles of the Somme, the division (less its artillery) was reduced to Training Cadre from the 9th April, 1918. Many of the men from the 1/9th (and 2/9th) Battalion were assigned to other front line regiments such as the 1/Sherwoods.

Acknowledgements

The Manchester Regiment Image Archive photo above is reproduced here with kind permission of the Tameside Local Studies and Archive Centre and the Trustees of the Manchester Regiment Archive and remains under their copyright.

References:

Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2B. The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th-69th) with the Home-Service Divisions (71st-73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions (History of the Great War based on Official Documents), by Major A F Becke, Pg73.