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1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment    1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment was in Colchester serving with 11th Brigade, 4th Division when war broke out in August 1914. 4th Division was held back from the original British Expeditionary Force by a last minute decision to defend England against a possible German landing. The fate of the BEF in France and the lack of any move by the Enemy to cross the channel, reversed this decision and the 1st East Lancashires moved to Harrow on the 18th of August and proceeded to France on the 22nd, landing at Le Harve. They arrived in time to provide infantry reinforcements at the Battle of Le Cateau, the Divisional Artillery, Engineers, Field Ambulances and mounted troops being still en-route at this time. They were in action at the The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and at The Battle of Messines in 1914. In 1915 they fought in The Second Battle of Ypres and in 1916 moved south and were in action during the Battles of the Somme. In 1917 they were at Arras, in action during the The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe, before heading north for the Third Battle of Ypres, where they fought in The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The First Battle of Passchendaele. On the 1st of February 1918 the Battalion transferred to 103rd Brigade, 34th Division, as the army was reorganised. They were in action in The Battle of St Quentin and then moved to Flanders seeing action in The Battle of Estaires, The Battle of Bailleul and The First Battle for Kemmel Ridge during the Battles of the Lys, suffering heavy losses. The 34th Division was then withdrawn from fighting and on the 21st of April they moved to the area west of Poperinge for reorganisation and was engaged in digging a new defensive line between Abeele and Watou. On the 13th of May the infantry units moved to the area around Lumbres and reduced to a cadre which was then employed in the training of newly arrived American troops. On the 26th of May 1918 the 1st East Lancashires transferred to 183rd Brigade, 61st (2nd South Midland) Division and were in action in the Final Advance in Picardy, crossing the Sambre, in the first week of November. The Division began to demobilise in January 1919. Historical Records 29th Jul 1914 Troops deployed 5th August 1914 Mobilization  Mobilization of the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment took place at Colchester between the 5th and 8th of August 1914. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 9th August 1914 1st East Lancs in Training  1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment are engaged in Field training and route marching at Colchester from the 9th to 17th of August. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 18th August 1914 Move 18th Aug 1914 Concentration 19th August 1914 Platoon Training for 1st East Lancs  1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment spent the 19th and 20th of August 1914 engaged in Platoon training around Harrow camp. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 19th Aug 1914 Concentration 21st August 1914 1st East Lancs move  At 2100, 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, less two companies, leaves Harrow and proceeds to Southampton. Remaining two companies follow one hour later. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 22nd August 1914 1st East Lancs Cross to France  At 1205 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, under the command of Lt Col Le Marchant DSO, sailed on the Braemar Castle and arrived at Le Havre, France about 1600, but did not disembark until 2300 and went into camp just outside Le Havre. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 23rd August 1914 1st East Lancs move to billets  1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment entrained for Le Cateau at 2200 arriving about 1800 on 24th and marched to Briastre where they billeted about 2200. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 25th August 1914 Further moves for 1st East Lancs 26th Aug 1914 First Australian Casualty WW1 26th August 1914 In Action 26th Aug 1914 Shellfire 27th August 1914 Retreat from Action 27th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 27th August 1914 On the Move 28th August 1914 Continued withdrawals 28th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 28th Aug 1914 On the March 29th August 1914 Further retreat 29th Aug 1914 In Action 29th Aug 1914 On the March 30th August 1914 Continued withdrawals  At 6am on the 30th August, Major Green's party rejoined 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (they had gone via Peronne) and the battalion marched via Carlepont and Bailly before which a halt of 2 hours was made for food. The march resumed via Tracy-Le-Mont and Bernevil to a railway crossing where another long halt was made. Then marched on via Trolsy, Brevil and Fontenoy, entering the edge of the forest of Compiegne just as it grew dark, a very tiring march. (One or two parties of Uhlans (German Cavalry)were supposed to be in the woods). We reached Pierrefonds at 2300 and, as it was rumoured that there was smallpox in the village, billeted in the streets. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 30th Aug 1914 Rear Guard 30th of August 1914 A Hot March 30th Aug 1914 On the March 31st August 1914 Outpost positions 31st Aug 1914 Rear Guard 31st August 1914 Continued withdrawals 31st Aug 1914 On the March 1st September 1914 Further Action 1st Sep 1914 Rear Guard 1st Sep 1914 Withdrawal 1st Sep 1914 On the March 1st Sep 1914 On the March 2nd September 1914 Further retreat 2nd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 2nd Sep 1914 Withdrawal 2nd Sep 1914 On the March 3rd September 1914 Continued withdrawals 3rd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 3rd of September 1914 Across the Marne 3rd Sep 1914 On the March 4th September 1914 Relocation 4th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 4th Sep 1914 On the March 4th Sep 1914 At Rest 5th September 1914 Rear guard retires 5th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 6th September 1914 End of Retreat 6th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 6th Sep 1914 On the March 7th September 1914 Further moves 7th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 8th Sep 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 8th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 9th September 1914 Battle of Marne 9th Sep 1914 Bridging 10th September 1914 Battle of Marne 10th of September 1914 Marching 11th Sep 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 12th September 1914 On the March 12th Sep 1914 On the March 13th September 1914 Continued Advance 13th Sep 1914 On the March 14th September 1914 Ongoing actions 15th Sep 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 16th Sep 1914 Entrenching 16th Sep 1914 Reorganisation 17th September 1914  17th Sep 1914 Shelling 18th Sep 1914 1st East Lancs entrench 18th Sep 1914 Reorganisation 20th Sep 1914 Enemy attacks 21st Sep 1914 1st East Lancs in reserve 22nd September 1914 All Quiet 26th Sep 1914 COs visit trenches 27th Sep 1914 Divine Service in Camp 28th Sep 1914 Divisional Guard 29th Sep 1914 Night alarm 30th Sep 1914 All quiet 1st October 1914 Quiet spell 5th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 6th October 1914 Further moves 7th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 8th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 9th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 10th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march   At 1400 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment marched to Magny (Compiegne) via La Croix St Ouen arriving at 1900. During this march we passed through St Sauveur and were recognised by the inhabitants. At 2215 Entrained but did not leave until 0145. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 11th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the move 12th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 13th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 14th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 14th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the march 15th October 1914 Further moves   16th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the move 17th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs rest 18th October 1914 Relief action 19th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs on the move 20th October 1914 Ongoing Action 21st October 1914 Ongoing Action 22nd Oct 1914 Enemy attack 23rd Oct 1914 1st East Lancs in trenches 24th Oct 1914 Enemy attack 25th Oct 1914 Enemy attacks on wet night 26th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs in trenches 27th Oct 1914 Defensive improvements 28th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs shelled 29th Oct 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 30th Oct 1914 Enemy attacks repulsed 30th Oct 1914 Under Shellfire 31st Oct 1914 More enemy bombardment 1st Nov 1914 Continued enemy attacks 2nd Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 3rd Nov 1914 1st East Lancs shelled 3rd Nov 1914 Quiet   4th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs relieved 4th Nov 1914 Reliefs   5th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs in reserve   7th Nov 1914 Continued Action 8th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 9th Nov 1914 Defensive casualties 11th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 12th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 13th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 14th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 14th Nov 1914 Reliefs   15th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs under fire 16th Nov 1914 Reliefs 17th Nov 1914 Reliefs 17th Nov 1914 Reliefs   18th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs rest 19th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs in trenches 20th Nov 1914 1st East Lancs in trenches 21st Nov 1914 A few quiet days for 1st East Lancs 1st Dec 1914 Royal Visit  1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment enjoy a quiet time from the 1st to 18th of December, with occasional shelling. On the 2nd December, B coy under Lieutenants Wade and Parker was inspected by H.M the King at Pont De Nieppe. Lt Col Lawrence as acting Brigadier was in command of the 11th Infantry Brigade parade. Capt C. Fletcher was wounded on the 3rd and Lt Col Lawrence rejoined the battalion on the 10th. On the 11th December the war diary records: D. Bent was awarded the Victoria Cross. (Drummer Spencer John Bent - see below). Capt G.M. Smith was wounded on the 15th. Spencer John Bent VC, MM (18 March 1891, 3 May 1977) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was 23 years old and a drummer in the 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On the night of 1/2 November 1914 near Le Gheer, Belgium, when his officer, the platoon sergeant and a number of men had been struck down, Drummer Bent took command of the platoon and with great presence of mind and coolness succeeded in holding the position. He had previously distinguished himself on two occasions, on 22 and 24 October by bringing up ammunition under heavy shell and rifle fire. Again, on 3 November, he brought into cover some wounded men who were lying, exposed to enemy fire, in the open. He later achieved the rank of Regimental Sergeant-Major. He survived the war and died on 3 May 1977. Bent was cremated at West Norwood Cemetery, London. Bent's VC, along with his Military Medal and Russian Cross of St. George was sold at auction in June 2000 for £80,000. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 5th December 1914 Quiet 9th December 1914 Uniforms 19th Dec 1914 British attack 25th Dec 1914 Informal Truce Observed 26th Dec 1914 All quiet 28th Dec 1914 All quiet 31st Dec 1914 All quiet 1st Jan 1915 Quiet opening to 1915 2nd Jan 1915 1st East Lancs suffer sniping 5th Jan 1915 1st East Lancs under fire 7th Jan 1915 1st East Lancs suffer sniping 8th Jan 1915 1st East Lancs under fire 9th Jan 1915 All quiet 1st Feb 1915 All Quiet 4th Feb 1915 Sunny day 6th Feb 1915 Quiet day 7th Feb 1915 Quiet day 8th Feb 1915 Heavy Shelling 15th Feb 1915 Heavy Shelling 18th Feb 1915 Heavy Shelling 20th Feb 1915 Ploegsteert shelled 21st Feb 1915 Enemy fires on aircraft 27th Feb 1915 Enemy fires on aircraft 28th Feb 1915 1st East Lancs shelled 1st March 1915 Still fairly quiet at front 3rd Mar 1915 1st East Lancs shelled 4th Mar 1915 Light shelling 5th Mar 1915 Instruction 10th March 1915 Defences 11th Mar 1915 Defence adjusted 12th Mar 1915 Defence adjusted 13th Mar 1915 Fortifications Completed 14th March 1915 Defensive adjustments 15th Mar 1915 All quiet 16th Mar 1915 Orders change 17th Mar 1915 Londoners take over trenches 18th Mar 1915 1st East Lancs in trenches 19th March 1915 On the March 20th Mar 1915 Training 21st Mar 1915 Defence Adjusted 22nd Mar 1915 Training 23rd Mar 1915 Route March 24th Mar 1915 Into the Trenches 25th Mar 1915 All Quiet 26th Mar 1915 Instruction 29th Mar 1915 Quiet Spell 30th Mar 1915 Reliefs 31st Mar 1915 Working Party 1st April 1915 Training and relief spells 5th Apr 1915 Reliefs 15th April 1915 Relief and relocation 25th Apr 1915 Confusion 26th Apr 1915 Confusion 1st May 1915 Trench actions 3rd May 1915 Ongoing action and withdrawal 5th May 1915 Orders 7th May 1915 Relief Planned  With a view to the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment relieving the Monmouth Regt in the front line the HQ officers, company commanders and machine gun officers visited this regiments lines in the trenches at about 2300. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 8th May 1915 On the March 9th May 1915 Into the Trenches 10th May 1915 Ongoing defensive adjustments  1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment 10th May 1915 Situation as before but not such heavy shelling as on 9th. 3 platoons of B coy, which had occupied a trench in front of our wire, filled in this trench and 2 platoons joined D coy in reserve while the third dug in as immediate support to A coy on the left. 11th May D coy and B coy less 1 platoon in the breastworks dug in on a new support line 200 yards in rear of the front line. 12th May Steady bombardment of the trenches with Jack Johnsons continued throughout most of the day. A coy suffered severely. Note: Jack Johnsons was a nickname for the impact of German 150mm shells. Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was the name of the popular U.S. (born in Texas) world heavyweight boxing champion who held the title from 1908-15. 1st East Lancs war diary WO95/1498/1 13th May 1915 Ongoing Action 14th May 1915 Intense fighting 23rd May 1915 Working Parties   23rd May 1915 Working Parties   16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme 22nd Oct 1915 Inspection 1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets 11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment 12th Dec 1915 Orders Received 20th Dec 1915 Orders 10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens 2nd Feb 1916 Instruction 9th February 1916 Call Ups 26th Apr 1916 Trench Work   30th Jun 1916 Preparations   Soldiers of the 16th (Public Schools) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment of the 29th Division parading at 'White City' opposite Hawthorn Ridge for the attack on Beaumont Hamel. Behind them is a group from the 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders of the 4th Division. © IWM (Q 796) The officer in the middle left (with his back to camera, removing his cap) is Second Lieutenant Norman Frank Currall of the 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. IWM 1st Jul 1916 Attack Made 1st July 1916 Bombardment   12th Sep 1916 Orders 21st Sep 1916 Quiet 22nd Sep 1916 Arrivals   23rd Sep 1916 Orders   24th Sep 1916 Trench Mortars   25th Sep 1916 Shelling   26th Sep 1916 Some Shelling   27th Sep 1916 Trench Mortars   28th Sep 1916 Training & Reliefs   29th Sep 1916 Wire Cutting   30th Sep 1916 Trench Raid   1st Oct 1916 Quiet 2nd Oct 1916 Quiet 3rd Oct 1916 Shelling   4th Oct 1916 Orders   5th Oct 1916 Wire Cut   6th Oct 1916 Rounds Fired   7th Oct 1916 Trench Raid   8th Oct 1916 Artillery Active   9th Oct 1916 Quiet 10th Oct 1916 Quiet 11th Oct 1916 Course 12th Oct 1916 Trench Raids   15th Oct 1916 Conference 16th Oct 1916 Courses 19th Oct 1916 Orders Issued 20th Oct 1916 Trench Raids 21st Oct 1916 Enemy Aircraft 22nd Oct 1916 Artillery Active   23rd Oct 1916 Artillery Active   24th Oct 1916 Experiment 25th Oct 1916 Artillery Active 26th Oct 1916 Wire Cutting 27th Oct 1916 Artillery Active 28th Oct 1916 Artillery in Action 29th Oct 1916 Heavy Shelling   30th Oct 1916 Artillery Active   31st Oct 1916 Warning   1st of February 1918 Defence Line Work   3rd of February 1918  Weather Fine   7th of February 1918 Rainy Day   28th of February 1918 On the Move   7th of March 1918  Warm Weather   3rd of March 1918  Very Quiet   19th of March 1918 Rain Returns   21st Mar 1918 Enemy Attacks   22nd Mar 1918 In Action   31st of March 1918 Relief Completed   1st Apr 1918 Enemy Active 2nd Apr 1918 Enemy Active 3rd Apr 1918 Artillery in Action 4th Apr 1918 Enemy Artillery Active   4th Apr 1918 Hostile Artillery 5th Apr 1918 Reliefs   5th Apr 1918 Reliefs Complete 6th Apr 1918 Quiet 7th Apr 1918 Gas 8th Apr 1918 Gas Cases 8th Apr 1918 Low Visibility 10th Apr 1918 Withdrawal   16th of April 1918 Orders   If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment? There are:5504 items tagged 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Chisholm William. Lt. (d.27th Aug 1914) Coady John James. Sgt. (d.13th April 1917) Dyer James Frederic. Dyer John. Pte. (d.18th Oct 1916) Everett MM. Joseph. Pte. Goodinson Albert. Pte Gordon William. CSM Helm DCM. Frederick . Sgt (d.8th Apr 1915) Horsfall VC. Basil Arthur. 2nd Lt. (d.27th Mar 1918) Joyce Michael. Pte. (d.11th Nov 1914) O'Hara William. Pte. (d.1st Jul 1916) Page George. CSM. (d.1st Jul 1916) Parry James. Pte. (d.1st March 1919) Philbin MM James. Pte Sagar Edwin. Pte. (d.1st Sep 1916) Slinger W. Lt. (d.23rd July 1917) Welch William George. Pte. (d.21st Mar 1918) Wilson George. Pte. (d.12th Nov 1914) Woods Robert William . Pte. All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 19th Nov 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.   Pte. Robert William Woods 6th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment Robert Woods was my grandfather. He enlisted in the 6th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment at Preston on 7th of November 1914 stating his age as 19 although his real age was just 17. He fought with the battalion at Gallipoli where he was wounded and invalided out to Mudros and later back to home. He then saw active service on the Western Front with the 1st Battalion where he was subsequently wounded again in April 1918. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the 1915 Star. Robert Graves Add to this record.   CSM William Gordon 1st Btn East Lancashire Regiment When the USA joined the war in 1917, soldiers were selected or volunteered to form a British Army Mission to USA to teach US soldiers about fire arms/guns etc. William Gordon was one of these men. He became 2nd Lieutenant in 1st East Lancashire Regiment and was shipped off to USA. Add to this record.   Pte. Joseph Everett MM. 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment In the middle of 1917 Joseph Everett was transferred from 1st East Lancashire Regiment to the Hampshire Regiment until demob. Along with the trio of war medals he was presented with (Dec 1919) MM by Lt General Gadley no citation in the confirming London Gazette supplement 31469 page 9375 published in July 1919 along with many many more. I presume the award was for service for the duration of the conflict. He married in 1919 and, unfortunately, the following years proved difficult not only just the family, it must be said the same for many, many more families. He reluctantly sold his medals to provide for the growing family of six plus spouse. I would like to reveal more to this story, he was an old contemptable deployed to France on 22nd of August 1914. There is no family recollections as to his status as a 23/24 year old pre 1914 such as his occupation and enlistment date. Was he already a soldier in the East Lancs? Joe Everett Add to this record.   Pte. John Dyer 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.18th Oct 1916) The only story I have of my great uncle, John Dyer is that the family threw a huge party for him when he was home on leave. I presume this would be early 1916. He told his family that it would be a one way trip to the front and that he would perish along with his comrades. What courage to return to certain death and what must he have seen to be all too aware of his fate? Stephen Fleming Add to this record.   Lt. W Slinger 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.23rd July 1917) Lieutenant W. Slinger served with 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment and was killed in action on 23rd July 1917. Caroline Hunt Add to this record.   Pte. William O'Hara 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.1st Jul 1916) Willie O'Hara was born in October 1880 in Dean, Lumb, Lancashire to Patt and Mary O'Hara, who had moved from Co Mayo, Ireland to Dean, near Lumb, they worked in the local cotton mill. Willie was one of nine children, one died shortly after birth and another at age 7. Willie married in 1908 to Clara Chamley, they had one child, William, who died after a few days and is buried in Lumb Baptist grave yard. Willie and Clara lived in Terracotta Cottages in Water, a small hamlet near Lumb and worked as a warehouse man. I think he enlisted in Bacup and joined the 1st Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. He was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and he has no known grave. Willie was my Great Grand Uncle. Kevin O'Hara Add to this record.   Pte. Edwin Sagar 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.1st Sep 1916) Sadly I have no further information on my great uncle, Edwin Sagar, apart from the fact that he was 23 years old when he died and came from a farming family in Lumb in the Rossendale Valley. Mary Add to this record.   Pte. William George Welch 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (d.21st Mar 1918) As a young girl, I heard the sad stories from my elderly grandmother (Doris) of how her father William Welch had died "at the front" in Flanders in 1918. She had been 15. They did not know exactly where he fell and never visited France. The effect on her as an only child and my great grandmother Minnie, was devastating and he was profoundly missed throughout their lives. I was delighted that my young son, Ben, through a school trip in 2013 was, thanks to the war graves commission, able to locate and visit William's grave at Grevillers British cemetery and to place some red roses there on behalf of the family. Prior to transferring to the 1st battalion, William had been posted from the 7th Bn East Lancs on 6th of February 1918 following a restructure. He died of gun shot wounds in number 3 casualty clearing station at Grevillers. RIP. Add to this record.   Lt. William Chisholm 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.27th Aug 1914) Lt William Chisholm was the first Australian to be killed in WW1 whilst serving with the 1st Btn, East Lancashire Fusiliers from wounds during the Battle of Le Cateau. John Doran Add to this record.   Pte. Michael Joyce 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (d.11th Nov 1914) Michael Joyce served with the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, he was aged 25 when he died on 11th November 1914. Born in Jarrow in 1889, he was the son of Michael and Mary Ann Joyce of 58 Duke Street Jarrow. He lived and enlisted in Jarrow. He is buried in Lancashire Cottage Cemetery. Vin Mullen Add to this record.   Pte. George Wilson 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (d.12th Nov 1914) George Wilson is my great grand father who was in the 1st Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. He sadly lost his life not long after arriving in France and is now buried in Belgium. L.Grundy Add to this record.   2nd Lt. Basil Arthur Horsfall VC. 1st Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.27th Mar 1918) Second Lieutenant Basil Arthur Horsfall was born on 4 October 1887 in Colombo, Ceylon. He left a position with Barclay's Bank, London, to become a rubber planter back in Ceylon, where he also held a civil service position with the Public Works Department and served with the Ceylon Engineers. During the Great War, he served as 2nd Lieutenant with the 1st Battalion, attached to the 11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. The citation to his VC reads: "On the 21st March 1918 between Moyenneville and Ablainzevelle, France, the enemy attacked Second Lieutenant Horsfall's centre platoon, his three forward sections were driven back and he was wounded in the head by enemy fire. Ignoring the wound, he immediately reorganised what remained of his troops and counter attacked to regain his original position. Despite the severity of his head wound, he refused to go to the dressing station, as the three other officers in his company had been killed. Later, he made another counter attack, but was ordered to withdraw. The last to leave his position, he was shot soon afterwards." S. Flynn Add to this record.   Pte. James Parry 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment (d.1st March 1919) My Grandmother never knew but always loved her Uncle Jimmy who died aged 21 due to the effects of mustard gas. His parents were Joseph and Elizabeth Parry who were Welsh miners that had moved to Bryn, Ashton in Makerfield when the mines opened. Jimmy was injured and was cared for at the Lord Derby War Hospital in Winwick, Warrington, England. He is buried at St Thomas' Churchyard in his home town of Ashton. We have no photo's of him or the other family members who died in the service of our country. But his memory is lovingly kept in the memory of his descendants through the love of a niece who he never met. Donna Weston Add to this record.   CSM. George Page 1st Battalion East Lancashire (d.1st Jul 1916) My Grandfather Company Sergeant Major George Page 9261 was killed on the 1st July 1916 at Redan Ridge nr Beaumont Hamel the first day of the battle of the Somme. He joined the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Reg in 1907 and served 5 years, He was called back to the battalion on the 22nd of August 1914 on the outbreak of the Great War and sent to France and was in action on the 26th August. He saw action in the Battles of the Marne; the Ainse and the retreat from Mons. He was wounded on the 15th February 1915 at Pleogsteert Wood, Belguim and spent 5 months in hospital recovering from shrapnel wounds to the head. He rejoined the Battalion in September and was in the Beaumont Hamel area when he was killed. He was married to Edith and they had four children George, Mary, Cecil, and Charlie. His name is engraved on the Theipval Memorial as he was never found. Ian Page Add to this record.    James Frederic Dyer 1st Battalion East Lancashire Resiment I have a silver mug inscribed: "To My Dear Son Bt. Major James Frederic Dyer 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment in loving recognition of Duties well fulfilled in the Great War 1914-1919 from Mother July 8th 1919" He was my grandfather Jane Dyer Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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