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11th (St Helens Pioneers) Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment
11th (St Helens Pioneers) Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment was raised at St. Helens on the 1st of September 1914 by Lord Derby. After initial training close to home they moved to Bangor in February 1915. On the 15th of May 1915 they moved to Grantham and joined 30th Division as a Pioneer Battalion. They were adopted by the War Office on the 15th of August 1915 and moved to Larkhill for final training in September. They proceeded to France, landing at Le Havre on the 7th of November 1915, the division concentrating near Amiens. In 1916 they were in action during the Battle of the Somme, in which the Division captured Montauban. In 1917 they took part in the pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, the Arras Offensive and The Battle of Pilkem Ridge. In 1918 They were in action on The Somme and in the Battles of the Lys suffering heavy losses. On the
15th of May the battalion was reduced to cadre strength and on the 19th of June transferred to 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, on the 30th they transferred to 75th Brigade, 25th Division
and returned to England, moving to Aldershot. On the
3rd of July the battalion was brought back up to strength by absorbing the 18th South Lancashires and they returned to France as Pioneers with 25th Division and saw action in the Final Advance in Picardy.
Jan 1915 Specialist Training
30th September 1915 Trench Work
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
1st of January 1916 Move 
1st of January 1916 Night-time Shelling
2nd of January 1916 Direct Hits
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
13th of January 1916 5th Division in Reserve
15th Jan 1916 Lack of Baths
9th February 1916 Call Ups
10th Mar 1917 Pioneers at Work
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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L/Cpl. Alfred George Pearce 11th Btn. B Coy. South Lancashire Regiment  One day in September 1914, three young men went to enlist in the British Army caught up in the fever of war. One of these men was Alfred George Pearce. He, with his wife, managed a public house in Liverpool and had four small children. When he returned home and told his wife, she was furious and said "What did you do a stupid thing like that for!"
In his going away photograph his cap badge is from the Cheshire's but he is recorded as being transferred to 11th Battalion in December 1916.
During his training he had to go down the mines to be toughened up. His time in the mines was cut short as an accident resulted in him having a
couple of broken ribs. His daughter Ruby told us how she enjoyed peeling his skin from his back after he had a cast removed.
Because he was a countryman from Hampshire originally, he was assigned to the section that looked after the regiments horses. They had at one stage a horse shoe on the back of their jacket. The losses were so heavy they turned the horse shoe round in case it improved their luck. In the end the horse shoe was abandoned. On the march to the front line, they saw some awful sights. Bodies lining the sides of the roads and families trying to escape the ravages of war. During the march forward, they stopped overnight at a French village were they were billeted in a barn full of hay and straw. They all settled down for the night. The hay providing a little comfort as they thought. Next morning they were all coming out in scabies. The Germans had sprayed the hay and straw with the infection before they left the area. Consequently all the regiment had to strip off in the village square, their uniforms burnt, and they were painted with Gentian violets. Not a very pleasant experience, but great amusement to the ladies of the village.
He told of their instructions not to attempt to pick up anything like pens from the ground, or kick dead rats, as they could all be booby trapped.
Alfred George Pearce survived the war unscathed and lived to a ripe old age of 98. He always said never go to war even if it means running away to Ireland. Alfred's father, Joshua, was from Ecchingswell in Hampshire.
[1901 Census].
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Pte. William Prescott MM. 11th (St Helens Pioneers) Btn. South Lancashire Regiment William Prescott is my Grandfather on my mother's side.
He was in the St Helens Pioneers in the first world war.
His regiment would build and repair the trenches and duckboards.
On 1st of December 1917 he was awarded the Military Medal for "Gallantry in action in the field"
I have a copy of the war diaries of the South Lancashire Regiment but it does not contain any more information as to what the action was.
All I know is that he was stationed in Zillebreke at the time.
I also have a copy of his Gazette.
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Sgt. Edward Love Ashby 11th Battalion South Lancashire Regiment (d.1st August 1917) Edward Ashby served with 11th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment.
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Pte. John Keegans 7th Btn. South Lancashire Regiment Jack Keegans, a labourer gardener enlisted on 12th Aug 1915, his service number being 31101, with the 21st Battalion, King's Liverpool City Regiment John says his age is 19 yrs old and 1 mth though his actual age was 17 yrs old and 1 mth. He was the son of John & Jane Keegans, of 85 Kingswood Avenue, Aintree, Liverpoool his father was a potter printer in Melling. John was born July 1898 in Glasgow. John transfers to 3rd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment on 4th May 1916.
On 21st May 1916 John was posted to 6th Bn, SLR who were in Mesopotamia though returned 6th Nov 1916 back to 3rd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment due to contracting malaria. On 29th Apr 1917 John got posted to BEF, France initially to the depot then on 2nd May 1917 11th Bn, (Pioneer) SLR followed by a posting to 7th Bn, SLR on 23rd May 1917.
John was involved in the Battle of Messines as part of 56th Inf Bde, 19th (Western) Div who were facing 2nd (East Prussian) Div. John came through the battle unscathed though I don't know what company he was in. John was involved in the 3rd Battle of Ypres being wounded in action with a wound to his left leg (either a gun shot wound 31st Jul 1917 or a sharpnel wound 1st Aug 1917 as I have two pieces of information that dispute this). John was evacuated back to the UK 5th Aug 1917.
John transfers on 21st Dec 1917 to the Royal Tank Corps for the good and benefit of the army service. He was posted to 12th(L)Bn, RTC on 28th Dec 1917 and was involved in the 100 days offensive, being promoted to L/Cpl on 10th Sep 1918. He was demobbed from service 31st Mar 1920.
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Pte. William Brady 11th Btn. South Lancashire Regiment (d.25th Jun 1917) William Brady was born in Dublin and enlisted at Prescot, Lancs. He died of wounds.
Update: An Internet search suggests William Brady was born in 1898 in Altrincham. His parents were John Finton Brady and Ellen Mary Brady. His father was born in Dublin as was his elder brother but his younger siblings were all born at Altrincham. On the 1911 census the family were living at 2 Chorltons Cottages, George Street, Altrincham, Warrington. His brothers and sisters are listed: John 10, Francis 1, Mary 9, Ellen 6, Patrick 3.
From Ancestry service records we see that William was training to be an engineer. He is described as an improver in the iron trade when he enlisted on 12th of July 1915; this was 10 days after his 19th birthday. We learned that his religion was Roman Catholic and that he was 5'3" tall. William was also wounded in 1916, but returned to the front after he was discharged from hospital.
He died of wounds in 1917 and he is buried in Belgium at Lijssenthoek Cemetery, Poperinge. He is also remembered on the town Memorial in Altrincham.
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Pte. Frank Moore 11th South Lancashire Fusiliers My Grandad, Frank Moore, always told us tales of getting wounded and going to India and he told me about finding a pair of shiny polished army boots and still inside them were the blown off feet from a soldier.
I can remember three medals that he had when I was a child. One had rainbow colours on the ribbon and the other was blue orange and white. I think the other one was red, white and blue but I am a little hazy on this one after all these years!
I got his army information off his wedding certificate of all places, after I had looked in all the places I could think of and when I sent off for his wedding certificate there it all was! He was married as a Private in the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers as stated on his wedding certificate in 17th May 1919 to Eveline Payne in Hinckley
Mr Frank Moore, born 22nd October 1898 in Hartshill, Warks and he died on 10th June 1975 in Stapleford, Notts.
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