210457 Pte. Samuel Liddle British Army 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards from:Middleton, Lancs My grandfather, Samuel Liddle, was born 10/9/1889 and enlisted to the Grenadier Guards pre-war in 1907 on his 18th birthday. His peacetime service was spent with 2nd Bttn in 1907 at Aldershot, 1908 Wellington Barracks London, 1909 in Chelsea Barracks London and 1910 Wellington Barracks where he would have carried out Palace Duties.
In October 1914 he was recalled to The Colours where he went with 1st Bttn to France and was counted as one of the "Old Contemptibles" disembarking at Zeebrugge from the "Turcoman" at 6am on 7th Oct 1914.
He served with 1st Bttn Guards 20th Infantry Brigade under Maj Gen T. Capper at 1st Ypres from 20th - 28th October 1914.He returned to England in 1915 on leave then was sent back to France to join 4th Bttn and remained with them till the end of the war and was discharged in February 1919. On 1/5/1918 he suffered "Gas shell poisoning".
My Grandfather was just an average soldier, no hero as such but by the sheer fact that he served his King and Country in the most horrific conflict ever he is considered by his family as a hero. He was, according to his service history absent on several occasions often referred to as cowardice (maybe?)(wrongly in most peoples opinion considering the horror) due to drunkenness! He served the full term of the war and died in the 1950's as an indirect result of the gassing in 1918.
I am currently trying to research his campaigns and movements and have been sent some very interesting documents from my sister Lynne who still lives in the UK so will update as soon as I can.
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