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13th (WIRRAL) BATTALION, CHESHIRE REGIMENT.

Lord Kitchener’s proclamation, asking for 100,000 men.

Following the outbreak of the Great War on 4th August, 1914, and Lord Kitchener’s publication of his famous proclamation headed

“YOUR KING AND COUNTRY NEED YOU. A CALL TO ARMS” and its call for 100,000 men to come forward and enlist, volunteers rushed to their nearest recruiting offices all over the country. Many who had lived and worked together enlisted into newly raised “Pal’s” battalions, such as those mentioned earlier. It is a common misconception that all Pals battalions came from the north of England, but this is not at all true, as they were being raised in Birmingham, Cardith, Swansea, and Bristol, to name but a few. One such battalion, which had been raised within the narrow confines of the Wirral peninsula, was the 13th (Wirral) Bn Cheshire Regiment……………..locally known as the Wirral Pals. The raising of the battalion was down to two people – Sir William Hesketh Lever, owner of the world famous Lever Brother’s soap making factory at Port Sunlight, and the Wirral M.P., Gershom Stewart.

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Sir William Hesketh Lever Mr. Gershom Stewart, M.P. For the recruiting effort alone, Sir William’s factories had been acknowledged as having the greatest number of volunteers from any workforce in the country to enlist, with a staggering 1,670 men coming forward.

The ornate front entrance of Messrs. Lever Brothers, Port Sunlight, Wirral, circa 1910.

The first mention on record of the raising of a “local battalion” had been raised at the Birkenhead Chamber of Commerce, on 1st September, 1914. The meeting had been presided over by Mr. Arthur Washington Wilmer (who would lose one son, and have another seriously wounded during the course of the Great War), who put

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forward the suggestion of the raising of such a battalion to be discussed and acted upon. For some inexplicable reason no further action was taken. However, on the other side of the River Mersey, in Liverpool, somebody was already acting upon his own recruiting drive. That somebody was none other than Lord Derby, who would eventually give his city not only four Pals battalion’s, but also two Reserve battalions and a normal service battalion (11th Bn Kings (Liverpool) Regiment).

Lord Derby

No doubt spurred on by Lord Derby, the Wirral Conservative M.P., Gershom Stewart sprang into action and managed to raise approximately 250 men, predominantly from the Wallasey area, for enlistment into the Liverpool Pals. However, on his arrival at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool (the Liverpool Pals battalion’s “recruiting office”) with his 250 would-be recruits in tow, he found the doors for recruiting had been firmly closed so that hard pressed clerks could catch up with the mountains of paperwork they had accumulated. The doors would not be opened for at least a few days. Gershom Stewart had no other option other than to return his charges back to the Wirral. As they were heading back, an idea struck him about raising a Wirral Battalion. On arrival at Birkenhead, Gershom Stewart told the men who had followed him of his idea, and told them to hang fast, and also told them that they were definitely needed for this new battalion. One story has it that he went to a local baker’s and bought “his” men pies etc., before racing off to have a meeting with the General Officer Commanding Western Command, General Sir Henry McKinnon at The Dale, Chester. Here, he put his proposition of recruiting a Wirral Battalion over to the general, and nervously awaited his thoughts on the matter. Mr Stewart didn’t have long to wait, as General McKinnon wholeheartedly approved! There then followed a number of whistle-stop tours to recruit men for the new battalion, the first of which was at the Gladstone Hall (opposite Messrs. Lever

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Brothers), Port Sunlight. Here he was received by a huge crowd of interested and keen men. Having given his rallying call to arms, approximately 700 men came forward to enlist, the vast majority of them being employees from Sir William Hesketh Lever’s factory just over the road from the Gladstone Hall. Sir William could not attend the meeting himself, as he was away in London. The other venues where Gershom Stewart recruited men recruits for his battalion were West Kirby, Hoylake, Heswall, Ellesmere Port, and Neston. It was at Heswall, that the Recruiting Officer for the Cheshire Regiment, Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel John Alan Francis Field, began to attend meetings. He would eventually become the Commanding Officer of the Wirral Battalion. By the time the recruiting drive had arrived at Neston, Sir William Hesketh Lever had returned from London, and gave his first recruiting speech in connection to the raising of this new battalion for the Cheshire Regiment. By the end of the whistle-stop tour of towns and villages on the Wirral, a further 211 men had come forward to enlist.

Captain (later Lt. Col.) John Alan Francis Field, who would later take command the Wirral Battalion both in England, and on the Western Front

What of the 250 men who Gershom Stewart had recruited for the Liverpool Pals? They, along with the 211 men raised from the whistle-stop tour and the 700 or so men raised at Port Sunlight, were told to report to their local train stations and travel to Chester. Everybody that had come forward to enlist into the 13th (Wirral) Bn Cheshire Regiment, had been brought together in some sort of semblance of order, and were, for the very first time, formed up as a battalion at The Dale. Here, the

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battalion was officially taken over on behalf of the War Office, by General MacKinnon, and in a long and protracted speech, he thanked Gershom Stewart and Sir William Hesketh Lever, for all their help in raising the Wirral Battalion. Now officially designated the 13th (Wirral) Bn. Cheshire Regiment, Gershom Stewart took to the podium, and gave another, but much shorter, speech, before Major Field marching the battalion off to The Roodee, and then on to Chester Ice Skating Rink for refreshments.

Wallasey recruits waiting for their train to Chester, on 7

th September, 1914.

Recruits at Port Sunlight Station await their train on 7

th September, 1914

Finally, later on the same day, the recruits of the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment were marched through the historic streets of Chester, across to the railway station, where they boarded a special train which would take them down to the Garrison town of Tidworth, Wiltshire. From here they were taken to No.21 Camp, Perham Down, near Andover, where they had a very brief stay before being moved yet again, to Sherrington Tented Camp, in early October, 1914. This camp was only a temporary

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measure while a newer, and much more sturdy wooden camp was being built at Codford St. Mary, Wiltshire. Once they had moved into the new camp, training for the Wirral Battalion began in earnest.

Part of the camp at Codford St. Mary, Wiltshire

Sadly, and shortly after their move to Codford Camp, the battalion suffered its first casualty, with the death of Private Thomas Botham (his number is not known, as he was not born on the nominal roll) from Pneumonia, on 29th November, 1914. His brother, W/539 Private Charles Henry Botham, who served in the same battalion, was killed in action on 9th July, 1916. In January, 1915, the 13th Cheshire’s left Codford Camp for the last time, and were sent to the coastal town of Bournemouth, where they were billeted in houses. At 227, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, were billeted W/1201 Private Herbert H. Birch, W/1217 Private Ellis P. Nevitt, 49640 Private W. Sillitoe, and W/1219 Private Walter Price. All would never return from the war. From Bournemouth, the battalion was moved to Boscombe, Hursley Park, where they were billeted in No.4 Camp, and remained here until 28th May, 1915. Then it was marched to Basingstoke (a distance of 22 miles) where they stayed for a night, before marching a further 18 miles to the village of Finchampstead, for yet another overnight stay. The next morning they marched to their final training establishment, Malplaquet Barracks, Aldershot, prior to it being drafted over to France.

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Recruits of the 13

th Cheshire’s in training at Codford St. Mary, Wiltshire, in September/October,

1914, wearing their emergency blue serge uniforms.

Some of the men from the 13

th Cheshires outside their billet at Finchhampstead, in May,

1915. The soldier holding the watering can is W/476 Private William Jones, No.2 Coy., who was killed in action on 28

th April, 1916.

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Men of No.1 Platoon, No.1 Company, 13

th (Wirral) Bn. Cheshire Regiment, taken at Malplaquet

Barracks, Aldershot, just prior to leaving for France.

The 13th (Wirral) Bn. Cheshire Regiment was finally transported to Folkestone, Kent, and embarked on board the R.M.S. Victoria and another ship, and sailed to France on 25th September, 1915. They landed at Boulogne, and were marched up the notoriously steep hill to Ostrehove Rest Camp. By 3rd October, 1915, the battalion had been moved up to the front-line, opposite the Le Touquet Salient, near to the border between France and Belgium. Here they came under instruction by the Territorials of the 1st/9th Bn. Durham Light Infantry. Within two days of serving in the line, the battalion lost its first man through enemy action when W/29 Private John Davies, of No.1 Company, was shot and killed by a German sniper.

W/29 Private John Davies

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During the course of the previous night, Lieutenant Gilbert Whit White was severely wounded by a bullet from a German sniper. W/639 Sergeant John Bell went out and brought the wounded officer in under fire, but Lieutenant Whit White later died as a result of his wounds. Two days later, Sergeant Bell rescued W/511 Corporal Frank Wood from under the debris of a caved in parapet. Corporal Wood survived only to be killed in action on11th May, 1916. Sergeant Bell was later awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which was not only the first bravery award in the battalion, but in the 25th Division. He was killed in action during the 13th Cheshire’s attack on the village of Ovillers, during the Battle of The Somme, on 7th July, 1916.

W/639 Sergeant John Joseph Bell, D.C.M.

On 15th October, 1915, the 25th Division (13th Bn Cheshire Regiment was part of 74th Brigade, 25th Division) went through a change, losing 76th Brigade, and gaining 7th Brigade, from the 3rd (Regular) Division. This did not only happen to the 25th Division, but across the whole of Lord Kitchener’s army, with the idea behind this being to strengthen these units with experienced regular army soldiers. When 7th Brigade joined the 25th Division, the division gained the 3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment, 2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment, 1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment, and the 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rifles. 76th Brigade, consisting of 8th Bn Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 13th Bn Kings (Liverpool) Regiment, 10th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and the 7th Bn Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. One soldier in the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment who was serving under age, was W/999 Private Edward Hulse (No.1 Coy.), and had served with the battalion for 15 months prior to being discovered and finally sent home on 3rd December, 1915. At the time of being returned to England, he was only 16 years of age! On the same day, it was posted on battalion orders that Lieutenant – Colonel John Francis Alan Field (the first officer to take control of the battalion at The Dale, Chester, in September, 1914), and Lieutenant – Quartermaster Arthur Brandon had been sent home and struck off strength. Lieut. Col. Field returned to duty later on in the war, and took over command of the 13th Bn South Wales Borderers, but was sadly killed in action on 28th

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April, 1918. When he left the 13th Cheshire’s, his replacement was Lieut. Col. J. Maunsell-Reeves.

Lieutenant – Colonel J. Maunsell-Reeves

For the rest of the time spent in the line here, the 13th Cheshire’s went out on many trench raids on the German held Le Touquet Salient, before being finally pulled out of this sector on 31st January, 1916. When the battalion was pulled out of the line, it was sent for a rest at La Crece, near Bailluel, and remained here for four weeks. In March, 1916, the 13th Cheshire’s entered a totally different type of warfare to which they were now accustomed to – that of mine warfare. The battalion furnished working parties to assist British, New Zealand, and French miners digging mines in the Maroeuil sector, to the west of Arras. On 22nd April, 1916, they found themselves occupying the front line in Zoauve Valley, situated on the western slopes of the infamous Vimy Ridge. The action which the Wirral battalion was to go through in this sector would prove to be totally different to that of which they had been through at Le Touquet. This would be the first time they had been involved in seriously heavy fighting. Within this sector mines were blown by the British engineers, and German mines were blown under the British lines. The resultant craters that were left were fought over in bitter hand to hand combat. Then the position would be consolidated. During these actions in this sector soldier’s had some amazingly lucky escapes. W/1114 Private Edward Lawrence Ryan (No.4 Coy.) wrote to his friend’s mother, Mrs. Norris, telling her of how her son, W/394 Private Robert Norris of the same company, had been wounded at Zouave Valley:

“I had hardly done bandaging Bob when It was my luck to get hit, and what a miracle it was I was not killed! I reckon it was a Prayer Book, which my wife gave me before coming out, that saved my life; for the bullet went right

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through my tunic, cardigan jacket, and shirt, grazed my chest, and passed through my left breast pocket, right through my Prayer Book and cigarette case. Well, it’s a splendid souvenir, and I will treasure these to the day of my death. I have been showing them to our priest while I am in hospital, and he advises me to send them home, so he is sending them for me. Myself and Bob came into this hospital together, but Bob got sent away next morning, so I think by now he will be in some hospital in good old England.”

Another soldier to write home of a particularly horrific incident at Zouave Valley, was W/648 Private Thomas Richard Liversidge (No.1 Coy.):

“Just a line, I’m alive and kicking but only on one leg at present. Had an operation to get a bullet out of my knee. It was a very lucky shot. It happened on the morning of the 15th May, on a bombing post crater. We had taken it the night before only fifteen yards from the Boche, so we had to keep a good look-out. At about eight o’clock in the morning my mate and I were watching him building up his trenches. Just a second after the fellow next to me got hit right through his head and part of the bullet landed in my knee. I got it dressed, but the worst part of it was I could not get away as the outpost was in “No-Man’s-Land”. Therefore we could only get in and out when it was dark. Well, I lay all day in the pouring rain. I did wish for it to go dark. However, the time came. I was just about to leave when up goes a couple of mines on our left. That meant stand to your post that night, and the big attack for the craters took place. It was “some” night! The bombardment lasted until about three o’clock in the morning. He made trenches like ploughed fields, but for all his noise we got the craters and part of his line. It got quiet, so I hobbled off to the dressing station – about one and a half hour’s walk through the trenches. I got to the valley safe, and was soon on a truck for the first clearing station. Then on again, a twenty one hour’s train ride and landed in ******* Hospital, where I got X-rays treatment and an operation. It has left a wound five inches long, which is going on nicely. That little wound will mean ten day’s leave, which I never would have had otherwise. I don’t think I will be long now before I am better.”

One brave soldier, W/139 Private Edward Casey (No.4 Coy.), wrote home explaining how his exploits at the front lead to him being awarded the Military Medal:

“Fritz blew up a mine in front of us, and as soon as it stopped raining half-bricks we occupied the whole (which we call a crater) made by the explosion. Well, they were a bit too near to be pleasant, and we routed them out, again on the near side which we then occupied. We expected the Germans would come back again, as they were only a few yards away. A good many of the lads were panned out, and the ammunition was going, so I said to our officer, “What are we going to do now, Sir?” “Well”, he said, “there’s only the bayonet for it. We’ll have to hold this to the last man.” “Right”, I said,” I’m going back for more ammunition”, and off I crawled. It had been raining all

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day and all night, and the mud was knee deep everywhere except in the trenches, where it was neck deep. I tumbled into about a million shell-holes full of water before I fell over into the front trench, and all the time Jack Johnsons and Whiz-Bangs (types of shell), bullets and grenades, shrapnel and minnies were howling and whistling and buzzing, and every time I lifted a foot, I lifted a ton of clay with it.

A very sad aspect of the Great War which tends to be overlooked is that of the psychological problems caused by front line service, which these days we refer to as P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). One very sad case of this occurred during the 13th Cheshire’s occupation of the positions in and around the Zoauve Valley sector. W/524 Private William Milner (No.3 Coy.), who was in a billet in the village of Marquay, in his bunk-bed, when he was discovered with his throat cut. Private Milner, who was normally of a cheerful disposition, was unconscious and bleeding profusely from his wound. The Medical Officer was called, and he treated the soldier the best way he could, and then sent him off by ambulance to the 75th Field Ambulance. It later transpired that Private Milner had cut his own throat with a razor blade, as he had been very depressed since he had seen his best friend being seriously wounded. After he had had his wound treated, he was questioned about the incident, to which his answers came back rationally, but he remained very quiet and spoke very little. Due to the fact that this soldier had self-inflicted a wound upon himself, the military authorities showed little sympathy towards him, and awarded him 24 days Field Punishment No.1. On completion of what may seem to some, an unfair punishment, Private Milner was sent home from France on 23rd May, 1916, and was eventually discharged from the army on 6th January, 1917, as being medically unfit. As previously mentioned, the battalions involvement in operations in the Zouave Valley sector was their first major set of actions that they were to take part in. This is reflected in the casualties sustained during the period of 22nd April, 1916 – 17th May, 1916, with 2 officers and 61 men being killed in action, and many more men being wounded. Unfortunately for the Wirral Pal’s, thing would get worse before they got better, as within the following two months the battalion would be entrenched and fighting on the bloody battlefields of the Somme. The battalion was pulled out of the Zouave Valley sector on or about the 19th May, 1916. And would spend the next month and a half moving around from billet village to billet village, resting, cleaning up and of course, training. By 30th June, 1916, they had arrived in the rear areas of the Somme area, being billeted at Warloy-Baillon, and were still billeted here on 1st July, 1916, on the opening day of the Battle of The Somme. On 5th July, 1916, the 13th Cheshire’s moved forward and was temporarily attached to the 12th Division, who had also been brought forward to the village of La Boisselle, and who were occupying this position. According to Captain Lionel Ferguson, orders

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Trench map showing the villages of La Boisselle and Ovillers in July, 1916

Were received at about 10 p.m. on the night of 6th July, that they would be going “over the top” at 8 a.m. the following morning, but these orders were not confirmed until 3 a.m. 7th July, when the battalion was also informed of its first objective – a German held trench 250 yards in front of their own lines. Their second objective was to be the Ovillers – La Boisselle road junction, which was to be later known as “Ovillers Post”. Captain Ferguson mentions in his personal diary that they were ill-prepared, having not been issued with any maps, and also had little time for preparation. The remaining time what they did have was spent issuing the men with ammunition, grenades, and flares etc., and getting the battalion into a suitable position to jump-off from in the forthcoming attack. They had not been visited by any Staff Officers, and the attack would appear to have been planned on sketch maps which the 13th Cheshire’s officer’s had sent back. Captain Ferguson records that his battalion had been ordered to attack a German position which was square shaped, and held on three sides, and once their first objective had fallen, they were to switch direction to the second – something which he obviously did not have confidence in and did not approve of as he commented “always a fatal plan”. The 11th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers had also been moved up for the assault, and they were to follow the 13th Cheshire’s over the top in support. Captain Ferguson found out that some of these lads had been getting panicky owing to the fact that somebody in their battalion had given the order to move back out of their position. He threatened one man with his service revolver, and refused to let anybody past until he found out who gave the order. Just then an order arrived to man their jump-off positions, and the Lancashire Fusiliers returned to where they should be, and order was restored.

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Soldiers of the Cheshire Regiment manning a trench near Ovillers in July, 1916.

At 08.05 a.m. on the morning of 7th July, 1916, the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment and the 9th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, lead the attack on their first objective. Almost immediately after leaving their trench, the Cheshire and Lancashire lads came under heavy and murderous machine gun fire, inflicting many casualties. Captain Lionel Ferguson was shot through the shoulder and fell within the first few minutes of the attack, and, weakened by the loss of blood, he returned to his trench and was eventually evacuated away from the battlefield, back to Corbie, and then subsequently back to England. As the attack went forward, despite heavy shell and machine-gun fire, both battalion’s reached and captured their objective. The assault on this German position cost the 13th Cheshire’s heavily, suffering 261 casualties, of which approximately 111 officers and men were killed. One officer who fell in the attack was Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Cotton. One of the battalion’s original officer’s wrote home to his father, Mr. A. F. Cotton, in Birkenhead:

“I have your letter of the 19th inst., and did not write you about your son until I knew something definite. I know now that he died a gallant soldier’s death, leading his men into action. In tendering you our sympathy, we mourn with you the loss of our friends. He is buried in La Boisselle, the spot where many of our brave fellows laid down their lives. And you say that I shall appreciate your anxiety? My dear Mr. Cotton, I cannot express my feelings. I am one of three (originals) left! I should have written you as soon as we withdrawn from the line, but I was clinging to the last hope, but that has gone. Those who are left to fight live to fight again, and may it come soon. I am referring to officers, in being one of three. I was sorry to see what Mr. Farland had

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written, and surprised you had no notice from the War Office. The battalion has done well, and we are resting and refitting for the next move. Please accept from us all our deepest sympathy in your sad bereavement.”

Sadly, three weeks after Second Lieutenant Cotton’s death, his younger brother, 15209 Private Ernest Edward Braga Cotton, “A” Coy., 17th (1st City) Bn King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, was killed in action on 30th July, 1916.

Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Cotton

Another soldier who was killed in action on 7th July, 1916, was W/14 Private James Henry Churchill, No.1 Coy. 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment. W/533 Private William Thelwell (No.4 Coy.) wrote the following letter to Private Churchill’s wife of eight months, Mrs Agnes Churchill:

“I am sorry to have to tell you that Jim has been killed in action. I wasn’t with him at the time of his death, but I know that he fought and died gamely like a true Briton. Before he went in the charge he asked me to keep his money, and if anything happened to him I was to send it to you, and I am only too sorry that I hadn’t the pleasure of handling it back to him. We were pals before the war and to the end, and I have lost a good chum, and I am very sorry indeed. Tell his dad he died like a man, and I believe he suffered no pain. It is a sad blow to you all, I know. With heartfelt sympathy from his old chum, Bill.”

W/974 Private William Brown (No.3 Coy.) had taken part in the attack, and wrote home to his parents back in England, living at 17, Wye Street, Tranmere, telling them of the attack, and how he was wounded:

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“We got the order to charge, and over we went about 7’ o’clock on 7th July. Twenty-four hours later I was in hospital miles away. We had got 50 yards when my officer got a bullet in his shoulder (This could have been Captain Ferguson, as he was in charge of No.3 Coy.). I rolled him into a shell-hole, and bandaged him up the best way I could, and as I was scrambling out of the hole I got hit. It was a shrapnel ball (a small bullet the size of a marble). It went into my lower jaw and luckily stayed there.”

Standing right is W/151 Private Charles Forsyth, No.1 Coy., who was killed in action on 7

th July, 1916

The officer at the head of the battalion’s attack was Major John Chayter Metcalf, who was also killed in action in the assault.

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Major John Chayter Metcalf, 13

th Bn Cheshire Regiment

The 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment had been depleted by the attack so much so that, until reinforcements by drafts of new men had arrived, they could not be used in a frontal attacks for a number of days afterwards. They did return to Ovillers again, in mid-July, 1916, but were pulled out of the line shortly afterwards. From landing in France, until the end of July, 1916, easily over 300 of the original Wirral Pals had been killed, wounded, or posted as missing. Sadly for the battalion, this would increase a lot by wars end. With the battalion being so depleted after the attack at Ovillers, it was temporarily formed into a composite battalion with the remaining men of 9th Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, and would return to the village once more before being sent to another part of the line, in the Thiepval/Beaumont Hamel area, serving in positions on the Redan Ridge. During this period they were billeted at Mailly-Maillet. From the beginning of October, 1916, the Wirral Pals were put into positions at Hessian Trench – a position to the north of Thiepval, and spent up until 20th October going in and out of the line here. On this day, the battalion moved back into Hessian Trench to take up positions in preparation for the attack they were due to take part in the following day. This attack had originally been planned for 19th October, but owing to bad weather, it was postponed until 21st October. At mid-day on 21st October, 1916, the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment were placed on the left flank of the attack, with the 9th Bn Loyal North Lancs in the centre, and 11th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers taking up position on the right. 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rifles and 1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment were placed in support. At 12.06 p.m., following a barrage laid

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down by British artillery, the battalions of the 74th Brigade, 25th Division, began their attack – their objective was to be the German held Stuff Trench and Regina Trench. As they pushed forward, the 13th Cheshire’s started to lose direction, and a gap soon appeared between them and the 8th Bn Border Regiment, of 75th Brigade, on their left flank. Part of this confusion was to be blamed on the fact that most of the battalion’s officer’s that had been involved in the attack had become casualties. However, they righted themselves, and the battalion pushed through and captured Regina Trench. One group of 13th Cheshire’s actually advanced too far, but had managed to knock out a German field gun. 250 prisoners were taken, as well as a German machine-gun. Now that their objective had been captured, the battalion set about consolidating this position prior to being relieved at 6.00 p.m., by the 6th Bn Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) on the evening of 22nd October, 1916. Although the attack on Stuff and Regina Trench’s had been a very successful attack, the 13th Cheshire’s casualties were very high, having 77 men killed and missing, and a further 133 men wounded. The action at Stuff and Regina Trench’s was to be their final time serving on the battlefields of the Somme. After their relief had been completed, they were due to be withdrawn by buses, and transported to the village Vadencourt, to the west of Warloy-Baillon, but the buses never turned up. Exhausted as they were, they marched to their destination instead. For their actions at Stuff and Regina Trenches, they received congratulatory telegrams from Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, and Reserve Army Command Headquarters. Field Marshall Haig actually went as far as inspecting the men at the end of October, 1916, before their departure from the battlefields of the Somme for the last time with the rest of the 25th Division. The 13th Cheshire’s were sent north, just to the north of the positions which they had occupied way back in October, 1915, at Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium. By this time, and having suffered the casualties which they had, the battalion was now becoming more and more diluted by draftee’s in from England. The “originals” of the old battalion were gradually disappearing. The Ploegsteert Wood sector was then a relatively quiet part of the line. One soldier who was wounded here on 7th November, 1916, was the author’s great, great uncle, W/1239 Private Edward Lawton, No.1 Coy. The battalion war diary only mentions that things were quiet, but on this date, 52070 Private Albert Griffiths was killed and Edward Lawton was shell-shocked. His shell-shock caused a cerebral haemorrhage, and he was evacuated from the front line. Eventually he was invalided back to England, where his condition prevented him from being able to hold any sort of coherent conversation, and his only means of communication was by the written word. After numerous medical boards, he was found to be totally unfit for any further military service, and he was finally discharged to an army pension on 2nd May, 1918. Sadly, a few months later he contracted influenza in the epidemic of that year, which developed into pneumonia and he died on 16th October. He had been a married man, having had six children (two of which died one of them in the same year as him). His body was buried in an unmarked grave for 95 years, until 4th September, 2013, when, after a very long trail of emails to the Commonwealth War

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Graves Commission, and the Cheshire Regimental Association, a brand new war grave was erected over the grave where he lies.

Branch Chairman, Pete, at the grave dedication of his relative at Flaybrick Hill Cemetery, Birkenhead, on 19

th October, 2013.

W/1239 Private Edward Lawton’s headstone.

In January, 1917, the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiment was still serving in the Ploegsteert Wood area, just to the south of the wood, to the south of Le Gheer. On the afternoon

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The southern corner of Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium. Of 22nd January, 1917, the battalion came under a barrage of German high explosive, gas, and shrapnel shells. This was rapidly followed by a large raiding party, which split into two groups. The northern party was stopped by Lewis gun and rifle fire, but the second party managed to break through, but came under more accurate fire. The raiders came to a very bloody and messy end when one of their own shells landed amongst them and killed them all. The German officer who led the raid tried to make his escape back to his own lines, but was shot and wounded, and then brought back into the Cheshire’s lines for interrogation. For most of February and March, 1917, the 13th Cheshire’s spent out of the line at a specially designated training area in France. In fact, its next major action which it was to take part in was to be the attack on the town of Messines, during the Third Battle of Ypres, on 7th June, 1917. At 01.30 a.m. that morning, 25th Division was formed up in order of battle, with 74th Brigade positioned on the right of the attack. The barrage which was to be put down by British artillery opened the attack at 03.10 a.m., at exactly the same time that the tunnellers of the Royal Engineers blew up 21 mines (of these, two never went off. One was stuck by lightning and blew up in 1955!! The other still lies buried) under the Messines Ridge. As the barrage commenced and began to move forward, the battalions of the 74th Brigade (from left to right: 9th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, 3rd Worcestershire Regiment, 2nd Bn Royal Irish Rifles, and 13th Cheshire’s) left their trenches and assaulted the German defences of Messines. They had to cross 130 yards of No Man’s Land, and were able to enter the German trenches without much opposition. The 13th Cheshire’s captured a staggering 160 prisoners, and 4 German machine-guns, but had suffered terribly with casualties. 36 (5 being original Pal’s) men had been killed in action; 132 wounded, and 15 missing, bringing the total up to 183. However, the attack was considered to be a complete success

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The area covered by 74th Brigade in their attack on Messines on 7th June, 1917 For the vast majority of July, 1917, the battalion spent training in musketry, range practice, attack practice, gas testing, and route marches in the Bomy area of Northern France.. It wasn’t all work and no play for them during this period. On 11th July, the Corps Commander presented 1 officer and 12 men with bravery medals for their actions at Messines the previous month, and on 28th July, 1917, the 13th Cheshires took on the 8th Bn Border Regiment in the Semi Final of the Divisional Football tournament, and won them 1 – 0. The following day they took on 1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment and drew 1 – 1. From 31st July – 5th August, the battalion furnished working parties to work with 105 Field Coy. Royal Engineers On 5th August, 1917, the 13th Cheshire’s moved to positions on the Bellwaerde Ridge, and took over the front-line from the 9th Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Two companies from the battalion were deployed onto the Westhoek Ridge. Five days later the battalion was to go into action for what would be their final major action of the Great War. On that morning (10th August, 1917) the attack began at 04.45. As they went “over the top”, they progressed until they were held up by a German strongpoint. This was soon destroyed by stokes mortars and a vigorous assault. However, the assault was pushed through and they captured their objectives, i.e. the German front and support lines. But, once again, their success came at a very costly price, with 395 officers and men becoming casualties, of which 72 men (four of the originals) being killed in action. The attack on the Bellwaerde and Westhoek Ridge’s was to be the last major attack which the 13th Cheshire’s took part in for the remaining part of their existence.

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Following a re-organization of the British Army, it was decided that each brigade within each division was to disband one infantry battalion (normally the battalion which had suffered the most through casualties). The 13th Cheshire’s was to be the battalion which the axe fell firmly on in 74th Brigade, 25th Division, and they were formerly disbanded on 16th February, 1918. Other battalions within 25th Division to be disbanded were the 8th Bn South Lancashire Regiment, and the 8th Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The men from the 13th Cheshire’s were posted out to other battalions of the Cheshire Regiment, in particular the 10th Bn. After the end of the Great War, the 13th Bn Cheshire Regiments colours were placed in Christchurch, Port Sunlight, along with a plaque commemorating the battalion.