News:

Have you visited the Battalion histories on our website? Click Here


There is much more information available on our website: Click Here

Main Menu

Recent posts

#1
Non Commissioned Graves / Re: sidney,eric hill
Last post by Tim Bell - July 12, 2025, 07:50:10 AM
Hi Paul,

Have you found another set of data??  How do I work it?

If you're in London, please let me know. We should catch up with a tea and bun.

Tim
#3
Non Commissioned Graves / Re: Pte 3795 Thomas Burtney (B...
Last post by PaulC - July 05, 2025, 08:00:52 PM
TNA has the following file which has not been digitised: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3404582

I'll pop it on my list for my next visit.
#4
1939 - 1945 / Manchester Blitz
Last post by Tim Bell - June 15, 2025, 07:39:49 AM
Off-topic but I thought I'd share a video showing the aftermath of the Blitz.CWS film
#5
Newly Commemorated Men (CWGC) / Re: Pte 276976 Daniel McHenry
Last post by Tim Bell - June 14, 2025, 01:20:15 PM
Daniel McHenry's plot has been adopted at Allerton Cemetery. CWGC are producing a new headstone.
#6
1914 - 1918 / Re: 9th Manchester Volunteers ...
Last post by PJS - May 31, 2025, 02:47:59 PM
I know I'm a bit late with this but here is my opinion for whatever it's worth ...

If you look very closely at the RFC Service Record, Section 4 Prior Engagement in HM Forces, it appears to be:

9th Manchester    )
Volunteer         )

Which implies to me that he originally served with the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Manchester Regiment and then transitioned to the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, Territorial Force in April 1908. Surviving service records from the 9th Battalion indicate that most (but not all) re-enlistments into the Territorial Force were for 4 years and so he would perhaps have time expired in 1912 and left the battalion around that time. If that is true then the photograph - which looks to me to have been taken at one of the battalion's annual Summer camps - would be explained. He would have been 38 in 1912 so hopefully he is one of the blokes standing at either side of the back row.

Moving on to his WW1 service, he appears to have indeed been serving with the 1st Battalion Loyal North Lancs Regiment because there is a Reporter newspaper article ("Footballs for Soldiers", May 20, 1916) that references him as a recipient of a football and indicates that he previously played for, or was associated with, Denton FC (his name is at the very bottom of the article).


So the summary is that prior to the war he served with the 3rd Volunteers and the the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment, TF leaving a few years before the outbreak of war but not before having his photo taken at summer camp with his mates. In January 1915 he joined the 1st battalion LNLR and served in France from June 1915 and was attached to HQ (probably due to his age and prior military experience). We can still place him in France with the 1st LNLR in May 1916. For some reason he transferred to the RFC a year later in August 1917 and again served in France with the 3rd Balloon Wing (3BW). He was severely wounded in the neck in September 1918 and repatriated to the UK where he recovered and was eventually discharged to a disability pension in 1919.

One last comment. There are lots of spurious numbers on pension ledger records and so the 23401 number may or may not be a service number. The only thing for sure is that it is not a reference to any pre-war service numbers with the Manchester Regiment.

Peter
#7
Applications for Commemoration / Re: john pickford
Last post by Tim Bell - May 23, 2025, 04:54:59 PM
John Pickford's commemoration has been rejected despite opposing evidence for the Director General of Army Medical Services.
#8
Newly Commemorated Men (CWGC) / Re: Pte 1580 George Disley
Last post by Tim Bell - May 17, 2025, 01:07:32 PM
George Disley's commemoration has been moved from Brookwood 1914-18 Memorial back to UKBoR, presumably pending the adoption of his burial at Leigh Cemetery.
#9
Newly Commemorated Men (CWGC) / Re: Pte 16602 Joseph Atkinson
Last post by Tim Bell - April 26, 2025, 03:44:01 PM
Joseph Atkinson's burial has been confirmed at Philips Park. The specific plot location has not been identified and he will have a Special Memorial.  As there is already a screen wall, I don't quite know what this may mean.
#10
Newly Commemorated Men (CWGC) / Re: Pte 3885 Herbert Massey - ...
Last post by Tim Bell - April 24, 2025, 12:30:59 PM
Herbert Massey's burial has been confirmed at Philips Park. The specific plot location has not been identified and he will have a Special Memorial.  As there is already a screen wall, I don't quite know what this may mean.