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Congleton War Memorial Project WW1


Cheshire_Memorials

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Hi All,

I'm hoping that some of you kind people will be able to help me with this project. I am researching the Congleton War Memorial in Cheshire with a view to putting it into book form with all proceeds going to the Mercia Regt in aid of their wounded [mentally and physically]. The ones i am researching are the ones that actually didn't make it onto the memorial when it was built, both WW1 and WW2. About 250+ were not listed on the memorial and it has been decided by the town that a new memorial is to be built with a memorial gardens. I have been asked to supply the names of the missing and to prove their connection to the town.

The help i need from the forum is war diaries and unit histories. I have listed below the units and dates i am interested in and i am hoping that some of you may have the information i need. If you wish to PM me i will happily give you my email address should you wish to give me the info on scans etc. As i recieve any info i will edit the list to say who has given me the info for each unit.

Congleton Units and Dates

Royal Garrison Artillery

115th Siege Bty 21/03/1918

237th Siege Bty 21/10/1917

Royal Field Artillery

D Bty 78th Bde 23/04/1917

58th Bty 35th Bde 15/09/1916

A Bty 331st Bde 24/07/1917

North Staffs Regt

5th Btn 13/10/1915 War Diary provided by Woollamc. Thank you

5th Btn 01/07/1916

2/6th Btn 21/03/1918

2/6th Btn 30/11/1917

8th Btn 03/07/1916 War Diary provided by Simon2. Thank you

1/5th Btn 25/07/1915

Cheshire Regt

1st Btn 24/08/1914

1st Btn 22/10/1914

1st Btn 29/04/1915

1st Btn 03/09/1916

1st Btn 23/10/1918 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

1/6th Btn 21/08/1918

1/7th Btn 27/08/1915

1/7th Btn 03/09/1918

1/7th Btn 23/07/1918

13th Btn 18/06/1917 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

13th Btn 07/06/1917 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

13th Btn 08/06/1917 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

13th Btn 13/10/1916 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

13th Btn 30/07/1916 War Diary provided by David Horne. Thank you

9th Btn 24/03/1918

7th Btn 06/10/1918

9th Btn 06/06/1918

8th Btn 30/04/1917

8th Btn 22/10/1919

8th Btn 30/04/1917

10th Btn 21/05/1916

10th Btn 01/08/1917

10th Btn 21/08/1918

11th Btn 10/04/1918

11th Btn 29/07/1916

C Coy 10th Btn 26/04/1918

Grenadier Guards

2nd Btn 10/10/1917

2nd Btn 10/11/1914

No4 Coy 2nd Btn 25/09/1916

Tank Corps

12th Btn 02/09/1918

Royal Engineers

1st East Lancs Field Coy 19/10/1915

5th Field Survey Coy 29/03/1918

248th Field Coy 02/07/1917

Royal Fusiliers

4th Btn 31/08/1918

3rd Btn 14/04/1915

2nd Btn 23/10/1916

Rifle Brigade

2nd Btn 27/09/1915

3rd Btn 11/07/1916 War Diary provided by Stileto - Andy. Thank you

13th Btn 14/11/1916

1st Btn 01/07/1916

Royal Scots

9th Btn 24/08/1916

15th Btn 01/07/1916

Worcestershire Regt

9th Btn 25/02/1917

Royal Welsh Fusiliers

14th Btn 04/08/1917

Royal Irish Fusiliers

6th Btn 15/08/1915

Welsh Guards

1st Btn 24/08/1918

South Wales Borderers

2nd Btn 07/03/1918

2nd Btn 21/11/1917

Lancashire Fusliers

16th Btn 03/04/1918 War Diary provided by Ralph. Thank you

1/8th Btn 23/10/1918

10th Btn 24/07/1916

11th Btn 21/10/1916

Manchester Regt

1st Btn 08/03/1916

16th Btn 21/03/1918

Durham Light Infantry

2nd Btn 27/10/1914

2nd Dragoons [Royal Scots Greys]

28/8/1914

Lincolnshire Regt

2/5th Btn 15/04/1918

Kings Royal Rifle Corps

18th Btn 15/09/1916

Middlesex Regt

19th Btn 18/10/1918

B Coy 12th Btn 26/09/1916

Hampshire Regt

1st Btn 09/07/1915

Kings Own Scottish Borderers

1st Btn 25/04/1915

Cameron Highlanders

6th Btn 29/09/1915

Machine Gun Corps

47th Btn 22/08/1918

14th Coy 21/03/1918

5th Coy 27/04/1918

Gloucestershire Regt

2/5th Btn 31/03/1918 War Diary provided by SIMON2. Thank you

Norfolk Regt

9th Btn 08/10/1918

Kings [Liverpool Regt]

4th Btn 16/04/1918

Kings Shropshire Light Infantry

1st Btn 27/07/1916

2nd Btn 19/02/1915

10th Btn 21/09/1918

Royal Warwickshire Regt

9th Btn 29/03/1917

West Yorkshire Regt

10th Btn 18/09/1918

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

C Coy 2nd Btn 25/9/1917

Nottinghamshire Yeomanry [sherwood Foresters]

07/10/1916

Cheshire Yeomanry

1/1st 07/03/1918

Kings Own [Royal Lancaster Regt]

7th Btn Attd 56 TM Bty

Monmouthshire Regt

1st Btn 14/10/1918

East Lancashire Regt

2nd Btn 23/03/1918

2nd Dragoon Guards [Queens Bays]

13/05/1915

Royal Army Medical Corps

42nd Field Amb 09/04/1917 War Diary provided by Stileto - Andy. Thank you

Any help would be hugely appreciated and you will be credited in the book

Kind regards

Mike

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Mike

5th North Staffs on 13 October 1915 was the attack on Hohenzollern Redoubt during the Battle of Loos. Andrew Thornton is an expert on this and this link will take you to an earlier thread he started on this particular engagement.

I have the histories for 5th and 8th Battalions, North Staffords but have lent them to someone and won't get them back until Tuesday. If no-one else has provided any information by then, I will post some details.

Regards

C

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Hi Mike,

I can help with the 8th North Staffs and 2/5th Glosters.

PM me with your e-mail address.

Regards,

Simon.

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Lancs Fusiliers 16th Batt 3rd April 1918 = Trenches,Ayette; attacks,1st to 3rd April. 1/8th L Fs 21-23 Oct 1918 Line Solomnes; attack,Romeries,23rd October. 10th Batt 24th - 31st July 1916 Reserve, Buire-sur-l'ancre. 11th Batt 21st October 1916 Attack on Regina Trench, Mouquet Farm. Ralph.

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18 KRRC

15.9.16

Trenches

The Battalin advanced towards FLERS at 6.15am in waves of 150 men each. The first wave occupied the Hun first line, the second wave followed taking Hun second line, the third and fourth advancing on the West half of FLERS.

CAsualties

Officers killed 7 Wounded 7

OR Killed 57 Wounded 227 Died of Wounds 3 Missing 69

Total 346

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Mike

5th North Staffs on 13 October 1915 was the attack on Hohenzollern Redoubt during the Battle of Loos. Andrew Thornton is an expert on this and this link will take you to an earlier thread he started on this particular engagement.

I have the histories for 5th and 8th Battalions, North Staffords but have lent them to someone and won't get them back until Tuesday. If no-one else has provided any information by then, I will post some details.

Regards

C

Hi C,

I will have a look at the thread that Andy has put out on the Hohenzollern Redoubt and hopefully i will get something from that which will help.

Anything that you are able to give me on these battalions would be hugely helpful and really appreciated

Kind regards

Mike

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Lancs Fusiliers 16th Batt 3rd April 1918 = Trenches,Ayette; attacks,1st to 3rd April. 1/8th L Fs 21-23 Oct 1918 Line Solomnes; attack,Romeries,23rd October. 10th Batt 24th - 31st July 1916 Reserve, Buire-sur-l'ancre. 11th Batt 21st October 1916 Attack on Regina Trench, Mouquet Farm. Ralph.

Hi Ralph,

I don't suppose you have the full details to the Lancashire Fusiliers besides what you have posted so far. I'm not quite sure what some of the things you said actually mean, such as 1/8th LF s?

Regards

Mike

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18 KRRC

15.9.16

Trenches

The Battalin advanced towards FLERS at 6.15am in waves of 150 men each. The first wave occupied the Hun first line, the second wave followed taking Hun second line, the third and fourth advancing on the West half of FLERS.

CAsualties

Officers killed 7 Wounded 7

OR Killed 57 Wounded 227 Died of Wounds 3 Missing 69

Total 346

Hi SPOF,

Many thanks for this infomation. I gather they must of advanced by Company so i need to find out which Company he was in to find out where he would of been fighting at the time of his death. or at least an idea of his whereabouts. Very much appreciated but if you do have or know of anyone who can help further please let me know

Regards

Mike

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The 1st/8th Battalion were the Salford Pals formed Salford August 1914 along with the 1st/7th. the Rochdale Pals were the 1st/6th Battalion Ralph.

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The 42nd Field Ambulance was at Barly. This was a 14th Division Field Ambulance, however on the 7/4/17 it became a rest station for VII Corps. Number of admissions for the period 9th to 13th April 1917 was 26 officers and 946 other ranks. On the 13/4/17 it handed over to 1/3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance returning to the 14th Division.

post-1871-0-47627200-1396746390_thumb.jp

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3rd Rifle Brigade took part on a raid, see war diary attached.

Andy

post-1871-0-16839100-1396747007_thumb.jp

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Huge thanks Andy. Thats cleared up how one of my men died or at least i now have something to work on.

Regards

Mike

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Mike,

Some of the diaries are online at The National Archives.

Andrewr

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Thanks Andrewr, i will have a look and see what i can find.

Mike

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Mike,

One thing for your note regarding the trench raid by the 3rd RB was that most of the casualties were among men in the Company who were not taking part in the raid and were caused by a heavy barrage that the Germans put up on our trenches. 3rd RB record gives casualties for the raid as 2nd Lt. G.W.W. Latter and 4 N.C.O.'s and Riflemen killed. Record of the raid according to 3rd RB sources states 12 Germans killed for certain and many identifications brought back.

Robert Ernest Vernede (3rd RB officer at this time), in his memorial book "Letters to his wife" says the following re. the raid.

July 11th

I got your last night's letter about 4 a.m. this morning after what was in interesting night and for some people a very exciting one. C., with two other officers, led a raiding party into the Boche trenches. The party had been training down below and came up in moonlight to where we are, as it were, among the ruins of Plashes farm buildings, with blacked faces and labels on their backs - to help one recognise one another in the dark - and armed with knob-kerries and axes and any weapon of their fancy, and stood about till the light, or rather the dark, was right for the fray. Cpl ______ , a great hulking savage child, pressed into my hand three packets of Woodbines as a parting gift (in case he did not some back) for a friend of his. They were a fine collection of cheery, excited ruffians, picked volunteers, and went off amid many good lucks. Meanwhile I had to get two platoons into a trench we had been hastily digging in case the Boche retaliated with a heavy bombardment, which they did. I sat with them there foe about one and a half hours while the ground shook with crash after crash. The the raiders trooped back, having done very well. They got into the Boche trenches, the Boches fled, and they burgled their dug out and rushed back with only one or two casualties. Unfortunately one of D Companies officers and one of our very best stretcher bearers were killed after they got back into our trench, by a minenwerfer - very bad luck.

Then we had the raiders back in our dugout, all of them with different stories of what had happened and how many Boches they had killed, and adventures in the wire and the nature of the Boche trenches.

Just out of curiosity is the man you are looking at regarding Congleton 3729, Rifleman James Orchard, although he came from Southampton he married a lady from Congleton who lived at 1 Prospect Street??????

Andy

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Thank you again Andy, i will see what else i can find out, maybe find his records if they have survived or maybe some kind soul has the unit history.

Mike

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Hi Mike,

The information sent was from the unit history and the Rifle Brigade history for 1914 - 18 plus a few other little snippets from a 3rd Officers memorial book. I have one other Memorial book for a 3rd Officer so will check if that has anymore info for you. If it is Orchard you are looking at I have another little suprise for you.

Andy

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Hi Andy,

You are right about the name. James Orchard, born in Southampton, lived in Southampton, enlisted in Southampton but his wife lived at Prospect Street, Congleton which is his connection to the town. Record i have is that he was killed in action and buried at Pond Farm Cemetery. I can't wait for the little surprise you have for me, i love surprises, lol.

Mike

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http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62803&page=14&hl=%2Bjames+%2Borchard#entry578400

Mike,

Have a little look at this thread, he is mentioned by name in this officers memorial book, there is a picture of his headstone and the little suprise I mention

Andy

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Wow, just Wow. That is amazing. Would it be okay to use the photos of the medals, plaque and some of the written content for the project please. So James was killed on the raid on the German trenches? Thank you for all this amazing information.

Regards

Mike

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Hi SPOF,

Many thanks for this infomation. I gather they must of advanced by Company so i need to find out which Company he was in to find out where he would of been fighting at the time of his death. or at least an idea of his whereabouts. Very much appreciated but if you do have or know of anyone who can help further please let me know

Regards

Mike

Mike

The order for 4 waves of 150 men would logically suggest that each wave was from a single Company. Alas, this is the Army we are taking about so logic took a back seat.As you can see they attacked "company abreast" for want of a better term so without a service record or a mention of his company in a local paper, I think you will struggle to find out which one he was in.

Glen

post-32914-0-00375000-1396861447_thumb.j

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Hi Glen,

I have not yet tried to find if his service record survived so i will have a look on Ancestry when i get the chance. Again a huge thanks for your help so far, every little bit helps.

Regards

Mike

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If you want any further information about the North Staffords chaps, drop me a line via my Facebook page: Staffordshire Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-1918

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Mike,

I have no objection whatsoever if you want to use the material shown regarding Orchards or the photographs, his trio and plaque I am still the guardian of. Concerning his participation in the trench raid I cannot advise you on as most casualties were caused by the German retaliatory bombardment, unless you know the Company he was in then we can pin it down a little more.

Please find attached the 2nd Rifle Brigades war diary for 27/9/15, a quiet day although on the 25/9/15 they were involved in one of these nasty subsidiary attacks for Loo's at Bois Grenier, so did your man die of wounds or killed in action????

Andy

Although reading Andrew Buxtons account you could read into it that Orchards was lost in the raid with the mention of Latter and two others, having said that the research I conducted led me to believe that he was in a covering party for the return of the raid.

post-1871-0-21783300-1396876691_thumb.jp

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Thank you Andy, i will be in touch this evening.

Regards

Mike

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