William Wycherley

[Stephen Nulty]

One of the men on the Prescot memorial that I am researching is simply shown as Wycherley, Wm. I'm not having much luck in tracking him down so I thought I'd seek a little help.

One likely candidate from the MICs at NA is William Wychlery, shown as Pte. 33738, Liverpool Regt., Pte. 28542 Royal Irish Fusiliers and finally Pte. 138578 RFC.

Does anybody have any information on this man, or any oher ideas.

Cheers

[sotonmate]

Stephen

There is a William WYCHERLEY, 2064, Private,Manchester Regiment,age 24,KIA 12/09/1917.buried at COXYDE Military Cemetary Grave IIIG6,(Koksijde, West Flanders).Husband of May Wycherley, 18 Queen Street , Cheetham Hill Manchester.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

[Stephen Nulty]

Sotonmate

Thanks for that. I'd already seen that chap on CWGC but couldn't find any way of linking him to Prescot, which is near Liverpool.

Prescot had long been a prime centre for watchmaking in England. In researching the men of my home town, I have found a significant number with family members engaged in the watch making trades in the 1891 and 1901 census. The industry went into decline, however, despite an attempt to "kick start" it with the development of the Prescot Watch Factory, which tried to move the industry from its base of small cottage and home-based manufacture.

The Prescot Watch Factory became a barracks for the King's Liverpool Regiment during the war and I have seen at least one picture of it on the LLT mother site. Today it is the Prescot Trade Centre.

But back to William Wycherley.

The Wycherley family was one of the dominant watch making families in the town and there is a Wycherley Street in Prescot, comprising about 30 terraced houses.

I can't help but think that the man I am researching must be associated with the watch making family, but I am struggling to link any of the NA or CWGC entries with the men of Prescot.

Onwards and upwards !!!!!

[Stephen Nulty]

After all this time, I am no nearer establishing for certain which of the William Wycherley casualties is the one referred to on my local memorial.

However, I have found that the chap referred to by sotonmate, above, was in fact SAD. I have full details of his case, and don't wish to resurrect this subject, but does anybody with knowledge of this area have any documentation which might link the Wycherley (sometimes spelt "WITCHERLEY") to Prescot?

[Stephen Nulty]

Just as an update (on the off-chance that anybody was interested), I have now confirmed that the chap who served with the Manchesters and was Shot At Dawn in 1917 is indeed the man from Prescot.

I obtained a copy of his marriage certificate from 16th June 1915 and it shows William Wycherley, a private in the Manchester Regiment, lived at 1 Beesley Street, Prescot when he married May Owen of Fallowfield. She is recorded as his widow by CWGC.