Peter Casserley

[Andrew P]

This photo is of Peter Casserley in 1917 when he was 19 years old. Peter served in the 2nd Light Railway Operating Company on the Western Front which mainly involved taking troops and ammo to places like Birr Cross Roads & Hellfire Corner.

Two days ago he celebrated his 106th Birthday.

[Andrew P]

At 106 years young Peter still seems in good health, though last year he moved with his wife to a retirement village, having lived in their own home for all this time. His wife Monica is 102 years old.

One of his memories from the war was finding a tommy near the rail line stuck in a shell hole full of mud singing 'When your a long long way from home'. He helped the Tommy out of the mud and found that this soldier had visited a mate up in the line when a shell came along and killed the mate. Not suprisingly this Tommy was distraught so some other men of this unit filled him up with rum and sent him on his way back, whereupon he lost his way and floundered in the mud, which is where Peter found him and took him back to a battery of 18 Pounders to get cleaned up and sent back to his unit.

As an aside, the place where Peter now lives is flanked by Kitchener & French Streets.

Cheers

Andrew