Would the wall be by any chance at the memorial to The Accrington Pals ,or The Chorley Pals ,they formed part of a “Pals” regiment.
The 11 th East Lancs ,almost wiped out in the first minutes of the first day of “The Somme.”July 1 st 1916 .
It was said of them :-
“ Two years in the making ,ten minutes in their ending “.
They drilled etc,had service in Mesopotamia and then the Somme .
Railway Hollow Cemetery ,near Serre ,France.
What the streets of Accrington and the small towns around, Accrington, Church , Chorley Rawtenstall etc ,as the telegrams started to arrive would be like ?
. .
I remembered:
Robert Cecil Hesketh, 16th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, who was killed 23rd November 1916 at
the very end of the Somme campaign. He died in an effort to rescue British soldiers who had
become trapped behind enemy lines. He was a teacher before the war. He had a baby son.
Thomas Henry, also 16th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. He enlisted, aged 18, autumn 1916. Killed
in action 23rd August 1918, aged 20. Commemorated on Vis-En-Artois memorial.
John Henry, Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery. Killed in action 13th September 1917.
Elder brother of Thomas. They were the only sons of their parents. John and Thomas and their
brother-in-law, Edward McIntyre, Irish Guards (wounded, survived) were 3 of many young men of
Irish heritage who served in WW1.
Walter Taylor, Coldstream Guards, killed 10th October 1917. No known grave. Commemorated on
Tyne Cot memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.