A TRIBUTE TO THE MEN OF MOTTRAM St. ANDREW WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES ON BEHALF OF THEIR COUNTRY 4th AUGUST 2014
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD AS WE THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD
AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
1 This book was produced by Mottram St. Andrew Parish Council
Researched by the Chairman William Pilkington and Valerie Slater
Sponsored from funds raised by the Bulls Head, Mottram St. Andrew
Printed by Deanprint Limited, Cheadle Heath
2 CONTENTS.
1. Introduction. Page 4
2. The War Memorial Page 5
3. Events leading up to the start of World War 1. Page 8
4. The Campaigns and Battles of World War 1. Page 9
5. Details of the Men who died in the First World War. Page 15
6. Details of the Men who died in the Second World War. Page 47
7. Sources of information. Page 51
3 1. Introduction.
2014 is the centenary of the start of the First World War and this document has been produced in recognition of the men commemorated on our village war memorial which is located in the Methodist Chapel in Priest Lane.
The village of Mottram St.Andrew, situated between Macclesfield and Wilmslow in East Cheshire is very rural and quite spread out over an area similar in size to Macclesfield although the population is very much smaller.
Before the First World War the population of Mottram St. Andrew was less than 400 and most people were either employed in agriculture and associated work or as servants at Mottram Hall.
During the First World war 20 men gave their lives whilst serving mainly on the Western Front in France and Flanders. A few saw service in Egypt, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia.
2. The Village War Memorial.
The memorial is an illuminated parchment framed in oak and covered by oak doors. The parchment records the deaths of 23 men (20 in WW1 and 3 in WW2) and on the inside of the doors are the names of 54 others who also served in the forces.
4 The roll of honour was a gift from Mrs. Susan Elizabeth Greg, the widow of Walter Greg who was the first chairman of the parish council from 1894 until his death in 1907.
The memorial was placed initially in the village school before being transferred during the 1950s to hang in the village chapel where it can be seen today.
A War Memorial Grant was received from Cheshire East Council in 2014 to renovate and clean the memorial that had become discoloured and affected by water staining. This work was carried out by James Caverhill Conservation Ltd. of Darlington a specialist in parchment repairs.
The names on the side panels were becoming very difficult to read and the Parish Council agreed to have them renovated in 2012. The work was done in gold leaf by J.M.Gardiner, a Macclesfield sign writer.
Below are the names of those who died in both world wars.
5 Name Regiment Date of death Remarks Ralph Bower Royal Engineers 30.06.1918 Died of disease Charles May Cheshire Regiment 23.10.1917 Alfred Pollard RASC,mt 06.11.1918 Died of influenza and pneumonia Edward Slater RGA 15.12.1917 Killed in action Ernest Thompson 20th Manchester Regiment 01.03.1917 Killed in action William Thompson 7th Cheshire Regiment 04.10.1917 Killed in action (Corporal) George Walker Royal Welsh Fusiliers 24.10.1914 Killed in action (Corporal) Frank Wright 2nd Grenadier Guards 27.03.1918 Killed in action Ernest Beresford Royal Welsh Fusiliers 22.08.1917 Killed in action Charles Entwistle 8th Manchester Regiment 21.03.1918 Killed in action Walter Forrest 3rd Worcester Regiment 10.06.1917 Killed in action (Sergeant DCM) Donald Lardner HMS Pathfinder August 1914 Killed in action John Powell RFA 02.05.1917 Killed in action George Powell 1/7th Cheshire Regiment 10.08.1915 Killed in action (Sergeant Major) John Arthur Ryle Cheshire Regiment 17.10.1918 Henry Slater 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade 01.07.1916 Killed in action Louis Stearn 3rd Cavalry Regiment 25.06.1919 Albert Thirlwall 10th Cheshire Regiment 20.05.1916 Killed in action Stanley Thirlwall 1/7th Royal Welsh 06.11.1917 Killed in action Fusiliers Fred Waller (Lance 18th Manchester Regiment 09.07.1916 Killed in action Corporal) John Crawford Atty Royal Field Artillery 17.06.1944 Killed in action George Edward Home Guard 09.08.1944 Died delivering Powell dispatches George Proudlove London Irish Rifles 14.09.1944 Killed in action
Below are details of those who also served.
John Arrowsmith Edward Bell Thomas Bell Richard Boulter Thomas Broadhurst James Cliffe Mathew Cliffe Bernard Coyne Percy Dean Joseph Entwistle James Faulkner Albert Ford Lance Ford William Ford Albert Grange Frank Grange Harry Grange Joseph Grange Leonard Grange Sydney Grange Robert Greg William Gresty James Hall John Hall George Harding John Harding George Jackson Herbert Janson James Janson Arthur Leah John Leah John Massey William Massey Albert Norbury Arthur Palmer Fred Potts Harry Powell Ernest Ridgeway William Ridgeway William Slater Percy Stearn Frank Thirlwall David Vaughan Sam Walker
6 William Walker James Wood Joseph Wood Arthur Woolley Harold Woolley Philip Woolley Joseph Wright Peter Wright George Yarwood William Yarwood
7 3. Events leading up to the start of World War 1.
The main causes of the First World War which began in central Europe included many factors such as the conflicts and hostility between the great European powers during the 40 years leading up to the war, involving militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism. The immediate cause of the war however was the decision taken by statesmen and generals during the diplomatic crisis of July 1914 between the major powers of Europe caused by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on the 28th June 1914 by the Serbian Nationalist Gavrillo Principe, a member of the Black Hand terrorist organisation in Sarajevo. A series of diplomatic manoeuvrings led to an ultimatum by Austria – Hungary on Serbia. The ultimatum was part of a programme to weaken the Kingdom of Serbia which was seen as a threat to the Austria – Hungary control of the North Balkans which had a significant Slavic population, including a Serbian community in Bosnia. Unfortunately the ultimatum was rejected outright and Austria declared war on Serbia on the 28th July 1914.
On the 1st August 1914 Germany declared war on Russia and on the 2nd August Germany sent an ultimatum to Belgium demanding free passage for her troops.
On the 3rd August 1914 Germany declared war on France, and Britain sent an ultimatum to Germany to respect Belgian neutrality. There was no satisfactory response made by Germany and Britain therefore declared war on Germany at 11p.m. on the 4th August 1914. The war lasted until the 11th November 1918.
World War 1 was not confined to Europe as in addition to the battles fought in France and Flanders there were campaigns in Egypt, Palestine, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia.
4. Campaigns and Battles of World War 1.
The Western Front.
The Western Front was the name given to the fighting zone in France and Flanders where the British, French, Belgian and American armies faced that of Germany. The Western Front stretched from Nieuport on the Belgian coast, through the flat lands of industrial Artois, continuing through the wide expanses of the Somme and Champagne into the high Vosges and on to the Swiss border. From the moment that the German army moved quietly into Luxembourg on the 2nd of August 1914 until the armistice on the 11th November 1918, the fighting on the Western Front never stopped. The war was fought in three phases, the first phase being a war of movement as Germany attacked France and the allies sought to halt it, the second phase, the lengthy and terribly costly siege warfare as the entrenched lines proved impossible to crack from late 1914 until mid-1918, and finally a return to mobile warfare as the allies applied lessons and technologies developed in the previous years.
8 The main battles of the first phase are as follows (a war of encounter and movement):-
23.08.1914 - 24.08.1914 The Battle of Mons 26.08.1914 - 01.09.1914 The Battle of Le Cateau 07.09.1914 - 10.09.1914 The Battle of the Marne 12.09.1914 - 15.09.1914 The Battle of the Aisne 04.10.1914 - 04.10.1914 The Defence of Antwerp 10.10.1914 - 02.11.1914 The Battle of La Basse 12.10.1914 - 02.11.1914 The Battle of Messines 13.10.1914 - 02.11.1914 The Battle of Armentieres 19.10.1914 - 22.11.1914 The Battles of Ypres (First Ypres)
The main battles of the second phase are as follows (entrenched siege warfare):-
10.03.1915 - 22.04.1915 The Battle of Neuve Chapelle 22.04.1915 - 25.05.1915 The Battles of Ypres (Second Ypres) 09.05.1915 - 10.05.1915 The Battle of Aubers 15.05.1915 - 25.05.1915 The Battle of Festubert 25.09.1915 - 18.10.1915 The Battle of Loos 01.07.1916 - 18.11.1916 The Battles of the Somme 11.01.1917 - 13.03.1917 Operations on the Ancre
9 The main battles of the third phase (entrenched siege warfare):-
14.03.1917 - 05.04.1917 German Retreat to the Hindenberg Line 09.04.1917 - 16.06.1917 The Arras Offensive 07.06.1917 – 11.07.1917 The Battle of Messines 31.07.1917 - 10.11.1917 The Battles of Ypres (Third Ypres or Passchendaele) 20.11.1917 - 30.12.1917 The Cambrai Operations
Main battles of the final phase (open warfare):-
21.03.1918 - 04.07.1918 The Battles of the Somme 09.04.1918 - 29.04.1918 The Battles of the Lys 27.05.1918 - 06.06.1918 The Battle of Aisne 20.07.1918 - 02.08.1918 The Battles of the Marne 08.08.1918 - 17.08.1918 The Battle of Amiens 21.08.1918 - 03.09.1918 The Second Battles of the Somme 26.08.1918 - 03.09.1918 The Second battles of Arras 12.09.1918 - 12.10.1918 The Battles of the Hindenberg Line 28.09.1918 - 11.11.1918 The Final Advance in Flanders 02.10.1918 - 11.11.1918 The Final Advance in Artois 17.10.1918 - 11.11.1918 The Final Advance in Picardy
10 11 Egypt and Palestine.
The Egyptian and Palestine campaign where British forces saw action in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria where fought over varied terrain. The most important features affecting the fighting were the narrow coastal plain from the Suez Canal area stretching northwards past Gaza and Jaffa and the rocky heights of the Jordan valley, all previously part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The Suez Canal was a vitally important supply route for the British and it was therefore necessary to protect it.
The 1/7 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, part of the 53rd Welsh Division saw action here.
The main battles of the campaign are as follows:- 26.01.1915 – 12.08.1915 The Defence of the Suez Canal. 15.11.1915 – 09.01.1917 Operations in the Sinai Peninsula. 23.11.1915 – 08.02.1917 Operations against the Senussi in the Western Desert. 01.03.1916 – 31.12.1916 Operations against the Sultan of Darfur. 06.06.1916 – 22.09.1916 The Arab revolt in the Hejaz 04.08.1916 – 05.08.1916 The Battle of Romani 26.03.1917 – 27.03.1917 The First battle of Gaza. 17.04.1917 – 19.04.1917 The Second Battle of Gaza. 27.10.1917 – 07.11.1917 The Third Battle of Gaza. 08.11.1917 – 14.11.1917 The Affair of Huj. 20.11.1917 – 24.11.1917 The Battle of Nabi Samwell. 07.12.1917 – 09.12.1917 The Capture of Jerusalem. 21.12.1917 – 22.12.1917 The Battle of Jaffa. 19.02.1918 – 04.05.1918 Operations in the Jordan Valley. 19.09.1918 – 25.09.1918 The Battles of Megiddo, Sharon and Nablus.
The Gallipoli campaign fought on the Gallipoli Peninsular in Turkey which forms one side of the Dardanelles Straits. The peninsula is only 10 miles wide at its widest point and approximately 45 miles long. After the failure of the naval bombardment in February and March 1915 to force the straits and silence the Turkish guns, the Royal Navy called on the army to capture the guns from the landward side. Landings commenced in April 1915 at Cape Helles and the first Battle of Krithia commenced on the 28th April and continued throughout May and June. Further landings were made in August at Suvla Bay between the 6th and 9th of August. There were 213,000 British casualties at Gallipoli of which 145,000 were due to sickness, mainly dysentery, diarrhoea and enteric fever.
The main battles of the campaign are as follows:- 09.02.1915 – 16.03.1915 Naval Bombardment of the Straits Fort. 25.04.1915 Landings at Cape Helles and ANZAC Cove. 28.04.1915 The First Battle of Krithia. 06.05.1915 The Second Battle of Krithia. 28.06.1915 The Battle of Gully Ravine. 06.08.1915 – 09.08.1915 Landings at Suvla Bay. 21.08.1915 The Battle of Scimitar Hill. 10.12.1915 – 19.12.1915 Evacuation of ANZAC bridgehead and Suvla Bay. 10.12.1915 – 09.01.1916 Evacuation of Cape Helles bridgehead.
Mesopotamia Campaign.
Mesopotamia was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire close to Persia (Iran) and Kuwait. The land for the most part is desert and very flat through which flow the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Conditions in Mesopotamia defy description with extreme temperatures up to 120 degrees, flies, mosquitos and other vermin all leading to an appalling level of sickness and death due to disease. 11,012 men were killed, 3,985 died from wounds, 12,678 died from sickness, 13,492 posted as missing and 51,836 wounded. The main purpose of the campaign was to protect the oilfields near Basra required for fuelling the British warships.
13 5. Details of the Men who died in the First World War 1914 - 1918.
Ernest Berisford 1899 – 22.08.1918
Ernest Berisford was born in Mottram St.Andrew in 1899, the son of Frederick and Martha Berisford. (Mother’s maiden name Grange).
The 1901 census shows the family living at Woodside Lane, Mottram St. Andrew and the father’s occupation is recorded as agricultural labourer.
The 1911 census shows that the family had moved to Macclesfield Road, Wilmslow.
Ernest enlisted in Wilmslow as a private in the 14th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, army number 56489, and served in France and Flanders, more than likely at the Somme, where he died from his wounds on the 22nd August 1918, age 19, during the second battle of the Somme that took place between 21st August and 3rd September 1918. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers were part of the Third Army under Byng and were at the Battle of Albert between 21st and 23rd August 1918.
Ernest is buried at the Bagneux British Cemetery at Gezaincourt. The cemetery is located 2km to the south west of the town of Doullens. There are 1,374 servicemen buried and commemorated here.
He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal that were sent to his parents who were living in Manchester Road, Wilmslow.
Ralph Bower 1884 – 30.06.1918
Ralph Bower was born in Gorton, Manchester in 1884 the son of Isaac Bower (born Mottram St. Andrew) and Sarah Bower (maiden name Hayes) and the grandson of Ralph and Annie Bower who were both born in Alderley Edge.
The 1891 census shows Ralph still living at home at 24 Cromwell St, Gorton with his parents and younger brothers George and Frederick. His grand father died on the 31st March 1888 and his will was proved in Manchester with a personal estate amounted to £126 9s 9d.
By 1901 Ralph had moved to 267 Hyde Road, Gorton, Manchester, close to where his grand mother was living at 251 Hyde Road, Gorton, and was living with his parents and younger brothers. His occupation is recorded as a railway clerk.
The 1911 census still shows him living at 267 Hyde Road, Gorton and still employed as a railway clerk.
Ralph married Annie Lomas in 1911 in Chorlton, Manchester and had a daughter Gladys who was baptised at Prestbury in 1916 a sister to Violet.
14 Ralph served in the Royal Engineers as a sapper, army number 272945, in the 35th Light Railway Operating Company in France. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British Medal.
When he enlisted he was living at Westbourne, Priest Lane, Mottram St. Andrew whilst working as a railway clerk.
The light railway companies were formed in early 1917 and was an initiative that transformed the operational abilities of the army. Goods as well as men could be moved to the front by light rail as maintenance of the roads was becoming a serious problem. The light railway had a gauge of 60cm (2Feet). The track was light weight and therefore could be easily moved and laid. The companies consisted of drivers, engineers, traffic controllers, etc. The job of the companies was to run the trains on the tracks laid by the Royal Engineers railway construction companies.
Ralph died on the 30th June 1918 aged 34 from disease and is buried in the Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, France. The cemetery is located on the Northern outskirts of Boulogne.
At the time of his death his wife was living at 102 Wellington Street, Gorton, Manchester.
Charles Egerton Entwistle 09.12.1894 – 22.03.1918
Charles was baptised on the 9th December 1894 in Scopwick, Lincolnshire the son of Egerton and Emma Entwistle (maiden name Barnes).
In the 1901 census the family were living at the Wilmslow Road National School in Mottram St.Andrew where Egerton Entwistle was the school master and his wife the school mistress.
Egerton Entwistle was also the parish clerk from 1897 – 1902. He was appointed to the post at a Parish Council meeting on 2nd February 1897 on an annual salary of £2.
In the 1911 census the family had moved to Riversdale, Hawthorn Grove, Wilmslow, and Charles was employed as an apprentice in the cotton trade.
Charles served as a Lieutenant in the 8th Manchester Regiment army number 11804 in France.
He had one brother Joseph who served during the war and survived, his name is recorded on the side panels of the memorial. He was born in Little Hulton, Bolton. Both boys attended the Wilmslow Road National School, Mottram St.Andrew where their father was the school master.
Charles was encouraged to take an interest in music, apparently he had a fine singing voice and sang in the choir at St.Bartholomews Parish Church, Wilmslow. The local newspaper reported that he won competitions for solo singing. On leaving school he took up an apprenticeship with J & N Philips of Manchester, one of the largest and oldest established companies in the textile business.
15 War broke out before he had completed his training and both Charles and Joseph enlisted in the Manchester Regiment in September 1914. Neither was destined to remain in the ranks for long, both were sergeants in the 19th Service Battalion within the year and were accepted for officer training. Joseph was commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers in December 1915 and Charles became an officer in the Manchester Regiment on the 1st January 1916. Their mother did not see them in their officer’s uniforms as she had died just weeks beforehand. Both sons attended her funeral as sergeants.
The 8th (Ardwick) Battalion of the Manchester Regiment was a Territorial Unit when war broke out in August 1914 and they were based at Ardwick, Manchester. They were mobilised and moved to Rochdale to prepare for service overseas. They proceeded to Egypt arriving in Alexandria on the 25th September 1914 to defend the Suez Canal from Turkish forces in Palestine. They were in action against the Turkish army on the 3rd February 1915. During May 1915 the division embarked from Alexandria for Cape Helles, Gallipoli where they saw action to capture the heights of Krithia and fought at the battle of Krithia Vineyard which was a diversionary action for the British landing at Sulva Bay. The much depleted division were evacuated from Gallipoli in the first week of 1916 returning to Alexandria via Mudros and returned to duty on the Suez Canal. In early 1917 they were ordered to the Western Front and put into the front line at Ephey, moved to Haurincourt, then withdrawn to Albert for rest and training during July and August. In September they moved north to Flanders and were in action during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. At the end of the month they moved to the coast at Nieuport until November when they move to Givency. On the 19th February 1918 they transferred to the 126th Brigade still with the 42nd Division. They saw action at the Battle of Bapaume, the first Battle of Arras, the Battle of Ancre, the Battle of Albert, and the 2nd Battle of Bapaume etc. They were demobilised in December 1918.
Charles died from his wounds on the 22nd March 1918 aged 23. The 21st March 1918 was the first day of the battle of the Somme.
He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal that were sent to his parents at Riverside, Hawthorn Grove, Wilmslow. In his will he left £184 6s 2d.
He was initially buried in the Marchelepot Cemetery and was moved to the Roye New British Cemetery after the armistice. The cemetery is located at Roye which is a commune in the Department of the Somme 40km south east of Amiens. The cemetery can be found off the D934 Roye to Noyon road.
Roye was in German hands from 30th August 1914 until 17th March 1917 but was recaptured by them on the 26th March 1918 but was evacuated by them on the 26th August 1918 when the First French Army entered the town.
Charles parents are buried in St.Bartholomew’s Churchyard, Wilmslow.
His name is also recorded on the Wilmslow war memorial.
16 John Walter Forrest 01.12.1895 – 10.06.1917.
John was baptised on the 1st December 1895 at St.Michaels, Macclesfield the son of Samuel and Mary Ann Forrest (maiden name Massey), when living at 56 Brook Street, Macclesfield. His parents were married in 1894 in Macclesfield.
The 1901 census shows him living in Brook Street, Macclesfield with his parents and brothers John and Arthur Henry and sister Violet Mary.
The 1911 census shows his parents, brothers and sisters living at the post office in Mottram St.Andrew. By this time he had 3 brothers, Arthur Henry (born 24.07.1900), William Edward (born 13.04.1907) and Frederick James (born 27.12.1909) and 3 sisters Lucy Lilian (born 22.09.1904), Elizabeth Ann (born 04.10.1905) and Violet Mary. He had another sister Elsie who was born 17.07.1911. All his brothers and sisters attended Mottram St.Andrew School in Priest Lane when they were living at the post office in Priest Lane.
In the 1911 census John was a clerk with the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, at Shaft Barracks, Western Heights, Dover, Kent.
During the First World War he served as a sergeant, army number 12361, in the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment in France and Flanders.
On the 16th August 1917 he received the DCM for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During an attack he led his platoon with great courage and ability to the objective. Immediately on reaching it he reorganised the company, all other sergeants having become casualties, and did most valuable work throughout until severely wounded on the following day. He died on the 10th June 1917 from the wounds received. He also received the British Medal and the Victory Medal. His DCM was recorded in the August 1917 edition of the London Gazette.
The 3rd Worcestershire Regiment were attached to the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division and was part of the British Expeditionary Force under John French serving as Commander in Chief of the BEF. Over 130,000 men served with the Worcestershire Regiment between 1914 and 1918. They were awarded 9 Victoria Crosses, 82 Distinguished Service Orders, 327 Military Crosses, 328 Distinguished Conduct Medals and over 800 Military Medals.
The 3rd Battalion was stationed at Tidworth on the 4th August 1914 and was part of 7th Brigade. On the 16th August they were mobilised and landed at Rouen and engaged in numerous actions during1914 including the Battle of Mons and the First Battle of Ypres. They were involved in various operations in 1915 and the 7th Brigade transferred to the 25th Division on the 18th October 1915. In 1916 they were at Vimy Ridge, the Battle of Albert etc. In 1917 they were at the Battle of Messines, The Battle of Pilken between 7th June and 11th July which is presumably where John was wounded and died.
17 He is buried in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, which is in Bailleul, a large town in France near the Belgian border, 14.5 km south west of Leper on the main road from St.Omer to Lille.
Roderick Donald Lardner 18.07.1886 – 05.09.1914.
Roderick Donald Lardner was born in Inverness the son of Henry Fisher Lardner and Isabella Lardner on the 18th July 1886.
At sometime after his birth the family moved to Mottram St. Andrew and in the 1891 census the family was living at the Cottage, Mottram St. Andrew.
By 1901 the family had moved to 1 Samuel Street, Levenshulme, Manchester. The census shows Roderick’s occupation as a Stationer’s Clerk.
By 1911 he had left home and was recorded in the 1911 census as an unmarried man living in Tendring, Harwich, Essex, on board HMS Boadicea in Harwich Harbour as a signalman. Subsequently he transferred to HMS Pathfinder.
Roderick Donald Lardner married Alice Macnicoll (widow) maiden name Pratt on the 6th August 1913 in the parish of Kirkmichael, Perthshire, Scotland.
They had a son Roderick Donald James Lardner, who was born on the 25th August 1914 in Gillingham, Kent. He emigrated to Brazil in July 1948.
During the First World War Roderick Donald Lardner was serving in the Royal Navy as a Yeoman Signaller, navy number 221290, aboard light cruiser HMS Pathfinder. This ship was sailing at slow speed, just 5 knots, to conserve fuel when it was sunk by a torpedo fired from a German U Boat number U21 off the Firth of Forth on the 5th September 1914. The captain of the U boat was Otto Heuring. The torpedo struck the forward magazine causing it to explode and the ship sank in 4 minutes. This was the first British warship to be sunk in the First World War. The ship had 3 funnels and was serving with the Rosyth based 8th Destroyer flotilla at the time of the sinking. Pathfinder was a light cruiser of 2,940 tons and was built in 1904 by Cammel Laird, Birkenhead.
Only 90 of the crew of 268 were rescued. Roderick’s body was never recovered.
His father and wife were advised of his death. His father was living at 218 Clarendon Road, Whalley Range, Manchester and his wife, Alice Lardner, was living at 284 Canterbury Road, Gillingham, Kent.
Roderick’s name is also recorded on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
According to census records he had several sisters and a brother, all of whom were born in Cheshire. Nora Johnstone Lardner was born in 1881 in Chester, Janette Isabella R. Lardner was born in 1884 Chester, Mary A Lardner was born in 1891 Mottram St. Andrew, Amelia Lardner was born in 1894 in Mottram St. Andrew and Henry Lardner was born in 1896 Mottram St. Andrew.
18 Attempts to find if any of his sisters or brother remained in Mottram St. Andrew reveals that they all moved away at sometime.
Charles May 21.06.1891 – 08.11.1917.
Charles May was born in Guildford, Surrey in 1891 the son of Walter and Mary Ann May. He was baptised on the 21st June 1891 at Woking St.Peters.
The 1901 census shows him living with his parents, brothers and sisters at Whitepost, Penshurst, Tonbridge. His brothers and sister are William, Walter, John and Annie.
The 1911 census still shows the family living at Whitepost, Penshurst, Tonbridge. Charles occupation is given as domestic gardener and his brothers were game keepers the same as his father.
Charles married Mary Barlow at St.Pauls Church, Macclesfield on the 20th April 1912 when he was living at 9 Bank Place, Macclesfield.
They had 3 sons. Walter Kenneth was baptised on the 20th September 1916 at St.Pauls Church, Macclesfield (born 1st September 1916) when the family were living at Allen House, Mill Lane, Macclesfield. His other 2 brothers John Leslie and Charles Stewart were also baptised at St.Pauls Church on the 16th October 1913 (born 8th September 1913) when the family were living at 98 Bank Street, Macclesfield.
Charles enlisted as a private, army number 4656, in the Cheshire Regiment in Mottram St. Andrew. At some date he moved to the Machine Gun Corps, army number 58032.
He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British Medal and served in Mesopotamia.
He died on the 23rd October 1917 and is buried at Port Said War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
His death is also recorded at Prestbury and on the Penshurst War Memorial, Kent.
His widow Mary and 3 sons emigrated to Canada in 1918, arriving in St. Johns, New Brunswick on the 30th November 1918 with Alberta as their destination.
Walter Kenneth May died in Vancouver on the 15th January 1973, occupation given as retired aircraft mechanic. His death was reported by his son Bryan May. He was cremated at Mount View Cemetery, Vancouver. His wife’s maiden name was Isabelle Johnston.
Charles Stewart May died in Riverview Hospital, Essondale, British Columbia on the 23rd June 1973, occupation given as labourer. He was unmarried.
19