John Henry's Story.
Born in 1893 John was one of ten children of John and Mary Ellen Gleave of Lostock Green. In 1901 the family lived at 20 Shipbrook Road, Rudheath, John senior was working as a chemical labourer. By 1911 the family had moved to 42 Lostock Green, John and Mary had been married nineteen years and had sadly lost three of their children. John Henry had left home and was working as a cow man on a farm, Earnshaw House, Cranage.
When war was declared 4th August 1914, John Henry was working as a labourer at Brunner Mond at Lostock Gralam, he enlisted 31st August 1914, his given age was 21, he was 5ft 7 ¾ inches with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. On 15th September he was posted to the 10th battalion Cheshire Regiment. The 10th battalion were formed in Chester on 10th September 1914, they moved to Codford St. Mary and then in November moved to billets in Bournemouth, by May 1915 they were in Aldershot, by then John had been promoted to an unpaid Lance Corporal.
On 26th September 1915 John Henry and the 10th battalion embarked for France and joined the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) They arrived in Boulogne at 2am September 27th entrained and went into billets at Strazeele. By 3rd October they were in reserve billets near to Ploegsteert. For the next seventeen months John Henry would see action in Belgium, at Vimy and on the Somme, 3rd July 1916 he was promoted to sergeant. On 19th August he received a gun shot wound to his left leg and right foot, 30th August he was sent back to the UK for treatment. He was in the UK till December, re-joining the battalion 18th December 1916.
February 1917 the battalion were back at Ploegsteert preparing for a trench raid, the war diary for the period reads:
15.2.17 In the line. Preparing for attack, situation quiet.
16.2.17 In the line. Howitzers, 60 pounders, 18 pounders, T.M and 2-inch T.M (Trench Mortars) bombarded the enemy wire and frontline from 9am to 4pm continuously.
17.2.17 MEANEE DAY. At 10.40 am One officer and 65 other ranks from each A, C and D companies under Captain I.S Appleton successfully raided the enemy trenches north of Factory Farm, inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy, many dugouts were bombed, bomb dumps and trench material destroyed. Ten prisoners were taken however 8 of this number were killed by their own machine gun fire crossing NO MANS LANDS to our line.
John was wounded while on this raid, his casualty card shows he had gunshot wounds to his arms and buttocks, he was taken to No2. Casualty clearing station and then transferred to the hospital in Boulogne on the 22nd where he died from the wounds 6th March 1917.
John Henry's father would receive £14 10 shillings in war gratuity in 1919.