PETER WILDING 

Peter WILDING
Rank: Private
Service Number:241205.
Regiment: 5th Cheshire Regiment
Died of wounds Monday 25th June 1917
Age 22
FromNorthwich.
County Memorial Northwich
Commemorated\Buried Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun
Grave\Panel Ref: III L 58
CountryFrance

Peter's Story.

Peter Ryder Wilidng was the son of Hannah Plumb (formerly Wilding) and 
He was born on 6th June 1894 at Castle, Northwich and in 1911 listed as living at 1 Hampden Place Castle Northwich, with his step dad Levi Plumb and 3 brothers James, Sam and Ernest . 
His occupation in 1911 , as a 16 years old was that of an Erand Boy at an Iron works. 
In 1914 he is listed as working for Midlands Railway.
He joined the 5th Cheshire Regiment as Reg No 3809 but in 1916 was given a new number 241205. 
Peter did not travel to France until 1916 as he was only awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal, no Campaign Star. 
The soldiers effects document for Peter states that he died of wounds on 25th June 1917. During this period , he was in D company, who on the 24th June dug a fire trench near Wancourt, and the war diary states that the casualties from this were 1 OR killed and 1 died of wounds, this may have been Peter. 
A search of the local papers is required to find a write up for him and this clarify when he was injured. 
Peter is buried at Duisans British Cemetery about 9 kilometres west of Arras. The Cemetery lies in Etrun but takes its name from the nearer village of Duisans. It is one kilometre north of Duisans on the D339 road off the Route nationale N39 (Arras-St Pol), in the angle of the Arras Habarcq road and a track leading to Haute-Avesnes.

The area around Duisans was occupied by Commonwealth forces from March 1916, but it was not until February 1917 that the site of this cemetery was selected for the 8th Casualty Clearing Station. The first burials took place in March and from the beginning of April the cemetery grew very quickly, with burials being made from the 8th Casualty Clearing Station (until April 1918), the 19th (until March 1918), and the 41st (until July 1917). Most of the graves relate to the Battles of Arras in 1917, and the trench warfare that followed. From May to August 1918, the cemetery was used by divisions and smaller fighting units for burials from the front line. In the Autumn of 1918 the 23rd, 1st Canadian and 4th Canadian Clearing Stations remained at Duisans for two months, and the 7th was there from November 1918 to November 1920.

Composed by Graeme Ainsworth

Picture by taken by Jeremy Bourdon