Robert's Story.
Private Robert Haydock, South Lancashire Regiment, was wounded whilst serving on the Western Front and was evacuated to hospital in England. Aged 29, he was the son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Haydock of 44 Waterloo Road, Castle, Northwich. In a letter home, he described taking part in the capture of a village, during which local civilians greeted British troops with coffee and apples. Later, while manning a Lewis gun under enemy shellfire, he assisted in bringing an officer's horse to safety before a shell burst nearby, killing the officer and wounding him in the right thigh. He underwent an operation to remove shrapnel and subsequently recovered in Britain. Enlisted two years earlier, he reached France after four months' training. Before joining the Army, he had been employed by Messrs Sandford, Son and Armstrong. His father, an old soldier, had served in the Burmese, Afghan and South African campaigns and had also seen service during the Great War.