Sam's Story.
Sam was born in Runcorn, son of William and Harriet Antrobus of 66 Companys Row. By 1911 age 30, Sam was married to Annie (nee Clarke) and they lived at School Hill, Heswall with their five children, Nora 7, George 6, Annie, 4, Elizabeth 2, and 3-month-old Jennie. Sam was working as a jobbing gardener. In January 1915 a sixth child, Dorothy was born.
Sam serving with the 13th battalion Cheshire Regiment went to France in the first half of 1916 and was killed in action on 7 July 1916, just a week into the Battle of the Somme, in La Boisselle.
Objectives were to (1) straighten points 39, 79, 99, 29, 38
(2) capture the line from points 67, through 65, 85, 84, 95, 93 to 42.
(3) capture from 24 to 75
On the 6 July 1916, the battalion occupied the trenches in the village of La Boisselle on Friday the 7 they attacked the war diary reads:
Over the parapet at 8.5am after suffering severe casualties we reached our objective and consolidated. A number of prisoners and war material fell into our hands, Casualties on this day very heavy, 18 officers and 243 other ranks.
The brigade dairy confirms that at 8.20am the 13th Cheshires had gained their 1st objective, at 8.55am the 9 Loyal North Lancs had gained their first objective and were pushing on in conjunction with the 13 Cheshire’s. The Cheshire’s were unable to hold on to their objective except for a small portion on the right where they joined hands with the Loyal North Lancs. The chief reason for this was because the enemy trenches in the centre of the Cheshire’s objective had been blown out of all recognition.
The 2nd Royal Irish Rifles and 1½ companies of the 11 Lancs Fusiliers were sent forward to consolidate position 1. The time came for advancing to the second objective (10am) there were so few officers and NCOs left to direct operations that the troops were not reorganised in time to carry forward the advance, consequently the brigade consolidated on this objective.
The Birkenhead News, Saturday August 19, 1916.
Another Heswall Soldier Killed.
official notice has been received by Mrs. Antrobus, of Boundary Lane Heswall, of the death off her husband, Lance Corporal S. Antrobus, after 13th Cheshire’s. He was killed in France on July 7th, but although rumours of his death where prevalent, no official information reached Heswall until Saturday last. The deceased was well known in the district and leaves a widow and six young children to mourn his loss. Before joining up he was employed at “Lawton,” Heswall, by Commander Pointon.