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7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers were a unit of the Territorial Force with their HQ in Cross Lane, Salford. They were part of the Lancashire Fusiliers Infantry Brigade, East Lancashire Division. When war broke out in August 1914 they were mobilized for war and were amongst the first territorials to proceed overseas leaving from Southampton, arriving in Egypt on the 25th of September 1914. The Division underwent training around Cairo and defended the Suez Canal against the Turkishh attack in February. In May
the Division became 125th Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division and went on to land at Cape Helles in Gallipoli and took part in the action capture the dominating heights around the village of Krithia. By August, the division had lost about 2/3rd of it's men through battle casualties, injuries or sickness and reinforcements arrived. The Battalion made a successful withdrawal from the Helles bridgehead and on the 28th of December 1915 landed on Mudros and then returned to Egypt.
On the 27th of February 1917 they landed Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front. They were re-equipped for trench warfare and entered the line at Epehy, as part of III Corps in Fourth Army. In September they moved north to Flanders and were in action at the Battle of Passechendaele for a short time before moving to the coast at Nieuport. In November they moved to Givenchy where they undertook the construction of concrete defence works. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme, in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. The Battalion was demobilized at Charleroi between December 18 and March 1919.
Aug 1914 Letter home
7th May 1915 In Action
21st July 1916 B.G.C. returned from Alexandria
5th Jun 1917 Reliefs 
29th Jan 1918 Reliefs
6th Apr 1918 Reliefs
2nd May 1918 Reliefs
3rd May 1918 Reliefs Completed
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| Want to know more about 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers? There are:5239 items tagged 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers during the Great War 1914-1918. - Earl William J.. Pte. (d.27th May 1918)
- Hands Charles Eugene. Pte.
- Higgins George. Pte. (d.22nd Sep 1915)
- Jackson George. Pte.
- Jeffries William. Pte. (d.28th July 1918)
- Paulson Samuel. Pte.
- Rowe Frederick. Pte. (d.23rd Aug 1918)
- Sidebotham Samuel Wilfrid. Pte.
- Smith John J.. Pte. (d.7th May 1915)
- Spencer William John. Pte (d.8th August 1915)
- Wilcock Frank Ernest. Pte
- Wilcock Frank Ernest. Pte.
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers from other sources.
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Pte. Charles Eugene Hands 7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers  My father’s brother, Willie, had enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of the First World War in l914, when he was 18. Within a year he would be killed. (he is buried at Bailleul). It is significant that my father, Charles Hands, only once in his life ever mentioned to me his experiences in the war, possibly because, coming as he did from a loving, united and peaceful family, these must have had a devastating effect on him and were too painful to recall.
The minimum age for joining the armed forces was 18 so that when, at the Cross Lane, Salford Recruiting Agency, the Recruiting Officer learned that he was only 16 he told my father to walk once round his desk. “Now how old are you?â€, he asked. “19â€, replied my father. “Very good,†said the officer, “sign hereâ€. It was May 1915 and my father joined the 7th Lancashire Fusiliers. He was to remain in England, for at least some of the time on coastal duty in Scarborough, until March 1918 when he embarked for Ypres where his regiment was to meet up with another - the 8th Lancs. Fusiliers?..
Coming to a fork in the road, my father was sent one way, while a comrade was sent another, to find the Company in question. My father was successful in meeting up with the company and returned to his own with its commanding officer. To his horror he found that his own company had been attacked and wiped out. The scene that met his eyes must have been imprinted on his mind for the rest of his life: men and horses, dead or dying, were strewn everywhere along the road and in the ditches. The noise was hellish. I understood that none had survived.
Shortly after this, as they were trying to take a hill, the second company was surrounded by Germans. “Tommyâ€, they shouted, “drop your weapons, you are surroundedâ€. “I shall always be grateful to those Germansâ€, said my father, “they could have shot usâ€. As it was, they probably saved his life because he was transported to Kassel and put into a POW camp where he spent the next seven months, up to the end of the war. Army Form W. 3038A reporting my father missing was sent to his sister Madaleine on 5 July 1918.
It was in Kassel that my father lost his fussiness over food. Hunger was extreme both inside and outside the camp – the Germans were starving, too, and German children came to the wire fences to beg for food. There were occasional food parcels distributed by the international charities, also containing cigarettes and gloves and socks hand-knitted by wives, mothers and sisters back in England. The prisoners would swap and barter these precious offerings. My father was so hungry on one occasion that he offered to pay a comrade 25 shillings in War Bonds - to be delivered after the war - for eight biscuits! Twenty-five shillings was more than a working-man’s weekly wage in those days. “How do I know I’ll ever see the money?†the chap asked. “You have my promiseâ€, said my father. True to his word and much to his mother’s annoyance, my father sent the War bonds off to his comrade as soon as he got back home after the war. “After allâ€, he reasoned, “the chap trusted me and those eight biscuits at the time represented a banquetâ€.
  
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Pte. William Jeffries 1/7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.28th July 1918) William Jeffries served with the 1/7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers in WW1. He died on 28th of July 1918 aged 20 years and is buried Bagneux British Cemetery at Gezaincourt in France. Son of William and Elizabeth Ann Jeffries of 25 Buxton St. Pendleton, Manchester. Native of Salford.
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Pte. John J. Smith 7th Battalion, B Coy. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.7th May 1915) My relative, John Smith of the 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, was sent to train at the East Lancashire Brigade Camp, Bourley, Aldershot, and as far as I can tell, eventually fought at Gallipoli, where he died, aged 16yrs.
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Pte. Samuel Wilfrid Sidebotham 1/7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers Samuel Sidebotham served with the 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers.
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Pte. Samuel Paulson 1/7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers Pte. Samuel Paulson served with the 1/7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers.
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Pte. William J. Earl 1/7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.27th May 1918) William Earl was executed for desertion 27th May 1918 age 22 and buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, France. He was the son of George and Lillian Earl, of 14, Earl St., Lower Broughton, Manchester.
During his court martial he simple said that he was fed up with the war.
His CWGC headstone is inscribed "Those miss him most Who loved him best".
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Pte. George Jackson 1st/7th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers My fathers George Jackson, as a 19 year old in 1911 enlisted in the 1st/7th (TA) Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in October 1911 at Cross Lane Barracks Salford. In the war he went to E Egypt then Gallipoli. George was wounded on 6/7th August 1915 was sent to Hospital in Malta then England. When recovered he was sent to 3rd training Battalion near Hull in January 1917 he was transferred to the Labour Corps and was sent to France where I believe he was wounded again.
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Pte. George Higgins 1/7th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (d.22nd Sep 1915) George Higgins was born at Sutton Farm, Shrewsbury. He went to live in Lancashire when he was a young man. He married Hannah Roberts. They had two daughters.He served at Gallipoli where he was killed on the 22nd of September 1915. He left his wife and daughters, the eldest being 3years old and the youngest only 4 months.
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