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The Cheshire Regiment
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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar greatThe Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment can be traced back to 1689.
Battalions during the Great War.
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
- 4th Battalion
- 2/4th Battalion
- 5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion
- 2/5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion
- 6th Battalion
- 2/6th Battalion
- 7th Battalion
- 2/7th Battalion
- 23rd Battalion
- 8th (Service) Battalion
- 9th (Service) Battalion
- 10th (Service) Battalion
- 11th (Service) Battalion
- 12th (Service) Battalion
- 13th (Service) Battalion
- 14th (Reserve) Battalion
- 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Birkenhead)
- 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Birkenhead)
- 17th (Reserve) Battalion
- 18th (Labour) Battalion
- 19th (Labour) Battalion
- 20th (Labour) Battalion
- 21st (Labour) Battalion
- 22nd (Labour) Battalion
- 24th (Home Service) Battalion
- 1st Garrison Battalion
- 2nd Garrison Battalion
- 3rd (Home Service) Garrison Battalion
- 51st (Graduated) Battalion
- 52nd (Graduated) Battalion
- 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion
Those known to have served with The Cheshire Regiment during The Great War
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
- L/Cpl. Henry Ashton Read his Story.
- Arthur Aspinall 13th Btn. Read his Story.
- Private George Aspinall (d.15th Oct 1918) Read his Story.
- Pte. J. D. Benson 7th Btn. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Pte. H. J. Brough 7th Btn. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Pte. G. E. Brown 9th Btn. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Pte. Felix Sayer Holme 15th Battalion (Bantams) (d.20th Aug 1917) Read his Story.
- Pte. Herbert McKenzie 10th Btn. (d.8th Oct 1917) Read his Story.
- L/Cpl. Frederick Moon 10th (Service) Battalion (d.26th July 1916) Read his Story.
- L\Cpl. Ernest Pacey 1st Btn. Read his Story.
- Pte. James Page 12th (Service) Battalion Read his Story.
- L/Cpl. Ben Schofield 1st Btn. Read his Story.
- Capt George Edward Schultz 15th Battalion (d.19th Aug 1917) Read his Story.
- Pte. Alfred Skelhorn 10th Btn. Read his Story.
- Private Frank Thornhill Read his Story.
- Pte. James Arthur Wright 9th Btn. (d.7th Jun 1917)
Pte. James Page 12th (Service) Battalion Cheshire Regiment
In researching my grandfather's WW1 career, we would like to know how much a private soldier was paid, and how he managed to send money to his wife and young baby. My grandfather enlisted in September 1914, was sent to Salonika in 1915 and was not discharged until 1919. In 1918 he suffered from malaria, stated to have 20% disability and was transferred to the Labour Corps. I should be grateful to know about his pay, as I can find nothing online on this subject.
Private George Aspinall 15th Cheshire (d.15th Oct 1918)
My Father, Arthur Aspinall, joined the Cheshires in 1916 in the Bantam section. His Brother George Went in 1914...During the last Months of the War my father actually passed by him my Father coming "off" his brother going into the fray... He never saw him again. He heard that George had died of wounds. My Father Arthur Aspinall suffered during a gas attack and until he died he suffered nose bleeds and severe headaches. The surgeons operated on him and found a massive tumour
I would be so pleased if I could obtain a photo of Dad and especially one of my dear Uncle George who gave his life... I feel quite sad now...I am 81 yrs young going blind, but looking forward to seeing them together at last
Arthur Aspinall 13th Btn. Cheshire Rgt
My Father, Arthur Aspinall, joined the Cheshires in 1916 in the Bantam section. His Brother George Went in 1914...During the last Months of the War my father actually passed by him my Father coming "off" his brother going into the fray... He never saw him again. He heard that George had died of wounds. My Father Arthur Aspinall suffered during a gas attack and until he died he suffered nose bleeds and severe headaches. The surgeons operated on him and found a massive tumour
I would be so pleased if I could obtain a photo of Dad and especially one of my dear Uncle George who gave his life... I feel quite sad now...I am 81 yrs young going blind, but looking forward to seeing them together at last
Pte. Alfred Skelhorn 10th Btn. Cheshire Regiment
Alfred was my grandfather, he died aged 96 in 1988. During the Great War he spent two periods in hospital, once with trench fever, constipation, indigestion and loss of teeth, probably as a result of the poor conditions and rations. He had been around Ypres for six months prior to this and had gone from a fit 24 yr old, to spending nearly 70 days in hospital. His medical record on discharge states, 'can walk fairly well'. He was very badly wounded on the 1st of August 1917, with a gunshot wound to right foot, leading to amputation of one toe, and a shrapnel ball in chest with damage to a shoulder blade, fractured rib (which was removed). The shrapnel ball was too close to his heart to be removed,it stayed in him the rest of his life, it moved with every pulse! I have his chest X-ray, he was assessed as 30 % disabled. Alfred gave up smoking in his 70's, my hero!
Pte. Felix Sayer Holme 15th Battalion (Bantams) Cheshire Regiment (d.20th Aug 1917)
Felix Sayer Holme was born on 19th April 1889 at 27 Mill Lane, West Derby, Liverpool, the ninth child of William and Mary Holme nee Allen, a family that had migrated to Liverpool from Garsdale in Yorkshire in 1877. His Father William Holme was a Cowkeeper and Felix worked in the milk distribution business after leaving school around 1903. The family moved to Bolton, Lancashire shortly afterwards.
Having been of slight build, but with immense strength, he joined the 15th Cheshire's, a Bantam Battalion raised at Birkenhead in Cheshire by the local Member of Parliament Alfred Bigland, and after undergoing basic initial training, Felix embarked for France in 1917. The 15th Cheshires fought along the Somme, and from the middle of August 1917, Felix found himself engaged in a brutal engagement at a place called The Knoll, close to Guillemont Farm near Lempire.
The 15th Cheshires, together with the Sherwood Foresters, had trained together for some weeks in preparation for what was to be the planned assault on The Knoll, defended as it was by well-dug-in German troops. During the fiercest of the fighting on the night of 19th August 1917, a number of his comrades were killed when a full-blown assault was made on The Knoll, and Felix was gravely injured by machine gun fire. He was conveyed to the 55th Casualty Clearing Station near Villers Faucon where he died of his wounds the following day.
Prior to his embarkation, Felix's wife Mary Jane Holme nee Fishwick was pregnant with their first child, and soon afterwards left their home in Bolton Lancashire to be closer to her family at Ravenstonedale in Westmoreland, where their son John Fishwick Holme was born. There is no evidence to suggest that Felix Sayer Holme ever saw his son.
He is buried at the beautiful British Cemetery at Villers Faucon.
L/Cpl. Frederick Moon 10th (Service) Battalion Cheshire Regiment (d.26th July 1916)
Enlisted in 1914.
Originally posted to 9th Cheshire's. Transferred to 10th Cheshire's.
Wounded in hip in 1915 returned home for a couple of months.Sent back to France on 24th Dec 1915.
Killed in action on 26th July 1916 some where just outside Albert he is buried in Knightsbridge Cemetery in France.
Private Frank Thornhill The Cheshire Regiment
I know very little about my dad's war. He was 50 when I was born. He was injured at the Somme, but when I do not know, then he went back to UK to train others. If anyone knows anything about my dad please let us know - my son is very interested.
L/Cpl. Henry Ashton Cheshire Regiment
My father Henry Ashton, served with the Cheshire Regiment, Transports then transferred to the Royal Engineers and then back to the Cheshire Regiment. If anyone has any information about his service, I would love to hear from you.
L/Cpl. Ben Schofield 1st Btn. Cheshire Regiment
My great grand father, Lance Corporal Ben Schofield no:9594, enlisted in the 1st battalion Cheshire Regiment on the 28th Feb 1911 at Chester.
He was posted to Belfast on the 10th July 1911, where he had his tonsils removed in Musgrave Park Military Hospital and was paid 2 shillings compensation.
He was then transferred to Ebrington Barracks in Londonderry on the 10th Jan 1913.At the out break of the War he was returned with the Regiment to the Regimental Depot and sent to France, arriving there on the 16th January 1915.
Overall his conduct was listed as good for his time in the U.K. There is only one entry on his ‘crime sheet’ dated 20 January 1914 ‘’Awarded 21 days detention by the C.O for being in possession of goods which where the property of a comrade.’’
The Regiment then took part in the second Battle of Ypres. On the 8th of May the First Battalion were fighting around the village of Frezenbuerg, L/cpl Schofield was wounded in the right arm and back then captured.
After receiving medical treatment in a German field hospital he was transferred to Mersburg Prisoner of War Camp, Saxony, Germany. It was here that he joined No 2 Company, being given the P.O.W number 1514.
He was repatriated to Britan on the 9th of January 1919 and discharged on the 9th of April 1919.
After the war he settled in Belfast, he married and raised 5 children after finding work as a tram driver for the Belfast Transport Corporation.
Pte. Herbert McKenzie 10th Btn. Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.8th Oct 1917)
My Great-Grandfather Herbert McKenzie was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1885. He enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment 10th Battalion in 1916. He was transferred at some point to the 10th Queens' (Royal West Kents) and in October 1917 he was in the 118th Coy, Labour Corps.
He was killed by enemy artillery fire, south of Ypres on the 8th of Oct 1917 and is buried in Poperinghe New Military Cemetery.
Capt George Edward Schultz 15th Battalion Cheshire Regiment (d.19th Aug 1917)
George Schultz died of wounds, received whilst leading W company in an assault on "the Knoll", near Lempire. He is buried in CWGC annex to the village cemetery at nearby Villers-Faucon.
He had emigrated to British Columbia around 1912, leaving his fiancee behind while he established himself as a fruit farmer. As he had served in the Territorials, he returned to enlist in response to Kitchener's call. He married his fiancee in 1915 and a wedding present from fellow officers, a silver rose bowl, was donated by family to Cheshire Military Museum and is currently on display.
He supposedly rejected suggestion by Mayor of Birkenhead that he should change his German-sounding surname. His son was born in 1916 and his telegram home to congratulate his wife and welcome his son is still in possession of family. A photo suggests he did see his son once. His widow lived for another 57 years, but never remarried.
L\Cpl. Ernest Pacey 1st Btn. Cheshire Regt
Ernest joined the Cheshire Special Reserves on 26 Aug 1909, he attended annual training camp and qualified skills in musketry. Training camps 09,10,11,12,13 and 14. Ernest was promoted to L\Cpl in 1914 and later Mobilized on the 8 Aug 1914 to France.
He was posted to 1st Bn on the 20 Aug 1914, but was reported missing in action on the 22nd of October 1914. His wife, Rachel, who lived with their 2 children, Lucy and Lillian, was informed he was missing. On the 3rd of Apr 1915 it was unofficially reported he was a POW, on the 9th of October 1916 the War office was informed Ernest Pacey was a POW in Slammlaga. After the end of the war Ernest was repatriated on the 9 Jan 1919 and later discharged on the 31 Mar 1921.
Recomended Reading.
Available at discounted prices.
Arthur Crookenden
Naval and Military Press, have once again provided the military historian and researcher with an invaluable service by re-publishing this long out of print volume at the most reasonable price. It chronicles the war record of the fifteen battalions of the regiment which served on the Western Front, in Italy, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Palestine and Macedonia. The large appendices will however be invaluable for researchers, as having commenced with a summary showing the totals of dead officers and other rank totals by battalions, it is followed by the nominal rolls, with officers grouped alphabetically and other ranks in their battalions. The comprehensive 56-page list of Honours and Awards, including Mentions In Despatches, is arranged alphabetically and although the ranks of the recipients are not given, the citations for the VC, DSO, MC and DCM awards are. The final appendix, entitled `Mobilization', is useful too as it briefly provides the story of each battalion before it went overseasMore information on:
History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Great War.
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The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
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