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Pte. John Higgins
British Army 1st Btn. D Coy. Cheshire Regiment
from:Bootle, Liverpool
My Grandfather John Higgins had served pre-war with the British Army as part of the 5th Btn, Manchester Regiment from August 1906 and at the start of World War 1 was an engine cleaner for Liverpool Corporation Tramways but also still an army reservist who was called up at Chester on 6th August 1914 and assigned to 1st Btn Cheshire Regt.
He was sent with the regiment as part of 15th Brigade, 5th Division to France as part of the Original B.E.F which subsequently became known as "The Old Contemptibles". As a member of "D" company on 24th August 1914 he found himself positioned at a crossroad close to a colliery outside the small Belgian village of Audregnies. The 1st Cheshires were directly faced by 4 German battalions that day and together with 1st Battalion The Norfolk Regiment and supporting cavalry stopped the entire German advance on the town for over 4 hours thereby playing their part in preventing the encirclement of the British 2nd Corps by the German 4th Corps.
John with the majority of his platoon was taken prisoner that day (only 8 days after arriving in France) and spent the next 4 years as a prisoner of war in the German PoW camp at Geissen near Frankfurt. After liberation he returned to work for The Liverpool Corporation Tramways as a Conductor, married my grandmother Charlotte Rumble, and unfortunately passed away prematurely at the age of 40 in 1930.
