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2nd Lt. Thomas Hargreaves
British Army 8th Btn. Manchester Regiment
from:Droylsden, Tameside, Manchester
Thomas Hargreaves enlisted with his brother Harold Hargreaves in the 1/9th (Ashton Pals) Battalion, Manchester Regiment and sailed to Egypt in September 1914 as part of the 42nd Division. On 10th of May 1915, the battalion landed at Seddul Bahr during the Dardanelles campaign. Thomas was a sergeant in H Company of the battalion and on 24th of June 1915 was wounded by shrapnel from Turkish shelling whilst digging a communications trench. Several of Thomas's friends were killed or wounded, and he received wounds to the left hand.
Thomas saw action at the Helles Bridgehead and the battle of Krithia Vineyard in Gallipoli in 1915. He was evacuated with the rest of the 42nd Division in December 1915 and, due to casualties reducing the division to a third of its strength, was tasked with defending the Suez Canal.
In March 1917, the 1/9th Battalion landed at Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front. Thomas saw action at the battles of Passchendaele, Nieuport, and Cambrai. In January 1918, Thomas was transferred to the 8th Battalion, Manchester Regiment and commissioned to the rank of second lieutenant as part of the 126th (East Lancashire) Brigade. He was demobilised in March 1919. He was awarded the Victory Medal, the British War Medal, and the 1915 Star.
