John Gallear

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Cheshire, Ellesmere Port, John Gallear, Monmouthshire, Wales, Yorkshire Regiment

The son of John and Martha Gallear, John was born in Wolverhampton in 1885. By 1901, they were living in Newport, Monmouthshire, along with John’s siblings Isaiah, Martha, Ann, Amy, Minnie and Samuel. John married Sarah Ann Cotterill in Newport in 1904. By 1911, the couple were living in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, along with their two children, John and Annie May. John was working as a mill roller for Mr P. Jones at the corrugated iron mills.

John enlisted with the 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (number 11241). He rose to become Lance Corporal, but was killed in action on 27 September 1916. He is remembered at the Thiepval Memorial.

The Caldicott Brothers

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Bilston, coroners records, Ellesmere Port, France, George Street, John Caldicott, Liverpool, railways, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment, William Caldicott

The sons of William and Lucy Caldicott, William Francis was born in 1888, and John Henry was born in 1893. They were living at 5 George Street, Bilston, in 1901, along with their sister, Esther. By 1911, the family had moved to Ellesmere Port, living at 69 Heathfield Road. Both William and John were sheet mill workers.

On 1 September 1914, William enlisted in the 17th Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) (service number 15962). His trade by then was given as engineer. From November 1915, he served in France. Unfortunately, in July 1916, he was reported as missing, and his death was assumed to have occured on 10 July 1916. He is remembered at the Thiepval Memorial.

Like his brother, John, too, enlisted in the 17th Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) on 1 September 1914 (service number 15963). He was also an engineer. He served in France and became a Lance Corporal, but was in hospital in Liverpool on a number of occasions, firstly a gun shot wound to his leg in October 1917 and later his right leg had to be amputated following pneumonia. In May 1918 he was discharged home. However, John was subsequently killed in a railway accident on 30 October 1918.

He had travelled on the train from Birkenhead to Hooton and his cap had fallen on to the line. He got off the train at Spittal Station and walked towards the line to look for his cap. The stationmaster questioned what he was doing and, seeing that he only had one leg and was on crutches, he asked John to wait while he called a porter to search for his cap. The porter walked along the line and the stationmaster left John on the platform while he went to the goods yard. Shortly afterwards a fast goods train went through, and John was found, badly injured, lying on the fast line. The driver of the train had not seen anyone on the line, but John had clearly left the platform at some point and been hit by the train.

John is buried at Ellesmere Port (Christ Church) Churchyard, and both men are remembered on the Bilston Priestfield Roll of Honour.

William Thomas Manford

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Bilston, court martial, Darlaston, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Ellesmere Port, Express & Star, France, Glasgow, Midland Counties Express, Smith Street, South Staffordshire Regiment, St Luke's School, Walsall, William Manford

There were two William Manfords from Bilston, born around the same year, who both served with the South Staffordshire Regiment. I have endeavoured to work out which facts relate to which man (the second one will be covered in the blog tomorrow):

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William was born in Darlaston in 1897 (birth registered in Walsall), the son of William and Jane Manford. By 1911 they were living at 5 Smith Street, Bilston, along with William’s siblings Ellomey, Clarence, Alfred Charles, Marion and Harold. William attended St Luke’s School, and later sold newspapers for Mr Hammond, the Bilston agent of the Express & Star. At the age of 15 he joined the Army. At some point, his family moved to Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

On the outbreak of war, he was sent to France with the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment , but was wounded in the right leg in September 1914. He was invalided home, but returned to the front in November 1914. On 16 May 1915, he was wounded twice, in the head and in the right leg, and sent home to spend time in hospital in Glasgow. Although he was due to report back at his depot on 2 July 1915, he remained absent without leave until 29 July. The District Court Martial sentenced him to 56 days imprisonment. However, on the same date, his name appeared in the list of men who had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in the field, which led to him being released.

He received the medal for his actions on 16 May, the date he was wounded twice. The Midland Counties Express of 14 August 1915 states that

When the men of a machine fun had, with one exception, been killed or wounded, Private Manford went back twice, under very heavy shell fire, to carry up machine gun equipment left by them, although he was himself wounded. He was wounded again on the third journey, but by his efforts he enabled the gun to be brought into action

William appears to have survived the war, and died in Ellesmere Port in 1969.