Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Victory Medal 1914-19 (10) (28223 Pte. S. Eyre. Lan. Fus.; 65048 Pte. W. Nightingale. Lan. Fus.; 242149 Pte. H. Bradley. Lan. Fus.; 240743 Pte. W. Russell. Lan. Fus.; 66091 Pte. E. Kershaw. Lan. Fus.; 6655 Pte. F. Benyon. Lan. Fus.; 64924 Pte. T. Houghton. Lan. Fus.; 62949 Pte. J. Houghton. Lan. Fus.; 3246 Cpl. J. Clarkson. Lan. Fus.; 11962 Pte. G. Andrews. Lan. Fus.) very fine or better (10) £80-120

Samuel Eyre, born in Salford, Lancashire and first served on the Western Front with the 11th (Service) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, later being posted to the 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Salford). He was killed in action on 2 October 1918 during the battalion’s attack on Ramicourt, as part of the operation to break the Hindenburg Line. The unit suffered heavy losses owing to enfilade machine gun fire. The Battalion’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Stone, D.S.O., was also killed in this action. Eyre is buried in Joncourt East British Cemetery, France.

William Nightingale served with the 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers.

Herbert Bradley originally served with the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers before transferring to the Horse Transport branch of the Army Service Corps.

William Russell, a native of Leeds, enlisted on 11 September 1914 and originally served with the Lancashire Fusiliers. He later transferred to the Hampshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Territorial Force). He is recorded as wounded in the 5 November 1918 Casualty List and was discharged at his own request in February 1919.

Elijah Kershaw originally served with the Lancashire Fusiliers before transferring to the Labour Corps.

Frank Benyon enlisted on 14 October 1914 and originally served with 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, landing in France on 4 January 1915. He later transferred to 174th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers. He was seriously ill after receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh around February 1916, while his company were employed in the Mametz Sector of the Somme. He was discharged from the 3rd Provisional Company, Royal Engineers on 30 May 1917, due to his wounds.

Thomas Houghton served with the 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers. There is a possibility that Thomas and James Houghton (below) are brothers. Three pairs of brothers with these names have been identified in the 1911 Census, living in the Lancashire area.

James Houghton served in the First World War with the 17th (Service) Battalion (1st South East Lancashire), Lancashire Fusiliers.

John Clarkson served with the 9th (Service) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, landing at Gallipoli on 5 July 1915. He was wounded, receiving a bullet to the neck during the battalion’s attack on “W” Hills on 21-22 August 1915:
‘As soon as the advance began at 3 p.m., the battalion came under heavy rifle and shrapnel fire. Only two officers reached the Turkish trenches, and one of them was wounded... Nevertheless by 3.10 p.m. the battalion had taken its objective, all the Turks in the trenches being killed or wounded... The battalion clung gallantly to its objective for nineteen hours without any response to its repeated calls for help and finally had to fall back to its starting point, with less than 100 men left and no officers or warrant officers. Of the 29 officers who had embarked for Gallipoli on 5th July, only 4 were still unhurt by 22nd August.’

Clarkson was evacuated home by hospital ship via 149th Field Ambulance. Upon recovery he was transferred to the 2nd Garrison Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment, but deserted shortly before the battalion sailed for Egypt. As a result he originally forfeited his campaign medals, but his entitlement was reinstated under Army Council Instruction 75 of 1921.

George Andrews, a native of Rochdale, enlisted into the 1/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers on 18 November 1915. He served in Egypt from June 1916 until February 1917, when the battalion relocated to the Western Front. He was invalided home after being wounded in the trenches on 15 November 1917. Upon recovery he was transferred to 541st Agricultural Company, Labour Corps for home service and shortly after transferred again to the 9th Company, Royal Army Medical Corps. He was discharged on 4 September 1919, being surplus to military requirements (having suffered impairment since entry into the service).