Wigan Album

That's lovely, Brenda, but so sad. I willgo to look at his name on the cenotaph when I go to Wigan next week.

hi Irene, thanks for the comment, but the cenetaph isnt in Wigan, its in Ince, its called the Wigan Cemetary its in between the crem and westwood cemetary. i didnt know it was call Wigan either.

Yes, know it Brenda. My friend Neil from London is visiting next week and he always goes to both Ince and Wigan cemeteries to visit family graves, so I WILL be going there and will have a look.

That could almost have been my grand parents(I have put a picture on here) how sad to think of such pictures being the last that they would ever have to-gether as a family.WW1 was supposed to have been the war to end all wars but sadly pictures like these are still being taken in 2011.

Just to clarify the cemetery situation here in Lower Ince. There are three cemeteries, and a crematorium, in Lower Ince. There is Wigan Cemetery, which is at the bottom of Cemetery Road. One of the former chapels was converted into the crematorium in the 1950s. Then there's Ince Cemetery, on Warrington Road, but with Cemetery Road as its southern boundary. The WW1 Cenotaph for the former Ince UDC is just inside its entrance. The buildings (two chapels and the lodge) are Grade 2 listed. These two cemeteries are separated by the West Coast Main Line. Then there is Westwood Cemetery, on Westwood Lane - but accessible on foot from the Wigan Cemetery. This was opened as the overflow for the Ince UDC Cemetery, but, since Local Government reorganisation in 1974, is now open to anyone from the Borough. The Borough opened Gidlow Cemetery as its own overflow cemetery.

I love this photograph with Evan in his uniform, Elizabeth in her best dress and baby Jim in his frilly apron, not yet shortened. I looked Evan up on CWG and he died 17th August 1915 and was buried at Portianos Cemetary on Lemnos. He was in the South Lancashire Regiment.

On 24 March 1917 Elizabeth married Alfred Henry Hindley at St Thomas Golborne. C'est la vie!

Sorry to go off at a tangent but while Reverend Long is commenting what of your hopes to get the Moss Pits disaster victims listed on the memorial to them Reverend?

I've looked at his war records! He enlisted at Wigan on 4 September 1914 and his first field of action was Gallipoli when he got off the boat on 1 July 1915 and died from wounds in his abdomen on 16 September 1915.

He was 21 years and 124 days, 5ft8ins tall, fresh comlexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.He was a collier and had scars on his chest, wrist and knee.

He had a few late back from leave/passes for which he had days confined to barracks and had his pay docked.

Elizabeth got his medals and also one of those plaques awarded to dead soldiers, which are now highly prized. i wonder if the family still have them?

Hi Keith, what great info. Can you find out any ifnormation about my dad's uncle Robert Telford from Wigan. He was also killed at Gallipoli

There were three Telfords from Wigan killed at Gallipoli on 4 June 1915 and all commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

They were Private Robert Telford, Lance Corporal John Telford and Lance Corporal James G Telford. All in the 1/5th Manchester Regiment. Unfortunately their records do not appear in the surviving 'Burnt Documents'. From the medal cards, Robert and John landed on 6 May 1915, and although James G's card does not give that information it would seem safe to assume that he was with them.

The CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves) gives the basic information available, as does Soldiers who died in rthe Great War.

Your Robert Telford age 22, was the son Of Robert and Sarah Telford of 27 Alfred Street Swinley Wigan.

No personal information appears for the other two but James G was the son of Richard and Margaret Telford and he was 5 in 1901, which would make him about 19 at Gallipoli.

Brenda, what a lovely photo. My grandad died 1st October 1914 and is buried in France, his name was Richard Wareing. He was killed before his son, my dad was born and in fact I was born on 1st October, many years later. I did not know you could find the full details of their war records as Kath as told you.

You will have to excuse Ron Kath, for calling you Keith. How do you locate war records is it something you pay for or is it free to all that browse the Wibbly Wobbly way (WWW)

A big thank you to your Uncle Evan,Brenda,and all the brave men of two World Wars who died for our freedom.

Gerry, I have an Ancestry subscription which enables me to access their records which include WW1 material. CWCG -Commonwealth War Graves - is free.

Anne- you are one of the lucky ones and there are loads of pages relating to your grandfather who died 1 October 1918,having completed 3 years and 131 days service.

He was a railway fireman and lived at 67 Hallgate. His father was Walter.

He enlisted at Wigan on 24 May 1915 age 19y 236 days, was 5ft 53/4, weighed 118lbs and had a 35ins chest. He was fighting fit! He had an anchor tattoo on a forearm, a large scald scar on his sacrum and a scar on his left neck.

At Warrington on 25 May 1915 he was put into the South Lancashire Regiment and after training was sent to France leaving Southampton for Rouen on 8 December 1915. He proceeded to the front on 22 December. There are references to his wounds, particularly to his nose, being treated at field hospitals and also being sent home for hospital treatment. The minute he was recovered, back he went! Like others,he had late returns from leave etc and at the end, overstayed his embarkation leave on 17 July 1918. He was apprehended in Wigan on 2 August and then shipped out again for the last time. Poor man!

He married Annie Farrington at St James Church on 26 May 1917 and his son Richard was born on 6 March 1919.She got his medals and one of the plaques.

He is buried in the Sunken Road Cemetery at Boisleux St Marc.

There are 46 images with this set of documents. Some of the pages are blank forms, others are duplicates but all are easy to read, unlike my grandfather's records where it is clear why they are called the burnt documents. If you would like to see them, arrange for me to have your email address and I can 'share' them with you.

Kath- Please contact Brian he will give you my e mail address. Many Thanks Hope to hear from you soon. Anne

Hi Kath, thank you so much for all this information. i knew nothing except when he was born and when he died. thank you so much.

Anne thanks for your comment. i didnt know you could find out all the information as well. thanks to Kath i now know a lot more.

Hi Brenda, Terry Halsall in West Australia here, Thanks for posting the photo on the site I am very proud of it. As Evan is my grandfather. There are lots of other Halsall photos on our family tree on ancestry along with this one, which were very well researched by my wife Vivian and some from Dorothy in Hindley.
As a child my dad James took me to the cenetaph which was on Smithy Green at Ince Bar every rememberance day.I also visit the Ince cemetery when Icome over because myfamily are buried there.
Thanks to Kath for the war records, there is more information than last time we looked at it. We have been to Portianos military cemetery on Lemnos which is quite near Gallipoli, but is only accessible from Athens airport. The cemetery is beautifully kept as are all the other in France and Europe by the CWGC.
We were probably the first to visit Evans grave and we left a piece of Wigan coal and some photos we put in an old cigarette case of my dads, of his grt grt grandchildren.
There are 5 boys now and one of them names Evan!!
I have the war medals which were passed on to me when grandma died by the Hindley family.But alas never saw the plaque.
Brenda please contact for more information on Halsall family tree if you wish
Lovely to read all the comments. Much appreciated.
Cheers Terry & Viv Halsall

Ive sent you an email Terry got it off Dorothy. glad you like the picture.

if you look closely in the window there looks like a little face but i dont know who it would be.

With the greatest of respect, I feel for this family. Having said that, Gallipoli... Winston Churchill sending young men, hardly more than boys to a certain death. Plenty of wars since then, with young men killed, but I ask you, WHY do we here in OZ and NZ still CELEBRATE Gallipoli as a "mark of respect" to Australian and NZ soldiers who were massacred here? Anzac Day. It is done... it is finished... and let it rest! men go to war because men start wars, what a waste. NEVER a cause for glory or remembrance.

I do not think these comments are appropriate for this page, nor do they show the greatest respect sheryl, my grandfather and thousands like him including men and women from the anzac forces made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and its people, of course they deserve our respect and rememberance,they did not start any wars, none of us want wars but that does not mean we should forget the people that died for us, that is what rememberance day is about.

Shame the Trolls comment still remains on here, it certainly was not made with the greatest of respect and to the contrary the Troll has no respect. The Trolls pathetic attempt to start a war has failed miserably, in fact the Troll AKA Sherylb represents nothing but an insult to the female species and our ANZAC chums.Evidently our glorious dead have always been remembered and the remembrance will never finish. Churchill did not send those brave chaps and all their chums to certain death, many of them volunteered and some of them actually survived. They did not start the great war and had no idea of the extent of the slaughter awaiting them, neither do you Troll. RIP.

Regards
TD.

We will never forget.This is a great photo and one to be very proud of.

Lovely to see this picture of Evan his wife Elizabeth remarried into my family the Hindleys in golborne