Wigan Album
5th Battn. Manchester Regt. (Wigan Territorials)
4 Comments
Photo: Brian Acton
Item #: 7822
Photo shows a party of 5th Batt. in camp in Egypt prior to leaving for Gallipoli. My uncle Charles Acton is middle back row. I would think the one sat down is probably some young local camp follower along with the guy sat middle front row.It could be that all the others are Wigan lads considering it was a pals batt.and I know he served with his best mate named Poole and they both lived near one another in Spring View.I'll post some more shortly.
Both Charles and his younger brother Sidney, who died at sea nine months after Charles was killed in Turkey, are commemorated on the Memorial at St Mary's. There are 14 members of the 1st/5th Manchester Regiment who were killed at Gallipoli listed on our Memorial. Your uncle was killed on August 6th 1915. Six more men from Lower Ince/ Spring View died on the following day.
Thank you so much for sharing these photos Brian,exellent!
the training camp was by the suez canal in Egypt priot to athe assault at Gallipolli(Suvla Bay) My dad was there and he told my elder brother that he was ordered to cross the canal in full gear and he said to the sargeant¬ I can`t swim sarg` And the sarge said ` Well tha`ll just aft dreawn then lad ney get goin` and somehow he got across...He lost a lot of mates there and he got wounded but lived to carry on fighting. He won a MM at Ypres in 1917...
@Brian Acton - I have repaired and cleaned this photograph up in photoshop. Email me if you would like a copy.