Son of William Johnson Avison and Clara Annice Avison; husband of Evelyn Margaret Avison, of 5, Stanley Terrace, Blue Bell Lane, Huyton,Liverpool. Native of Barnsley
Census Details
1901 Census -
Arthur, aged 14, lived at 11 Teall Avenue, Wakefield, Yorkshire. Also there are his widowed mother Clara, sisters Mary (19), Nora (11) and Gladys (9), along with brother John (16).
1911 Census - Arthur D Avison (26) and his 28 year old wife Evelyn, lived at 50 HENLEY STREET SEAFORTH, along with their 1 year old daughter Edna.
Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations
Birth registeredwith middle name of "Denham", Q2 1887, Barnsley, 9c, 475.
Marriage recorded in Q2/1909, Toxteth, to Evelyn Margaret Gardner, 8b, 267
SDGW – Where Born
Barnsley
Enlisted
Coventry
Resided
Liverpool
How Died
Killed In Action
Theatre of War
France & Flanders
Notes
Arthur Avison’s Medal Index Card, held at the National Archives in Kew, states that he served with "Motor Machine Gun Service, Royal Artillery"
Research Ref. No.
P008
Research Ongoin
Service details
The Parish Magazine of 29th May 1918 added 10 names to the existing 106 who had already fallen, including “Gunner Arthur Denham Avison, 31, Machine Ginner Section. Fell in action, 15th April, of 29, Station Road, leaves a widow and one child”.
Arthur Denison’s Medal Index Card. His entitlement was the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Private 265766 Robert BACON
Unit/Regiment
12th Bn., Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Date of Death
18/07/1917
Age at Death
21
Burial/Memorial & Reference
KantaraWarMemorialCemetery
C 79
Census Details
1901 Census -
Living at 17 St Paul Street, St Helens, are Michael Bacon, aged 28, a glass worker, his wife Elizabeth (23), and sons Robert (4), Willie (2) and Richard (3 months).
1911 Census - Living at 14, Paul Street, St Helens were Michael Bacon (38), his wife Elizabeth Ann (33), and their children Robert (14), William (12), Richard (10), John (8), Elizabeth (5), Arthur (3) and Ernest (1)
Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations
Birth Registered Q4/1896, Prescot, 8b, 781
SDGW – Where Born
Prescot, Lancs
Enlisted
St Helens, Lancs
Resided
How Died
Killed In Action
Theatre of War
Egypt
Research Ref. No.
P009
Service Details
Robert Bacon attested into the 12th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment on 8th November 1915 in St. Helens, originally having the service number P1385. At some point in his service, the regiment was renumbered and Pte. Bacon was assigned service number 265766.
He recorded Prescot as his birthplace although at the time of attestation, the family were living in St. Helens. Robert was aged 19 years and 6 days, stood 5 foot 6 inches in height and weighed 124 pounds. He was a Glassmaker by trade and in good physical condition.
His next of kin was his father, Michael John Bacon, of 42, St Paul Street, St. Helens.
The battalion had been raised in August 1915 as a Pioneer Battalion and was initially based at Lytham. It was here that Private Bacon joined the battalion after his attestation.
In March 1916 the battalion was finally deemed to be ready for overseas service and was sent to Norfolk for the completion of its engineering training. Shortly after this they were attached to the 60th (London) Division whose commanding officer said of them after the war, "They were a hard-bitten, thirsty lot of Lancashire miners, but what they could do with a spade was a perfect revelation.....I attribute our comparatively low casualty returns to the rapidity with which these pioneers......managed to lower the depth of the trenches (at Vimy Ridge) by eighteen inches in record time".
Pte. Bacon remained in the UK training until 21st June 1916 when the battalion left Southampton on board the s.s. "Cesarea" and the H.M.T. "Dundalk" en route for Le Havre, where they joined the British Expeditionary Force on 22nd June.
The battalion was split up on pioneer duties of all kinds, repairing front line and communication trenches and also working on the light railway. This work continued throughout the first part of the year as preparations for the forthcoming Somme battle progressed.
It was August before the battalion suffered its first fatality, with one man being killed and another dying of wounds. The War Diaries for this period record vast amounts of work done by the battalion in repairing and strengthening trenches.
In November of 1916 it was decided that the 60th Division, including the 12th Battalion, was selected to proceed to Salonika. However before they moved, the Loyals were detached from the 60th Division and attached to the 32nd Division. They remained in the area of Beaumont Hamel in the Somme sector until early 1917, when they were instructed to rejoin the 60th Division in Salonika.
Private Bacon's service record shows that he remained in France until January 1917, when the battalion was moved to Marseilles then shipped to Salonika on board the s.s. "Menominee", where they arrived on 23rd January 1917.
They remained in Salonika until 6th February when the battalion marched out to Snevce Camp, where they were based while they worked on repairing the Snevce-Karamudli road.
It is recorded that Pte. Bacon was in hospital for 3 days early in April 1917 suffering from Pyrexia, then again in May 1917, suffering from Trench Fever.
He was sent to the Convalescent Depot on 30th May, and rejoined the battalion on 12th June. A week later, on 19th June, the battalion left Salonika for Egypt, arriving in Alexandria on the 22nd.
The next entry in Private Bacon's service record shows that on the 18th July 1917, he accidentally drowned whilst bathing at Kantara. He was buried at Kantara Cemetery the next day, with the Rev. A. J. Bennett officiating.
The extract from Pte. Bacon’s service record which records his death.
Robert Bacon’s Medal Index Card, listing the British War Medal and the Victory Medal as his entitlement
Private 1587 Harold BAINES
Prescot Reporter 04/06/1915
Unit/Regiment
1st/5th Bn., South Lancashire Regiment
Date of Death
09/05/1915
Age at Death
21
Burial/Memorial & Reference
Menin Gate
Panel 37
Census Details
1901 census -
Harold Baines, aged 6, son of Alfred (36) and Margaret (34), lived at 30 Warrington Road, Prescot. Also there are John (14), James (12), May (3) and Frank (1)
1911 Census - Living at 13, Carlton Street, Prescot, were 46 year old Alfred Baines and his wife Margaret (44), and their children James W (22), Harold (16), May (13), Harry (7), and Alfred (4).
Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations
Birth Registered Q4/1894, Prescot, 8b, 689
SDGW – Where Born
Prescot, Lancs
Enlisted
Prescot
Resided
How Died
Killed In Action
Theatre of War
France & Flanders
Research Ref. No.
P010
Service Details
The 5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, had just started its annual training in camp when war broke out in August 1914. It was sent to Edinburgh until October, then moved to Tunbridge Wells until February 1915. It was then ordered to France, sailing on the 13th aboard s.s. King Edward., arriving at Le Havre the same day.
Over the next few days the battalion marched to billets at Le Bizet, and then undertook instruction in trench warfare. The system was for companies from a battalion to be attached to other battalions for spells in the line, before the sector was allocated to the battalion on its own. In addition to the trench duty, the battalion undertook its share of pioneer work and training in rapid fire.
The Battalion was moved around regularly without seeing action, until 28th April when it was moved to Vlamertinghe, Belgium in readiness to take part in the 1st Battle of Ypres, which had started on the 22nd.
On 2nd May, the Germans launched a violent attack, accompanied by a cloud of chlorine gas, and the battalion was moved into the line for the first time. On 3rd May, it was moved to the new line in front of Wieltje, and then on the 4th it was again moved to Shell Trap Farm. At dawn, they engaged the Germans but by 4pm the enemy was within 400 yards of the British lines, from where they began a heavy bombardment of the British.
More shell fire continued through the next day, culminating in heavy concentrated fire about 5 p.m. which resulted in a considerable number of men being buried, many of them killed and wounded. The enemy fire continued until midnight and four attempts were made by the Germans to take the farm, but all were repulsed.
At 2 a.m. on the 6th, the Battalion was relieved and moved to La Brique, having incurred considerable casualties.
On the 8th May, the battalion was once more sent up to the Wieltje sector as it was thought that the enemy had broken through, but it proved to be a false alarm and on the 9th it returned to La Brique, leaving “C” Company and a machine-gun detachment at Wieltje. It is assumed that Acting Sergeant Lloyd and Privates Baines and Bishop were involved in this action as they are all reported as Killed in Action on this date. None of them have a known grave and all are remembered on the Menin Gate
Harold Baines’ Medal Index Card confirming his entry to France on 13th February 1915, which entitled him to the 1914-1915 Star in addition to the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.It also records him as Killed in Action on the 9th May 1915.
Announcement in the Prescot Reporter, 14th September 1917
Private Baines inscription on the Menin Gate
Private 8456 Joseph BEADLE
Unit/Regiment
2nd Bn, South Lancashire Regiment
Date of Death
24/10/1914
Age at Death
17
Burial/Memorial & Reference
Le Touret Memorial
Panel 23
Census Details
1901 Census -
Joseph, aged 4, and his widowed mother, 33 year old Catherine, were recorded as "Visitors" at 30/6, Bond Street, Liverpool, the home of John Cross.
SDGW – Where Born
Enlisted
Chatham, Kent
Resided
How Died
Killed In Action
Theatre of War
France & Flanders
Research Ref. No.
P011
Service Details
The 2nd Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment landed in France on 14th August 1914, just over a week after the outbreak of war.They disembarked at Le Havre with a strength of 27 officers and 980 other ranks, and then travelled by train to Mauberge.
They marched over the next few days through areas of northern France where the civilian population turned out in droves to meet and salute them, ultimately arriving at St Hilaire on the 20th.On the 21st, they again marched off, this time towards the Belgian border, finally arriving at Framieres in the late afternoon of the 22nd. They were then informed that the Germans had occupied Brussels and that the next day they would be moving forward to engage the enemy.
On the morning of the 23rd they marched off and by mid-afternoon they could see shells bursting over Mons some two miles away. Battle was imminent. By 5.30, they were entrenched and ready for action.
Early next morning, the 24th, shortly before 4 a.m., the German infantry in masses and firing from the hip, came straight for the positions occupied by the Battalion, and were met by the defenders with rifle and machine-gun fire.
The battle raged for several hours and over 1,000 German troops were estimated to have been killed. But after several hours of intense fighting against overwhelming odds, the Battalion was forced to retire from their positions covering the Mons-Conde canal to avoid being outflanked. The retreat from Mons had commenced.
By the time the Battalion reached Coyelles on the 29th and was able to regroup, the muster amounted to 14 officers and about 400 men, about half of its original strength.
The Battalion engaged in several more conflicts throughout the remainder of 1914, receiving well-needed replacements in December, by which time it was based in trenches east of Kemmel, and billeting in Balleul when out of the line. Private Beadle is listed as dying on 24th October, probably as part of the general trench attrition of the time. His body was never identified and he is remembered on the Le Touret Memorial.
Private Beadle’s Medal Index Card shows that he arrived in France on 27th August 1914, two weeks after the initial arrival of the battalion in France. It further notes that he was presumed dead (PD) on 24th October. He was an “Old Contemptible” and was entitled to the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.
Private Beadle’s inscription on the Le Touret Memorial
Lance Corporal 1329 Norman BEARDMORE
(c) Prescot Reporter
Unit/Regiment
447th Field Company, Royal Engineers
Date of Death
20/05/1915
Age at Death
25
Burial/Memorial & Reference
HazebrouckMilitaryCemetery
II C 20
CWGC Family Details
(if shown)
Son of Frederick Thomas and Emily Beardmore; husband of Marion Beardmore (nee Gunn), of Prospect House, Sacriston, Durham
Census Details
1891 Census -
Norman was aged 1 and lived at 89 Oxford Road, Macclesfield with his father Frederick (34), mother Emily (33) and elder brother Ralph (6)
1901 Census -
At 15 Cook Street, Prescot, were Frederick T Beardmore, a 43 year old widowed blacksmith. Also there were his sons Ralph (16) and Norman (11)
1911 Census - Norman is by now living in Durham but his father Frederick and the remainder of the family are still in Prescot.
Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations
Birth registeredQ2 1889, Macclesfield, 8a, 147.
Marriage Q4.1914, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 10b, 371
SDGW – Where Born
West Macclesfield, Cheshire
Enlisted
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Resided
How Died
Died of Wounds
Theatre of War
France & Flanders
Notes
1/2 Field Coy, RE
Medal Index Card shows ranks of Sapper and Lance Corporal
Research Ref. No.
P012
Service Details
Norman Beardmore was a pupil at PrescotGrammar School, starting there in 1900.
Norman Beardmore’s attestation papers, dated 8th September 1914, show him to be aged 25 years and 3 months and employed as a “Clerk” for Durham County Education Committee. He lived at 35, East Villas, Haswell.
His Medical record reports that he stood 5ft 6in in height, with a 34in chest, expandable to 36in. His vision was “good” and Physical Development was also “Good”. The Medical Officer passed him as Fit for active service and he was passed for service with the Northumbrian Divisional R.E.
He was ranked as Sapper and then on 10th February 1915 was given a temporary appointment of Lance Corporal. His unit embarked for France on 11th April 1915, arriving the following day.
His Casualty Form reports that he was wounded on 18th May and moved to hospital. The following day he was transferred to No 5 Cavalry Field Ambulance, where he is recorded as having Gun Shot Wounds to the back. He died the next day from these wounds.
An extract from Norman Beardmore’s service record, showing his unpaid appointment to Lance Corporal before he died of wounds received
The War Office wrote to the Army Records Office on 4th September 1915 advising that any personal effects of L/Cpl Beardmore should be returned to his widow, Mrs. Marion Ellen Maggie Beardmore of Prospect House, Sacriston, Durham.
On 11th January 1916, his widow was granted a pension of 10/- per week with immediate effect.
In August 1919, the War Office wrote to his widow asking for details of all living relatives. Mrs. Beardmore returned the form stating that his father was Frederick J Beardmore, of “Alva”, Old Lane, EcclestonPark, Prescot. No entry was made under “mother”. In addition a brother Ralph, aged 34 and living at 35, Park Avenue, Widnes was also recorded.
Prescot Parish Magazine of 28th July 1915 reported “Mr. Richardson has given me a list of Grammar School Old Boys who have enlisted for the war. It contains no less than 52 names and already two of them have given their lives for their country, viz. Harold E. Wood, Corporal, 5th Royal Scots killed at the Gallipoli landing, April 1915 and Norman Beardmore, 20, Lance Corporal of the Royal Engineers at Ypres, 19th May 1915”.
Lance Corporal Beardmore’s grave at HazebrouckMilitaryCemetery
