George Thornley

Age: 34

Reg no: 70831

Died or KIA: 29 March 1917

13 Labour Corp,  Kings Liverpool Regiment

Born in Salford I think?

His name is on St James Memorial, Leyland and also on the memorial at Church Road, Leyland 

Not on the Clayton\Whitlle Memorial 

Husband of Margaret Thornley of Sheep Hill Lane, Clayton Green 

She is still living at the address in 1918

DOUCHY LES AYETTE BRITISH CEMETERY, France

John Tripp (also known as John Trippier\Trippett)

Rank: Private

Reg No: 16628

Killed in Action: 12/12/1915

Age:18

9th Bn King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)

The 9th Battalion were ready for active service by the September of 1915, and served briefly in France.

However in October of 1915 they sailed towards Greece, and disembarked at Salonika on 7 November.

They were given the task of helping cover the retreat of the 10th Division from Serbia about 7th - 12th December.

One company of the 9th Battalion would be overrun by the Bulgarians.

Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Trippier, of Bridge St., Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley, Lancs.

He was born in Chorley and in 1911 age 14 was living at 10a Alfreds Court, Chorley.

with his parents

But it looks like his parents had moved to Whittle le Woods between 1911 and 1915

His name is on the DOIRAN MEMORIAL

His name is not on the memorial at Clayton\Whittle 

James Bateson Edleston- Need to research

Born in Whittle le Woods

Age: 34

Reg no: 15701

L/Cpl , Sapper

2 Field Company Engineers

AIF

Enlisted on 4 April 1916 at Sydney, NSW

Embarked from Australia on 21 October 1916 

Builder as a trade 

Have a PDF sent from someone in Australia who had written a book about the men listed on the Berowra War Memorial.

Francis Richard Edleston

Born in Whittle le Woods

B Coy, 36 Battalion AIF

Brother of the above

George Edleston

Born 22 April 1883 in Whittle le Woods

Age: 58 and 11 months

Rank: Pte

Army no: N303605

8 Battalion, VDE

Enlisted 15 March 1942 in Gordon, NSW

Discharged on 12 Septemebr 1945 due to disbandment of corps

Samuel Brown

Born c 1893

Age: 25

Service no: J/3673

Rank: Able Seaman

Royal Navy

HMS Vanguard

First joined the  HMS Ganges on 3 March 1909  

Killed in Action when the ship HMS VANGUARD exploded on 9 July 1917 whilst at Scapa flow

The eighth HMS VANGUARD of the British Royal Navy was a St Vincent class battleship, an enhancement of the ´dreadnought´ design built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness. She was launched in April 1909, commissioned into the Royal Navy at Devonport in October 1910, and spent her life in the Home Fleet. At the outbreak of World War I, she joined the First Battle Squadron at Scapa Flow, and fought in the Battle of Jutland as part of the Fourth Battle Squadron.

She was a part of the action from beginning to end but did not suffer any damage or casualties. Just before midnight on Monday, July 9, 1917, VANGUARD suffered an explosion in one of the two magazines which served the amidships turrets P and Q. She sank almost instantly, killing 677 men.

I found a paper in his file on fold3 .. says "lost with ship"

Mother is Emma R Brown of Oak house, Whittle le Woods, still there in the 1920s.

She was originally from Liverpool 

Joseph Cocker

Born 1897 in Farrington

Age: 21

Rank: A/Cpl

Reg No: 235247

Killed in Action: 30 August 1918

2 Btn, Suffolk Regiment

According to the UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929 he died "in action, France"

Formerly 5 East Lancashire Regiment  Reg no 2883 which ties in with him living in the Accrington area between 1911 and 1918

, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929 for Joseph Cocker

Born in Farington

Lived with parents and siblings as of 1911 at 8 Newark St, Accrington

His trade\occupation was Lithographie Machine Minder \ Litorographie Tenter

But between 1911 and 1918 Joseph and Miriam Cocker moved to Whittle le Woods

Son of Joseph and Miriam Cocker of Waterhouse Green, Whittle le Woods

No known grave, but his name is on a plaque at the VIS EN ARTOIS MEMORIAL, close to the VIS EN ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY. Close to Haucourt

This is where I am intrigued as the 2nd Battalion Suffolks were actually in action on 30 August 1918 according to the evidence -

The 2nd Suffolks took part on 30th August 1918 in the attack on Ecoust St Mein and Noreuil. At dawn, they went forward and took the village of Ecoust St Mien quite easily, but were unable to maintain that forward position. They were forced after about six hours to fall back to the Ecoust trench. CSM Jones and Pte H H Roberts displayed outstanding courage in holding their position for five hours after the battalion had withdrawn, receiving the DCM and MM respectively.
The Suffolks lost 52 men killed on 30th August 1918, but unlike in earlier battles, all have identified graves, 37 are in Ecoust Military and 4 in the HAC Cemetery also in Ecoust.

52 - 41 = 11 names are elsewhere!

So my question is... If all men were accounted for as Died or Killed and buried in the above sites.

Then Joseph Cocker should have been among them

Another  version

At dawn on August 30 the battalion, under Lt Col Stubbs, attacked, the four company commanders being A/Capt G H Wainwright, 2/Lts H H Hammonds, and C Hills, MC, and Capt W J Nagle, MC. It appears that the village of Ecoust was taken easily, but that the battalion, unable to maintain itself in its advanced position, was compelled at the end of about six hours to fall back on the line of the Ecoust trench. In this action, great gallantry was displayed by CSM J H Jones, MM, and Pte H H Roberts, who held on to their ground for five hours after the battalion had withdrawn. This warrant officer and man were awarded the DCM and MM respectively. Pte Roberts, who had previously distinguished himself by stalking a machine-gun post and putting a bullet through the gun, was afterwards badly wounded at Flesquieres. The casualties, amounting to over 200, included the following - Killed: Lt K G Passman. DoW: Capt G H Wainwright and 2/Lt Hills, MC. Wounded and Missing (prisoner): 2/Lt H H Hammonds, MC. Wounded: Lt C Coley; 2/Lts A J Courtney, L Fricker, S E Leighton, T Mealand and A Tomkins. 2/Lt Hills had been given a commission in the previous May for gallantry in the field with the 11th Battalion.

At nightfall on August 31st, the battalion was resting in Mory Switch Trench

He is stated as having no known grave, but his name is on a plaque at the VIS EN ARTOIS MEMORIAL, close to the VIS EN ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY. Close to Haucourt

Not on the memorial in Clayton\Whittle either

Thomas Westhead - NEED TO CHECK

Age: 31

Rank: Pte

Reg no: 41107

4th Reserve Bn, East Lancashire Regiment

The address given at his time of enlistment is Whittle le Woods.

His name is not on the Whittle le Woods Roll of Honour for 1914 - 1915.

Could it be on a later Roll of Honour?

Enlisted on 10 December 1915

To Army Reserve on 11 December 1915 

Mobilized on 27 June 1918 at Preston

Married Mary Sherrington on 22 May 1915

No children on enlistment

By the end of the war and demobilized  on 4 March 1919, he was living at Blackburn Road, Heapey

Think he is another son of James and Ellen Westhead 

Thomas Feeney - NEW as of 26\12\2021

By chance, I found a notice in the Lancashire Evening Post from Wednesday 7 October 1914-

Among those drowned in the sinking of H.M.S Hogue was T. Feeny, Leading Signaller whose home was at Clayton Green

Feeney had been transferred to the Hogue three days before the ship was sunk.

I must investigate this more as by the time of his death his widow's address is 103 Alker Street, Blackburn.

in 1901 he was living at Clayton Le Woods with his parents and siblings including James Feeney (KIA and on local memorial).

He joined the Navy on 13 May 1904.

In 1911 he was single and stationed at the royal naval barracks, Chatham.

In 1914, perhaps he was living in Clayton Green and then moved with his new wife, Margaret, to Blackburn.

His mother Nellie Feeney is still listed as living in Clayton Green as of the 1915 electoral register.

he got married to Margaret Pemberton in 1914 at the Blackburn register office.

The newspaper clipping states -

Among those drowned in the sinking of H.M.S Hogue was T. Feeny, Leading Signaller whose home was at Clayton Green.
Feeney had been transferred to the Hogue three days before the ship was sunk.

So maybe the address, 103 Alker Street, Blackburn is where he intended to live after service, or she moved there after Thomas Feeney had died?

His name does not appear to be included on the Blackburn Roll of Honour, or the Whittle le Woods 1914 - 1915 Roll of Honour.

Nor is it on the Clayton le Woods, Church of England School 1914 - 1918 roll of honour or the Whittle le Woods Wesleyan Sunday School 1914 - 1918 Roll of Honour.

His name is on the St Bede's Catholic Church, Memorial Roll of Honour, WW1 and WW2

Only his brother James Feeney's name is on the Whittle le Woods 1914 - 1915 Roll of Honour.

He was Killed in Action in 1918

So why is Thomas Feeney not on the memorial? He was killed earlier

Was it because he was now in the Blackburn area!?

There must be a reason! 

John Harold Brown

Born 3 Sep 1893, Manchester

Reg no: 54331

Served with the 18th Battalion CEF  

Served in 6 Field Battery previous to signing up 

He enlisted with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on 11 January 1915

Relative Clara Brown 

He married Dorothy J. Jones

In the 1939 census, they are living at Sibberlings Farm, Dawson Lane, Whittle le Woods

They have a son John Stuart Templeton Brown born on 4 June 1939

Later another son Howard Roderick Templeton Brown in 1940

Died 2 May 1947, aged 53

The address of Widow, Dorothy J Brown nee Jones, is Sibberlings Farm, Dawson Lane, Whittle le Woods

I wonder why they ended up in Whittle le Woods

Buried at St John the Evangelist, Whittle le Woods

Joseph Bruce

Also known as Joseph W Bruce

Born 1882, Croydon, Surrey, England

Age: 31

Rank: Pte

Reg no: 30359

Somerset Light Infantry

This soldier was Transferred to class Z on Demobilization as of 9 November 1919 and the address says

Westwood House, Clayton Green

Why did he stay in the area?

Living in Clayton le Woods in 1921