Tracing our war dead

We shall remember them

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Who are our war dead?

War MemorialFollowing on from our research into Bollington 1911 (for the book of the same name), Roy Arnold and I, writes Dave Williams, have been researching the Bollington men who died in the Great War, WW1 – about 170 of them. More, in fact, than are recorded on our war memorials. Several men from Bollington who had emigrated to Australia and Canada around 1910-11 returned to fight in WW1 as members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the Australian Infantry.

We are preparing a booklet about the Bollington soldiers of WW1, but would like it to be as comprehensive as possible. Can you help us with missing details for any members of your family who gave their lives for their country?

The following names are of men that we have not been able to positively identify. In most cases there are a number of soldiers with the same name in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database, but we have not been able to establish which of them has a connection with Bollington:

Alfred Bullock

Robert Clegg

Fred Coe

Robert Flint

Alexander Forbes

Walter Hughes

Alfred Leigh (There are two men of this name listed on the Bollington memorial. One is probably Pte Alfred Leigh 1st/7th Bn Cheshire Regt 2456 enlisted Macclesfield, killed in action 10 August 1915 at Gallipoli – but who is the other?)

James Moore

Ronald Nolan

George Redfern (could this be a mistake for John William Redfern?)

Alfred Schofield (could this be a mistake for Albert Schofield?)

James Swindells

Frank Taylor (could this be a mistake for Fred Taylor?)

Harold Taylor

Joseph Taylor (is listed on the Bollington memorial in addition to Joseph Thomas Taylor of Water Street, who served with 1st/5th Bn Cheshire Regt.)

James Unwin

Willie Unwin

James Vernon

Tom Wilkinson

Can you help to identify any of these men? Do you know what regiments or other services they served in? Do you know when or where they died? Do you know what is their connection with Bollington?

Please email me with any information, no matter how insignificant.
Many thanks for your help, Dave Williams