Four more soldiers commemorated 100 years after their deaths

Private Robert Henry Edwards

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Littleborough History Centre is continuing to remember soldiers who died 100 years after their deaths.

Private Robert Henry Edwards was born in Manchester (Chorlton) early in 1892 and lived in Longsight in 1901. By 1911 he was living at 2 Calf Hey, Wardle, with this widowed mother Lizzie and his sisters. Robert married Sarah Holt and lived at Church Terrace Wardle, where he worked as a weaver at Messrs Clegg, Shore Mills.

Pte Edwards enlisted in Rochdale and went to the Dardanelles.

On 21 August 1915, 24-year-old Pte Edwards, 9444 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (6 Platoon X Co) was killed in action. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey, Clegg’s Shore Mills war memorial and on the Wardle war memorial.

Private James Pilling was born in Cragg Vale, Mytholmroyd in 1884 and by 1911 was living with his parents and sisters at 53 Hare Hill Road, Littleborough and was employed as a ball warper.

Prior to enlisting in Rochdale shortly after the outbreak of the war, he was a member of St Barnabas Church, where he was a bell ringer and in their company of the Church Lads Brigade. He lived with his wife Emily at Bamford Passage, Calderbrook Road and was employed by the Littleborough Dyeing Co. Stansfield Dyeworks, Calderbrook.

Private Pilling went to the Dardanelles on 6 July 1915 and last wrote to his wife on 16 August 1915. After an appeal was published by Private Pilling’s mother as to his whereabouts, Private John Gee, 3rd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, who was in hospital at Sutton-On-Hole, wrote that he had seen Private Pilling at the front on 21 August 1915. The Captain of Private Pilling’s company also wrote a letter stating that Private Pilling had been killed on 21 August 1915.

By Saturday 15 January 1916, it had been officially announced that 31-year-old Private James Pilling, 9440 X Company 7 Platoon, 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers had been killed in action on 21 August 1915 at the Dardanelles.

Private Pilling’s name is on the Helles Memorial, Turkey, on St Barnabas and Holy Trinity war memorials and also on Littleborough cenotaph.

Captain Frank Cecil Clegg was born in Littleborough is 1888 and in 1891, he was living with his parents and his brothers and sisters, governess, nurse and three servants at a Shore House. By 1901, he was living at Haverbrack in Westmorland with his sister and their servants. In 1911 he was a solicitor’s articled clerk in Hawksmead, Kendal and later became a solicitor.

He was serving with the colours in late 1914 and fifteen days after the death of his brother, his mother suffered a further tragedy when 27-year-old Captain Frank Cecil Clegg, 6th Battalion Border Regiment, was killed in action on Sunday 22nd August 1915 during the Gallipoli campaign.

Frank C Clegg retained an interest in the family firm, E Clegg & Sons, Cotton Spinners, Shore, Littleborough, and was one of four brothers who had military careers.

His name is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.

Private Harry Grindrod was born in Wardle in the spring of 1896 and according to the 1901 census, he lived at 1 Wardle Fold with his parents, sisters and brothers. By 1911 the family had moved to 6 Brooklands, Wardle Fold, Wardle.

Harry was a woollen piercer and prior to enlisting in Rochdale, he worked for Messrs Clegg’s Mill at Shore. He was associated with the Wardle Wesleyan Church and its Sunday school and was a member of the Sunday school choir. He was fond of sport and played with Wardle Cricket Club and was a member of the Gladstone Liberal Club.

Pte Harry Grindrod, 9537 of 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers died of wounds at the age of 19 in Netley Hospital on 31 August 1915. He was one of the Company which took part in the new landing in Gallipoli and was severely wounded in five places after immediately reaching the beach. Whilst he was lying on the ground, a shell burst near him, setting fire to the grass and it was only with difficulty that he escaped being burnt to death.

He is buried in Wardle Wesleyan churchyard and he is remembered on the Wardle war memorial, the Wardle Wesleyan Church memorial, Shore Mills war memorial and the Gladstone Liberal Club memorial.