First World War

Wilmslow to host special service to salute the fallen of First World War’s Passchendaele
Monday 24th July 2017
Mon 24th Jul 2017

Wilmslow to host special service to salute the fallen of First World War’s Passchendaele

Wilmslow has been chosen to hold ceremony of commemoration to mark the centenary of the start of the Third Battle of Ypres – more widely known as…
Lest We Forget: July 1917 Third battle of Ypres
Sunday 9th July 2017
Sun 9th Jul 2017
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Lest We Forget: July 1917 Third battle of Ypres

After the localized storming of the 2 great bastions at Vimy and Messines, the omens now looked good for Haig's grandiose plan. This was to break out…
Lest We Forget: June 1917 'Messines'
Sunday 11th June 2017
Sun 11th Jun 2017

Lest We Forget: June 1917 'Messines'

Whilst Haig was planning a major breakthrough North and East out of the Ypres Salient starting on 31 July, General Herbert Plumer's 2nd army achieved…
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Lest We Forget: May 1917 'Mutinies'
Sunday 21st May 2017
Sun 21st May 2017

Lest We Forget: May 1917 'Mutinies'

Disturbing events in the French army meant that they were not involved in widespread and sustained attacks during May. Indeed Nivelle's plans for a speedy…
Lest We Forget: April 1917 'Bloody April' and 'The Yanks are coming'
Sunday 9th April 2017
Sun 9th Apr 2017
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Lest We Forget: April 1917 'Bloody April' and 'The Yanks are coming'

The USA, in response to the provocative U boat campaign, finally declared war on Germany on 2nd April, but it was not until 1918 that trained troops arrived…
Lest We Forget: March 1917 Revolution and rising casualties
Sunday 12th March 2017
Sun 12th Mar 2017

Lest We Forget: March 1917 Revolution and rising casualties

This was to be a momentous month. In Petrograd on 8th March (23rd February by the old Russian Julian calendar) a march by thousands of women in honour…
Lest We Forget: February 1917 Ominous events
Sunday 12th February 2017
Sun 12th Feb 2017

Lest We Forget: February 1917 Ominous events

Although there were no major offensives, this month was momentous - portents of things to come. The Tsar continued to struggle to maintain any kind of…
Lest We Forget: January 1917 New year, new beginnings, new tragedies ahead
Sunday 1st January 2017
Sun 1st Jan 2017

Lest We Forget: January 1917 New year, new beginnings, new tragedies ahead

The Allies now took stock, braced themselves for another cold, freezing winter in the Flanders and French mud and laid their plans for spring. The Germans,…
Lest We Forget: December 1916 No clear victors in the slaughterhouse of 1916
Sunday 11th December 2016
Sun 11th Dec 2016

Lest We Forget: December 1916 No clear victors in the slaughterhouse of 1916

It was always sad to lose loved ones during the war, but particularly so over the Christmas period. Tragically our community was to lose 3 more lads this…
Lest We Forget: November 1916 Mud, Blood and Futility
Sunday 6th November 2016
Sun 6th Nov 2016

Lest We Forget: November 1916 Mud, Blood and Futility

Two of the bloodiest battles in history dragged on. The first, Verdun, was not to end until 15 December with a loss of a million casualties to each side…
Lest We Forget: October 1916 Stalemate and slaughter
Sunday 16th October 2016
Sun 16th Oct 2016

Lest We Forget: October 1916 Stalemate and slaughter

The agonising struggle on the Somme continued. The month was characterised by localised operations with limited objectives, partially achieved, eg the…
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Lest We Forget: September 1916 Tanks try to end stalemate
Sunday 11th September 2016
Sun 11th Sep 2016

Lest We Forget: September 1916 Tanks try to end stalemate

September 1916 saw many persistent British attacks and enemy counterattacks around individual German strongholds (sometimes for the second or third time)…
August 1916:
Friday 5th August 2016
Fri 5th Aug 2016

August 1916: "Deeply regret to inform you"

After the initial all-embracing offensive of the battle of Albert from 1st - 15th, July failed to achieve the expected breakthrough, the battle of the…
Exhibition to mark centenary of the Battle of the Somme
Wednesday 22nd June 2016
Wed 22nd Jun 2016
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Exhibition to mark centenary of the Battle of the Somme

Wilmslow High School is organising a special exhibition in the next couple of weeks to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The exhibition…
Lest We Forget: June 2016 Preparations, attacks and diversions
Sunday 19th June 2016
Sun 19th Jun 2016

Lest We Forget: June 2016 Preparations, attacks and diversions

Our area lost one young man in this month - Private Raymond A Brereton, aged 21 of the 12th Northumberland Fusiliers (18186). He was born in Wilverston,…
Lest We Forget: May 1916 Fatalities on land and at sea
Sunday 22nd May 2016
Sun 22nd May 2016
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Lest We Forget: May 1916 Fatalities on land and at sea

In May we lost 2 men - one on land, the other at sea. The first of our local fatalities was Private Albert Thirwall (14157). He was one of 7 children…
Lest We Forget: April 1916 One local fatality and other tragedies
Sunday 17th April 2016
Sun 17th Apr 2016

Lest We Forget: April 1916 One local fatality and other tragedies

In a year of great battles (Verdun, Jutland, Somme) when many of the problems that beset us today began to emerge, the community lost its first fatality…
Lest we forget: January 1916 Conscription and conscientious objection
Sunday 17th January 2016
Sun 17th Jan 2016
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Lest we forget: January 1916 Conscription and conscientious objection

The first 3 months of the New Year were mercifully to be "thankful" with no local fatalities. However, in the dreadful year to come the greater Wilmslow…
Lest we forget: November 1915 One of our local survivors
Thursday 12th November 2015
Thu 12th Nov 2015
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Lest we forget: November 1915 One of our local survivors

Our community had lost 29 young men by November 1915, but mercifully that month proved to be a "thankful" one – no fatalities were reported. Wet,…
Soldier's Index provides insight into the lives of local war heroes
Wednesday 11th November 2015
Wed 11th Nov 2015

Soldier's Index provides insight into the lives of local war heroes

As a contribution to the centenary commemorations of the First World War, Wilmslow Community Archaeology have compiled an index of every soldier mentioned…