St Francis Gorton Honour Roll

“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
 Jose Narosky quote

This is in loving and proud memory of the men of Gorton and the Priests - all brave men who served in this Great War for us - and came home .

ADAMS E H

Sgt E H Adams 8th Manchesters - he was in Cyprus before going to Gallipoli - he was wounded in May 1915, he was wounded twice more in France - also gassed and contracted trench fever - he finished the war in Ireland, with the Dragoon Guards

4 Nelson St West Gorton

ALLEN Harry

L/Cpl 9381 Harry Allen, and his brother Frederick were both regulars in the Manchester Regiment before the war.
Harry was gassed at 2nd Ypres with the Lancashire Fusiliers, he was no longer fit to serve, and discharged in February 1917
Frederick died 20th December 1914

They both lived at 85 Norton St, West Gorton.

ALLISON Harry

Private 4930 Charles Begent of Manchester Regiment was attested on 16th February 1916. His record shows that he was aged 19 years and 5 months, weighed 126 pounds, was five foot six and a half inches tall, with a chest measurement of 36 and a half inches that could expand by 4 and a half inches.
After attestation he was placed in reserve and mobilised on 1st March 1917, and posted as a Private the following day. His record shows that on 4th January 1918 while serving with C Company of the 19th Battalion Manchester Regiment he suffered a moderate/severe sprain to his right ankle when he slipped while walking up duckboarding back from the front line. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory War Medal.

His next of kin was his mother Jennie Begent of 6 Lees Street Gorton, and later of 1472 Ashton Old Road Openshaw.

BUCKLEY William

Private 8804 William Buckley of 2nd battalion Manchester Regiment was invalided from the army on 17th June 1915 - after being wounded by shellfire at LE CATEAU - he helped his pal Private James Aspin to the roadside in spite of being wounded himself ... but James unfortunately died  and William heard no more about him .... there's a strong possibility that James is  one of the unknowns, buried in Le Cateau Military Cemetery

26 Gardener St West Gorton

HARNEY, George         Enlisted 21 Aug 1914, Manchester.

Private 11517, Border Regiment - Discharged 20 Aug 1918, Preston. Age 30 yrs 11 mos. Height 5' 11 ", eyes blue, hair dark brown, laborer - Military character - fair sober & honest. Twice wounded in action  Campaign - Mediterranean 1st July 1915 to 9th September 1915 France 21st April 1916 to 16th July 1916 and  21st April  1917 to 22nd September 1917. Eligible to wear two wound stripes  Served 3 yrs 359 days, dated 20 Aug 1918 - Cause of discharge - physically unfit.

Wife - Janet Maude Harney ( nee Bradley ) of 9 Middlewood St, Gorton

HARNEY, Stephen

B’Boy, No. 20436, private, discharged 31 March 1916, Prescot. Age at discharge - 26 yrs 2 mos. 5'11 ½" tall, fresh complexion, hazel eyes, black hair. Trade - Greengrocer. Residence - 500 Gorton Lane, Gorton, Manchester. Short Service Record - resides 500 Gorton Lane, West Gorton, 24 yrs, 10 mos. Green grocer.

Father - George Harney, Mother Sarah, 500 Gordon Lane West Gorton, Not married. 2nd Garrison ( Also see William of Gorton Lane, below )

HARNEY, William

No. 155578. Gunner Royal Garrison Artillery 1 Res. Bty. Discharged 30th August 1917, Dover. Age at discharge - 21 yrs 6 mos. 5' 9", dark complexion, brown eyes, brown hair, Trade -  Greengrocer. Residence - 500 Gorton Lane, Gorton, Manchester.

Next of kin  - Father. George Harney, 500 Gorton Lane,West Gorton, Tuberculosis of spine. Enlisted when 19 yrs. 6 mos old ( Also see Stephen of Gorton Lane, above )

HODGSON  Manus Francis

Private  5748 served in the 13th Battalion Manchester Regiment - Manus was born in Philadelphia, USA. He enlisted in Ashton Under Lyne on 14th Sept 1914. He was nineteen years old and was a Fitter by trade -  He stood 5ft 6 1/4 inches high and weighed 122 1/2lbs. He had a fresh complexion, brown hair, grey eyes and was Roman Catholic. He embarked on board a ship at Folkestone on the 6th Sept 1915, and disembarked at  BOULOGNE on the 7th Sept 1915. He later embarked on board a ship at MARSEILLES on 29th October 1915, and disembarked at SALONICA 6th Nov 1915, where he remained until 4th August 1918. Manus was then sent to FRANCE until 9th Feb 1919 after which he returned to the UK. He was discharged on 8th March 1919.

He was entitled to the 1914 -1915 Star, British Medal and Victory Medal.
Son of Ellen, of 177 Belle View St. Gorton.

OLLERENSHAW Harry

Private 11899 Harry Ollerenshaw listed on 7th December 1916 on the 19th battalions daily casualty report of the Manchester Regiment - discharged through wounds.

19 Kay St West Gorton

McGAHEY, Joseph

GORTON SOLDIER - Invalided Home Through Wounds and Illness

Private Joseph McGahey of 133 Gorton Lane West Gorton, is at home on sick leave, having suffered from war wounds and illness. He was wounded in the Battle of MONS last year (1915) and has also been wounded on another occasion. He belongs to the Lancashire Fusiliers, and we understand there is a possibility of being recommended for honours. He has served both in the DARDANELLES and in FRANCE. He is a single young fellow of 21 years. He states that he was servant to a millionaire officer, who was found dying in the trenches. Private McGahey bound up the officer's wounds.
The wound he received in the Battle of Mons was in his chest.
The youth belongs to a well known Gorton family. His father is a lithographic designer and artist. Private McGahey is on the Roll of Honour of St. Francis' Monastery, Gorton. He has a brother 25 years of age who belongs to the Manchester (Ardwicks). He is also a St Francis boy.

( Gorton Reporter 29th January 1916)

Private 2788 Joseph McGahey joined the Lancashire Fusiliers in March 1913 - landed in FRANCE in Aug 1914 - took part in the retreat from MONS and the fighting around the MARNE and the AISNE - suffered two wounds - he later went to GALLIPOLI he was invalided home in December due to sickness. He was later discharged as medically unfit for further service in July 1916.

lived at 133 Gorton Lane Gorton - the family were later living at 42 Gorton Lane in 1917/18.

( I believe his brother was William - though it's possible the other medal card belongs to his other brother Charles Kennedy ! and I believe they both came home )

Medal card of McGahey, William
Manchester Regiment 2395 Private
King's Liverpool Regiment 60520 Private
Date
1914-1920

Medal card of McGahey, Charles K
Manchester Regiment 6648 Private
King's Royal Rifle Corps 51120 Private
Date
1914-1920

O'HARA, Thomas

An Openshaw Sergeant's Brave Deeds

It was announced officially this week that Sergeant Thomas O'Hara of the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers, of 8 Peter Street, Openshaw has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He was at home  for furlough last week. He gained his high award for bravery in connection with a bomb attack on December 28th. Then sent into the enemy's trenches in ARMENTIERRES His officer was killed and the Sergeant was left in charge. They found nothing in the first line of the German trenches, but going out further for about 50 yards, they discovered "barbed wire up to the neck". His men threw about eight bombs for a start, and the Germans responded with three.

In his own words, Sergeant O'Hara said it was "up to him" to give the order to retire at 10.15 p.m. They had then thrown 70 bombs. They did so under heavy fire of bombs, trench mortars and shell. According to aeroplane observation the fusiliers accounted for 1000 Germans on that occasion.

Sergeant O'Hara is an Irishman. He is a married man and has 3 children. He joined the army on September 3rd, 1914 and early gained the rank of Sergeant. Previous to enlisting he had served five years in the Royal Navy. He is one of the old boys of St Francis' Monastery, Gorton, and prior to the war was an employee of the firm Messrs. Joseph Anderson and Sons, Ltd, Bank Street Chemical Works, Clayton.

( Gorton Reporter 29th January 1916)

*Just 2 years later he was dead.

ROWLINSON, John

BRAVE UNDER FIRE ........ Gorton Soldier Awarded D.C.M ......... Rescued Wounded Comrade at Great Risk
There is not a prouder woman than Mrs. Rowlinson of 30 Napier Street, Gorton, for her soldier son, Lance Corporal John Rowlinson, of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancasters, after being recommended three times for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, has been awarded the coveted decoration. The news has also been received with much delight by the clergy and congregation of St. Francis', Gorton, where Lance Corporal Rowlinson was well known and admired. He was educated at the Day School in connection with the Church, and Mrs Rowlinson has received a letter from the headmaster conveying his and the teachers' hearty congratulations on her son's achievement. Prior to being called up as a Reservist Rowlinson worked as a crane driver at the Great Central Railway Company's works at Gorton.
Lance Corporal Rowlinson was gassed on May 2nd (1915) and after being carefully nursed back to health at the military hospitals at Oxford and Henley, he came home recently on a seven day furlough, and had only just returned to his depot when the news was received that he had won the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty of mending telephone wires under fire in the open , behind the trenches near Le Touquet'

In a letter to his mother, Lance Corporal Rowlinson describes several of the incidents which led to his bravery being officially recognised. He wrote:-
'Since I arrived in France I have had a pretty tough time. There are only 100 left of the men who first came out. Our regiment has had some hard knocks. Our trench is only 30 yards from the Germans, and you can understand it is not much use for any of us to put our heads above the top of the trench, for we would soon get knocked over by a bullet. It was here I got recommended for the second time for bravery. One of my comrades got shot in the side, and I ran out and carried him to safety, but the poor fellow died about ten minutes afterwards. The first time I was recommended for the D.C.M. was at Meteren. I ran out, under a heavy fire to a man who had been slightly wounded in the foot. Another man helped me to carry him to safety. The officer told me he had recommended me not only for rescuing a wounded man, but also for my coolness under fire "the whole day." '
Lance Corporal Rowlinson also describes the work he had been doing in laying telegraph and telephone wires. 'It is a risky job mending wires and laying new ones. I generally go out at night to do my work, but the bullets keep whizzing past.'

(Gorton Reporter 10th July 1915)

What a statistic I heard - 88% of St Francis boys who joined up - survived WW I

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