9th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment
(Ashton Territorials or Ashton Pals)
Men from Denton who served with the 9th Battalion
Roll published on the 15 August 1914
When the Great War broke out Britain only had a small professional army but soon afterwards it became apparent that this was insufficient. Consequently, thousands of men volunteered for service in Lord Kitchener's New Armies. As part of this, it was realised that local ties could be harnessed and many more men would enlist if they could serve alongside their relatives, workmates and friends. The battalions they served with became known as Pals Battalions.
Although Pals Battalions were raised all over Britain most of them were raised in northern Britain. Men from towns and cities such as Accrington, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle enlisted in their thousands during 1914 and 1915.
Many of the Pals Battalions sustained heavy casualties and this had a severe impact on their communities. When conscription was introduced in January 1916 the Pals Battalion model was not repeated because of the devastating effect it was having on local communities.
On the 10 August 1914 Lord Kitchener announced that territorial forces could volunteer to serve overseas but the Ashton Territorial Force was below its permitted establishment, having only 24 officers and 888 men. This prompted a recruiting campaign and men from Ashton and the surrounding townships queued in Ashton to enlist.
At the outbreak of war most Territorial Force Battalions used the old eight Company system (lettered “A” to “H”) but this was changed to four (lettered “A” to “D”) shortly afterwards. In the four-Company system there were about 228 officers and men in a Company. Each Company was comprised of 16 Platoons with Platoons 1 to 4 in “A” Company and so on.
The headquarters of the 9th Battalion was at The Armoury on Old St, Ashton-under-Lyne, while the headquarters and depot of the Manchester Regiment was at Ladysmith Barracks on Mossley Rd, Ashton-under-Lyne. Only the gateway and flanking wall of the former barracks survive and these were listed Grade II on the 2 December 1986, List Entry No. 1309509.
Abbreviations:
Private, Pte; Acting Lance Corporal, A/L/Cpl; Lance Corporal, L/Cpl; Acting Corporal, A/Cpl; Corporal, Cpl;
Acting Serjeant, A/Sjt; Acting Colour Serjeant, A/Col/Sjt; Serjeant, Sjt.
| Name | Rank | Service No. |
Died/ Demobilised/ Discharged |
Residence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "A" Company | ||||
| EARNSHAW James | Pte then L/Cpl | 1000 | 9 June 1915 | Mount Pleasant Rd |
| MOTTERSHEAD James Thomas | Pte | 1958 then 47347 | Discharged | Seymour St |
| THICKETT Frank DCM | Pte then Sjt | 1969 then 350516 | 21 March 1918 | Thornleys Rd |
| "B" Company | ||||
| MATLEY Ernest Cecil | Pte then Cpl | 1445 then 350218 | Discharged | |
| MOORES George William | Pte | 1422 then 201601 in Labour Corps |
Demobilised | James Court |
| PARKINS Alfred | Pte then A/L/Cpl | 497 then 203481 in Lancashire Fusiliers |
Discharged | Ashton Rd |
| RADCLIFFE Thomas | Pte then Sjt | 1199 then 350103 & 3516726 |
Demobilised | Wilde St |
| ROWLAND William | Pte then A/Sjt | 1451 then 350221 | Demobilised | Manchester Rd |
| SEDDON John | Pte then A/Col/Sjt | 1916 then 350483 | Demobilised | |
| TAYLOR W | Pte | |||
| WILLIAMS James | Pte | 1201 then 350104 | Discharged | Kynder St |
| "C" Company | ||||
| HIGGINBOTTOM F | Pte | |||
| RICHARDSON Henry | Pte | 463 | Discharged | Grosvenor St |
| "D" Company | ||||
| BOSWELL George | Pte | 1566 | Discharged | Stockport Rd |
| COOK H | Pte | |||
| EASTWOOD John | Pte | 1664 then 238341 in Hereford Regt |
Demobilised | Ashton Rd |
| WOODRUFF Percy | Pte then A/Cpl | 1659 then 350346 | Demobilised | Tame St |
| "E" Company | ||||
| MORRISON J W | L/Sjt | |||
| WINDED Thomas | Cpl then Sjt | 1550 then 350274 | Demobilised | Osborne Rd |
| "F" Company | ||||
| WATSON Percy Lawrence | Pte | 1758 | 25 June 1915 | James Court |
| "G" Company | ||||
| PURCER John Richard | Pte | 1874 then 235725 in East Lancashire Regt |
Demobilised | Charles St |
| SUTTON J | Pte | |||
| "H" Company | ||||
| ADSHEAD Arthur MM | Pte | 1644 then 350336 | Demobilised | Manchester Rd |
| ADSHEAD William | Pte | 1863 | 15 August 1915 | Manchester Rd |
| ANDREWS John William1 | Pte | 1314 | 29 August 1915 | |
| BLAKE W | Pte | |||
| BOON Fred | Pte | 1459 | Demobilised | Milton St |
| BROWN M | Pte | |||
| COOK John Wright | Pte | 350228 | 23 March 1918 | Ashton Rd |
| HARTLEY Ellis Lee | Pte | 1624 | Discharged | |
| KELLY Edward | Pte | 1922 | 12 July 1915 | Water St |
| LAMB H | Pte | |||
| LATHAM Archibald DCM | Pte | 350367 | Demobilised | Stockport Rd |
| LOCKWOOD W | Pte | |||
| MOSS Harold | Pte | 1628 then 350325 | Demobilised | Lyndhurst Ave |
| TURNER Harry Cooke | Pte | 1630 | Discharged | Hyde Rd |
| WEBB J | Pte | |||
| WILMOT Harry | Pte | 1783 | Discharged | Booth St |
| WOFFENDEN J | Pte | |||
1ANDREWS John William transferred to "D" Company.
Right: Shoulder badge of the 9th (Ashton Territorials/Ashton Pals) Battalion, Manchester Regiment.
Reference
The Cheshire Reporter for the 15 August 1914.
Surviving attestation records show that some of these men had enlisted for volunteer territorial service prior to the 15 August 1914. This roll should, therefore, be taken as a record of their mobilisation for active service.
Volunteers who enlisted in a territorial battalion were defined as being 'embodied' and when they left they were defined as being 'disembodied'. Disembodied volunteers could be called upon to serve again as long as they were medically fit. Here the usual military terms of 'discharged' and 'demobilised' have been used.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is as accurate as possible but it cannot be guaranteed that it is so in every instance.
