Fred Heslop || || Four Orton men including Fred (tallest) in front of Carlisle racecourse stadium. The news of his death came in letters from two of his friends in this picture. Photo courtesy of Colin Bardgett. || Fred Heslop with friends

My grandfather John Drawbell was born on 17 July 1870 in Linlithgow, Scotland. The story went that he left home when he was very young and joined the Highland Light Infantry. He stayed in the army all his life, spending several years, I believe, in India. I know he was based at Edinburgh Castle as my mother was Christened in St Margaret's Chapel there in 1906. As a pre-war regular he was commissioned as Lieutenant into the 11th battalion part of K1. According to historian Everett Sharp, K1 was the first of six new armies named after Herbert Kitchener, then Britain's Secretary of State for War, who recognised there was a need for many men for a long war on the continent. Sharp says that because of the small size of the British Army at the outbreak of the war, all men with previous military experience were welcomed back with open arms, even at the advanced age of 44. According to Sharp, it looks as though my grandfather went into action at The Somme after training to France, later moving on to Ypres, then Passchendaele in July 1917, when in the same month he was promoted to captain. There is a note that he was mentioned in dispatches four times in 1916 and 1917. His medals were the 1914 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal. After the war he brought me up almost single-handed until I was 10 as my mother was ill with MS. Sergeant Service No 3530 Campaign medals - India Medal Clasps Awarded: Punjab Frontier 1895-1902 || Service Book John Drawhill

Typed memoirs of a British soldier || My father, John Stafford, served at the Battle of the Somme. My mother convinced him to write a memoir of his experiences as he was obviously suffering, mentally, with memories of his wounding. This memoir has been typed for safekeeping. The subject of the memoir is the Battle of the Somme, specifically an attack on the fringes of Trones Wood 6-8 August 1916 (crossing No Mans Land across what was known as Death Valley). Stafford describes the kit he carries, including 2 large cans of water for his section. He describes their attempts to dig-in while waiting a day or more in No Man's Land. Stafford has a terrible premonition of his wounding, and of his survival. However, when he is shot through both legs and crawls into a shell hole for safety he is stranded for 2 days, less than 20 yards from the Germans who he can clearly hear. He is saved finally by a reconnaisance patrol of British soliders from the unit which replaced the Liverpools after the attack. He describes their rescue attempts and their bravery, as well as the death of another soldier in the same shell hole. Finally he goes on to describe his treatment - including the chilling label pinned to his chest - Maggots! Private John Andrew Stafford, from Liverpool, served in the 5th Liverpool Regiment. His regiment number was 3083 (then 200947). His Medal Award card (online) shows he was eligible for the Victory medal and the British medal (reference H/2/102 B35 p4971), as well as the 1915 Star (reference H/2/7B p1598), and that he went overseas to France on 21 February 1915. Later he moved to Preston. He was awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) for services during the Second World War. || || John Andrew Stafford || Memoir || Preston || 53.763201,-2.7030899999999747