Military Photographs

Born in 1902 Joseph Walker served in the Royal Navy where he was stationed in Malta for several years. He retired as a Petty Officer when invalided out sometime before WW2. He was later in hospital at Gobowen for 2 years and subsequently had to wear a support in later life.

Joseph Walker

This photograph was loaned by my wife's mother, Annie Griffith, and is thought to have belonged to her Uncle Joseph Walker, pictured above. The photograph probably shows a ship engaged on the North Atlantic and Russian Convoys. Ice was a major problem for ships sailing in these regions particularly in winter with the very real danger of a capsize if the weight of ice on the upper decks became too great.

My late father in law Thomas Griffith joined the Cheshire Regiment on 1st September 1914 at Chester (Private No 3847) and was subsequently posted to Bournmouth. In January 1915 he successfully applied to join the 25th Div Army Cycling Corp however his army career came to an end in May of the same year following a bout of Rheumatic Fever. He died at Chester in 1955.

Private Thomas Griffith

Frank Onions served as a Private in the Cheshire Regiment (Regimental Number 59967) and as a Private in the Labour Corps (Regimental Number 38677). Details from the Cheshire Military Museum of Frank Onion's World War 1 Service show that he had originally served  with the 22nd Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment before being transferred to the Labour Corps. When Regiment battalions were transferred to the Labour Corps the members of these battalions received new Army Service numbers. Number 38677 assigned to Frank Onions falls into the number allocated to the 65th Labour Company of the newly formed Labour Corps.

Frank Onions

The son of Frank Onions Senior (see above) Frank Onions joined the Royal Air Force on 16th February 1938 and served as an Ordnance Technician (No 549108). He was posted to the Middle East for 4 years and at the end of World War 2 awarded the 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, 1939-45 Defence and War medals. He left the service on 15th February 1950 as a Sergeant after 12 years service.

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Frederick Walker enlisted as a Private in the 9th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (No 12590) during 1914 and was involved at the Battle of Loos in the latter part of 1915. He was severely injured in action and eventually taken prisoner by the Germans and imprisoned in East Prussia. His was an amazing story in that he suffered severe memory loss as a result of his injuries and mistreatment by the Germans. For reasons which are unclear he was not repatriated back to the UK until 1921 and was eventually discharged by the army in 1924. During this time his family had been told by the MOD that he had been killed in action on 15/9/15 and indeed there is an inscription on the Loos Memorial to this effect. They were not to see him again until 1953 when, still suffering from memory loss, they were reunited. After returning in 1953 he again lost contact with the family and never saw them again. The date of his death is not known.
A copy of the article in the Cheshire Observer describing his return home can be seen via the Press Cuttings Page.

The 1914-1915 Star medal pictured left seems fairly scant reward for the sufferings endured by by Frederick Walker described above. The medal was officially earned by those who saw service anywhere in the world before 31/12/1915.

Joseph Mcmahon was a Corporal in the 7th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment (No 4126960) and was killed at the Battle of Monte Casino (Italy) on 30th October 1943. This was a double tragedy for his family in that his older brother Frederick McMahon (see below) was killed the previous year at El Alamein. Joseph's war medals, awarded posthumously, are pictured below.

Joseph McMahon

Top Medal; 1939-1945 Star earned for more than 6 months active service.

Second Medal; Africa Star earned for service in Eritrea, Abyssinia, Somaliland, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, or Malta between 10/6/1940 and 12/5/1943.

Third Medal; Defence Medal earned for three years in a military or civilian support (ARP, Home Guard etc) uniform in the UK or 6 months in an overseas garrison.

Fourth Medal; 1939-45 War Medal earned for 28 days service in a military or civilian support uniform.

Fred McMahon served as a Private in the 9th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (No 4460096) and was killed at El Alamein on 03 Nov 1942.The Durham Light Infantry was formed in 1881 from, The 68th. (Durham Light Infantry) Regiment (1st Battalion) & The 106th Bombay Light Infantry Regiment. (2nd Battalion). Nickname:- "The Faithful Durham's".

In WW1 The Regiment raised 42 Battalions. Officers & Men were awarded Six Victoria Crosses. The Regiment suffered 12,530 casualties. Fred's war medals, awarded posthumously, are pictured below.

Top Medal; 1939-1945 Star earned for more than 6 months active service.

Second Medal; 1939-45 War Medal earned for 28 days service in a military or civilian support uniform.

Badge of the Durham Light Infantry

CWG Headstone

Arthur Griffith (1900-1941) pictured 4th from the right at the rear of the Band of the Cheshire Regiment. The picture dates to around 1925.

This photograph shows William Paddy who was born in Coventry 19th November 1878 the son of Thomas Hyatt Paddy born Coventry 1839 and grandson of William Paddy my 3rd Gt Grandfather . William Paddy was employed as a pateller below ground (a miner) and later served his apprenticeship as a Shoemaker. He married Annie Selina Smith in 1900 and had 6 children. He enlisted in the 7th Royal Warwickshire regiment in 1914 and served in France from where he was discharged in May 1917. He continued to live in the Coventry area where his wife predeceased him in 1945. "Bill" died in March 1954.

Kinmel Camp Post Office c 1914-1918

Unknown Soldier #1

Unknown Soldier #2

Unknown Soldier#3

Unknown Soldier #4

John Charles McMahon

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