Westhead St James East Window.

The Magnificant East Window of St James Westhead.

Westhead St James Church, was formerly St James, Lathom. Westhead was once considered but a hamlet within the confines of a sprawling Lathom village, as the hamlet expanded it obviously grew in size and population. Today its population is greater than that of Lathom has significantly more housing although not the acreage.

St James Church provides us with ‘war memoria’ not often seen together in one location. Whilst in common with most Anglican Churches it provides a war memorial to the dead of the village, often accepted as the Village War Memorial.

However not only does it have also magnificant testimony to war in The East Window as does St Johns Burscough, it also provides proud testimony to the men of the village in the form of a ‘war memorial’ to those men who served then came home, as does The Wesleyan Church in Derby St, Ormskirk.

The combination of window plus ‘those who served memorial’ is not often found, indicative of the pride of a small village and respect of one man for those employees from his company who did not return.

Daniel Alty Kings Regt

Henry Alty Kings Regt.

James E Lyon Kings Regt.

Robert Evans Kings Regt.

Clement W Ford Kings Own Royal Lancaster.

· The panels above are in the lower corners of the East Window, donated by Mr & Mrs Tyrer in everlasting memory of the men who were employed in his company and fell during The Great War.

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For the journey is done and the summit attained,

and the barriers fall.

Though a battle’s to fight ere the geurdon be gained,

The reward of it all.

I was ever a fighter, so, one fight more,

The best and last! Browning.

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Westhead Roll of Honour WWW1 / WW2

The additional or corrected information shown below is gathered from military archive sources ie CWWG. Soldiers Died in The Great War. Medal Cards. Obituaries from news archives owned by the editor of this website archive ‘War Memorials’ Is so reproduced in the belief of being correct. Any transgressions are therefore done in good faith and regretable, any corrections would always be welcome with supportive evidence.

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Name legend. Kia,Killed in Action. Dow, Died of Wounds. Mia, Missing in Action.

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All personnel are assumed buried in theatre unless missing, or died at home.

During both wars no service personnel were repatriated after death.

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Archive legend. P=Photo, O=Obituary, B=Biography, M=Medal Card,

G=Grave Photo, SF=Service File.

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The legends above will be appropiated against the named men below

If any of the men named below is of interest to you please contact the secretary.

secretary@lbmhs.co.uk

95653 Pte Thomas Alty. Aged 32. Tank Corps. Kia 23.11.1917. Cambrai Memorial.

Husband of Lily Jane Alty 142 Sussex Road, Southport.

Eldest Son to fall of Daniel & Catherine Alty 45 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

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3304t1 Pte John Whiteside 1/9th Kings Regt (T F) Kia 25.9.1916. Theipval Memorial.

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Lt Henry Alty D.C.M 9th Kings Kings Regt Kia 30.9.1918.

Anneaux Brit Cemetery, nr Cambrai.

Youngest son of Daniel & Catherine Alty 45 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

2353 L/Sjt William Farrington. Aged 31.1/9th Kings Regt (TF) Kia 8.10.1915.

Loos Memorial. Son of Mrs Hankin The Almshouses, Lathom Park,

Lathom, Lancashire.

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2575 Pte John Wm Huyton 1/9th Kings Regt (T F) Kia 25.9.1915. Loos Memorial

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26282 Pte James Horner. Aged 23. 8th(Service)Bn Cheshire Regt. Kia 5.4.1916

Basra Memorial. Son of Late William Horner 23 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

17943 Pte William Roughley M.M. ‘C’ Coy, 18th Kings Regt(2nd City Pals)

Dow 8.10.1918.

son of Joseph & Jessie Roughley of Westhead, Ormskirk.

Busigny Communal Cemetery.

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Belived to be … Sjt William John Guy. Aged 33 Mentioned in Dispatches.

Army Ordnance Corps.

attd 1/1 Highland Div HQ.

Kia 28.7.1915

Lancashire Landing Cemetery, Gallipoli.

Son of Willam & Emily Guy of Romford, Essex.

Husband of Flora Alice Guy of Forest Gate, London.

Served in South African War.

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25356 Pte Edward Pye 18th Kings Regt (Lancs Hussars)Bn. dow 8.11.1918

Le Cateau Mil Cemetery.

24524 Pte Henry Orritt. Aged 29. 2nd Manchester Regt. kia 11.7.1917.

Son of Henry & Mary Orritt of Scarth Hill.

Coxyde Military Cemetery, Ypres

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201303 Pte William Dutton 17th (Kings Regt (1st City Pals) Bn. Kia 31.7.1917.

Menin Gate, Ypres.

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37026 Pte James Hornby 18th (Lancashire Huss)Bn. Kia 31.7.1917

Menin Gate, Ypres.

5488 Pte John Birchall 2/7th (TF) Warwickshire Regt. Kia 16.7.16

Laventie Military Cemetery.

Son of Hannah Birchall, 37 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

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266867 Pte James Bradshaw.10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers 16.6.17 Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun.

Son of Mary Jane Bradshaw, 67 Wigan Road, Lathom, Ormskirk.

·Drv Henry Johnson Royal Army Service Corps.

Son of Peter & Sarah Johnson, Liverpool Road Skelmersdale

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Second son of 2/ Lt Daniel Alty. DCM. Aged 31. 9th Kings (TF) kia 30.9.18.

attd 2nd South Staffordshire Regt. Vis en Artois Memorial.

Husband of Mary Jane Alty 33 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

Second son of Daniel & Catherine Alty 45 Wigan Road, Westhead, Ormskirk.

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5848 Pte John Bimson 1/8th Kings (TF) Dow 17.12.16

Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery.

Eldest son James & Ellen Bimson of Lathom, Skelmersdale. (Given address)

Husband of Jane sarah Dixon 93 Wigan Road, Ormskirk. Son of William & Sarah Dixon, born at Westhead.

Buried St James Churchyard, Westhead.

Not commemorated on the Church Memorial.

Death Certificate of Pte T Dixon cause of death given as Influenza / Pneumonia.

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World War Two.

995875 Abel Barton Flt Sjt RAFVR, age 24. Died 22.2.1945.

Son of Abel & Mary Barton of Lathom.

Buried St Paul’s Churchyard, Skelmersdale.

Grave image research edit Mike McQuaid,

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1439870 LAC1 Thomas Bracegirdle. 2839 Sqdn RAF Regt (RAFVR)

Husband of Mary Agnes Bracegirdle, son of Joseph & Margaret.

Buried St Anne’s R.C. Churchyard Ormskirk.

Thomas Bracegirdle, RAF Regiment, was one of at least 15 RAF personnel killed or died from wounds on 23 Jan 1945 when a V2 fell on the main camp of RAF Stapleford Tawney, Essex.

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A/S D/SSX 16368 Walter Bullen. Aged 29. H.M. Submarine Parthian.

Plymouth Naval Memorial.

Husband of Lilly Bullen of Dundee son of Robert & Harriet Helen Bullen.

Believed to be :

A/S D/JX 238575 Reginald Dobson. H.M.S Repulse kia 10.12.1941.

Plymouth Memorial.

Husband of Margaret Dobson of Warrington. Son of

John William & Hannah Dobson of Westhead.

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Sinking of H M S Prince of Wales & Repulse

Repulse departing from Singapore on 8 December 1941

In late 1941 Winston Churchill decided to send a small group of fast capital ships, along with one modern aircraft carrier to Singapore, to deter expected Japanese aggression. In November, Repulse which was in the Indian Ocean was ordered to Colombo, Ceylon to rendezvous with the new battleship HMS Prince of Wales. The carrier HMS Indomitable which was assigned to join them was delayed when run aground in the Caribbean. Prince of Wales and Repulse and their escorting destroyers comprised Force Z which arrived in Singapore on 2 December 1941. On the evening of 8 December Force Z departed for an attempt to destroy Japanese troop convoys and protect the army’s seaward flanks from Japanese landings in their rear.

Force Z was spotted during the afternoon of 9 December by the Japanese submarine I-65 and floatplanes from several Japanese cruisers spotted the British ships later that afternoon and shadowed them until dark. Admiral Sir Tom Phillips decided to cancel the operation as the Japanese were now alerted. Force Z turned back during the evening, after having tried to deceive the Japanese that they were heading to Singora. At 5:00 a.m. on 10 December Admiral Philips received a signal of enemy landings at Kuantan and correspondingly altered course so that he would arrive shortly after dawn.^[36]

The crew of Japanese submarine I-58 spotted Force Z at 2:20 a.m., reported their position, and fired five torpedoes, all of which missed. Based on this report the Japanese launched 11 reconnaissance aircraft before dawn to locate Force Z. Several hours later 86 bombers from the 22nd Air Flotilla based in Saigon were launched carrying bombs or torpedoes. The crew of a Mitsubishi G3M “Nell” reconnaissance bomber spotted the British at 10:15 a.m. and radioed in several reports. The pilot was ordered to maintain contact and to broadcast a directional signal that the other Japanese bombers could follow.

The first attack began at 11:13 a.m. when 250 kilograms (551 lb) bombs were dropped from eight G3Ms from an altitude of 11,500 feet (3,505 m). The battlecruiser was straddled by two bombs, then hit by a third which penetrated through the hangar to explode on the armoured deck below. This inflicted a number of casualties and damaged the ship’s Supermarine Walrus seaplane, which was then pushed over the side to remove a fire hazard.

Anti-aircraft fire damaged five of the Japanese bombers, two so badly that they immediately returned to Saigon. In the ensuing attacks, Repulse was skillfully handled by her captain, Bill Tennant who managed to avoid 19 torpedoes as well as the remaining bombs from the G3Ms.^[38] However, Repulse was then caught by a synchronised pincer attack by 17 Mitsubishi G4M torpedo bombers and hit by four or five torpedoes in rapid succession. The gunners on the Repulse shot down two planes and heavily damaged eight more, but the torpedo damage proved fatal. At 12:23 p.m. Repulse listed severely to port and quickly capsized with the loss of 508 officers and men. The destroyers HMS Electra and HMAS Vampire rescued the survivors.

The wreck site was designated as a ‘Protected Place’ in 2002 under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, 60 years after her sinking. Survivors described five torpedo hits on Repulse, four on the port side and one on the starboard side. The four portside hits were: two amidship, one abreast of the rear turret and one near the propellers. The starboard side hit was amidships. A 2007 diving expedition confirmed two of the hits by examination of the wreck: the portside hit near the propellers and the starboard hit amidship. The portside midships section of the wreck was buried in the ocean floor thus the hits there could not be confirmed. The area abreast of the rear turret was accessible and no sign of a torpedo hit was found.

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13098946 Bmbdr John Hadfield. Agd 47. Kia 4th Maritime Regt RA.

Plymouth Naval Memorial. Son of James & Edna Hadfield.