11th Bn
XX The Lancashire Fusiliers
1914 - 1918

Joel Halliwell VC

(1881-1958)
Born in Middleton on 29th December 1881, Lance Corporal Joel Halliwell was to be awarded the Victoria Cross for "...conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty".
On 27 May 1918, Halliwell was captured by the Germans and remained a prisoner with them for a short time before he managed to escape. On his way back to the British lines, seeing many wounded comrades lying on the ground, he mounted a stray German horse which he rode back to pick up a wounded man and brought him back to safety, in spite of heavy shellfire. He went on to repeat this process, back and forth, through heavy enemy gunfire, with no thought for his own safety, some ten times, until his horse received a severe wound and he could no longer continue.
Lance Corporal Halliwell was a modest man, maintaining that he had simply done as he was told and that any other man in his battalion would have done what he had done if they had the chance, as they never thought of anything but their duty.
He returned to Middleton amid public jubilation and a civic welcome by the Mayor and Mayoress of the borough.
Joel Halliwell died on the 14th June 1958.
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/news.asp?ID=762

http://www.vmims.com/vc.html

48934 Pte Francis Taylor

enlisted into the 11th Bn of the Lancashire Fusiliers,he was then at Lower Stratton in Wilts.
He had previously served in the Hertfordshire Regiment with his Regimental number then being 10071.
In my experience,I believe that he had been wounded with the Herts regiment,been returned to the UK (Swindon) to recuperate and then re-enlisted into the LFs.
He was killed in action on the 1st April 1918.

TAYLOR, FRANCIS
Initials: F
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Lancashire Fusiliers
Unit Text: 11th Bn.
Date of Death: 01/04/1918
Service No: 48934
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 4.
Memorial: PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIA

Francis his wife Frances Lilian Dash

sent in by
Helen Williams
(Francis Granddaughter)

Captain Thomas Rufus, MC

"A Coy" 11th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers. Killed in action 14/04/1918, aged 28.

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Ploegsteert Memorial