THE harsh conditions experienced by soldiers from Wilmslow during June 1915 are captured in an account published by Alan Cooper.

Mr Cooper of Wilmslow Historical Society, has pulled together information on some of the town's fatalities who were killed one hundred years ago this month.

The campaign in Gallipoli was to claim three lives, which include both Captain John Hamer Clegg, of the 10th Manchester's and Second Lieutenant Frank Helm with the 8th battalion of the Manchesters, who died on June 4.

Clegg was the son of Mary and Charles, of “Oakleigh”, Wilmslow. In 1901 he was attending boarding school in Llandudno, but by 1911 had come home and was residing with his parents, two sisters and four servants (a cook, two maids and a nurse).

His father was of 'private means', but John worked in a cotton spinning works. He is commemorated in St Bartholomew’s, on the town memorial and on the family grave in Wilmslow cemetery.

Second Lieutenant Helm, aged 34, is commemorated on the civic memorial and in the churches of St John’s and St Chad’s.

Moving from Heaton Norris eventually to settle at “Lindfield”, Wilmslow, he lived with his father, John (owner/manager of a calico printworks), his mother Mary, four sisters and four servants namely a cook, a maid, a parlour maid and a kitchen maid. He and his brother worked as salesmen for their father.

“Lindfield” was where we now have Fulshaw Park, roughly where Westminster Drive is today.

Frank’s commanding officer in Gallipoli, was Brigadier General Noel Lee, who was in command of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Manchester's - around 3,600 men.

Lee was born in 1868 in Bowden, the 3rd son of Sir John Cocksey Lee (knighted for his work in establishing the Manchester Ship Canal). In civilian life Lee was director of his family firm – a Manchester textile company Tootal Broadhurst and Lee– and although an old Etonian, was made to start his career as a mill hand.

He married Lilian of Tilford, Surrey in 1896 and they lived at Heawood Hall, Chelford, Nether Alderley with their three children and four servants.

Mr Cooper said: "Lee was promoted uniquely for a territorial to this rank in 1911. He famously led his 127th brigade on the Gallipoli beaches in the assault on W and V beaches at Cape Helles on May 6. "There shrapnel, artillery, merciless machine gun fire, heat, disease and shortages took their toll on everyone.

"On June 4 at the third attempt to take Krithia and the heights of Achi Baba, Lee himself was wounded badly in the throat and jaw. He took himself to the casualty clearing station and had to be persuaded to use a stretcher.

"Indeed the 8th finished this bleak day without a single officer still standing. Operated on and then shipped to Malta on June 6, his condition deteriorated and he died on the morning of June 21 in the Blue Sisters Hospital.

"After an impressive funeral he was interred at Pieta Cemetery on the island."

Lee's brigade remained at the front for eight more months during which time 8,547 men were killed, wounded or missing.

This extraordinary man seemed to be respected by all and his name can also be found on Styal memorial (he moved to Quarry Bank House in 1911) and in St Bartholomew’s. Lee was posthumously mentioned in dispatches His family worshipped at St Mary’s, where he is commemorated.

Meanwhile in France, Private John Thomas Blackshaw of 5, River Street, signed up with the 1st/5th Cheshire, a battalion which included men who had volunteered to get to the Front quickly.

John was the son of William and Mary Blackshaw, where he lived before the war with his three brothers and two sisters (two other siblings having sadly died in infancy).

Prior to signing on, John was working as a labourer in a Calico Works and given his 4 digit service number (1800), it is likely that he was an early recruit and possibly a territorial. His battalion sailed for France in February, 1915.

Mr Cooper said: "We don’t know for sure, but it is possible that Blackshaw was one of those who transferred in from the 1st/7th. He was killed, aged 21, in the Ypres Salient and is buried at Blauenpoort Farm Cemetery, south east of Ypres, along with 80,000 others. He is commemorated on the civic and St Bartholomew’s memorials.

"His younger brother, Peter, a railway lamp man enlisted in late 1915 in the 14th battalion of the Cheshires, later being transferred to the Royal Engineers possibly undertaking important railway work near the front. Mercifully he survived the conflict."