In July 2023, five WW1 service medals were offered for sale in an antique shop in my home town of Ossett in West Yorkshire. From a promotional video made by the seller I was able to retrieve a few details, such as the names ‘P Booth’ and ‘A Booth‘, their regiments – the East Lancashire Regiment and the Manchester Regiment, and a lead about their mother in Morecambe. I was eager to discover how the medals had ended up in Yorkshire when they belonged to two brothers originally from Lancashire.

The discovery of a pension record for ‘Arnold Booth‘ provided me with a starting point. It revealed his service number and two addresses – one of which was that of his mother in Morecambe and the other an address for his grandmother. Next I located Arnold in the 1891 census, matching his address closely enough to that of his grandmother recorded in his pension record. The family had relocated by the time of the 1901 census, in which I was able to identify Arnold, his parents, and his siblings – including his brother ‘Peter Booth’.

On Ancestry.co.uk, I discovered an online public family tree, allowing me to contact the direct descendants of the Booth brothers. Subsequently, James Brocklehurst, the seller at Ossett Antiques & Collectibles, was contacted and it was at James’s shop that I had the privilege of meeting the widow of Peter Booth’s youngest son, along with two of his grandsons and his great-granddaughter.

Jane Holt (1873-1953) and Amos Booth (1870-1921) were married in the Bury district in the winter of 1890. They lived with Jane’s widowed mother, Mary Alice Holt (née Whiteside), at 288 Hollins Lane, a small terrace house in Unsworth, Bury. Jane and Amos had seven children; five sons and a daughter survived into adulthood.

Arnold Booth was born at Whitefield on March 20 1891. Arthur Booth was born at Whitefield on June 13 1894. Handel Booth was born at Whitefield on November 16 1895. Peter Booth was born at Whitefield on March 26 1899. Florence Booth was born at Droylsden on January 11 1907. Alfred Booth was born in Droylsden in October 1912. They were all baptised at the North Wesleyan Methodist Church, Unsworth, Bury.

During World War I, four out of the five brothers bravely served their country.

Amos Booth faced a summons in September 1909 when his wife, Jane, had him being charged with desertion. A dispute between Amos and his eldest son, Arnold, meant that Amos had left the family home in July that year. Jane Booth stated that Amos had made no financial contributions towards the care and support of her and their five youngest children, aged between 11 and two.

During the court proceedings, Jane testified that Amos had made a serious threat to harm their 18 year old son Arnold, expressing intentions of inflicting physical harm and evicting him from their home.

Amos shared his side of the story, revealing that he had chosen to leave after Arnold displayed disrespectful behaviour towards him. Amos informed the court of his prolonged illness with bronchitis. In his testimony, Amos expressed how his wife had neglected him during his 17 weeks illness, merely sending food to his room and leaving him to fend for himself. Unable to continue working at the bleach factory where he packed cloth, Amos had to resign from his position but was forced to return after attempts to establish a small business in Droylsden ultimately failed. Amos resolved not to return to his wife.

As a result of the court proceedings, he was ordered to provide Jane with a maintenance payment of 7/6d from his weekly earnings, which ranged between 30 shillings and £2. 

It’s not entirely clear when Amos made his return to the family home, but he was recorded there on the night of the 1911 census. He was still earning a living as a cloth packer at Medlock Vale Bleach Works, situated in Clayton Bridge, Manchester. His 20 year old son Arnold worked alongside him, which could hint at a reconciliation between father and son.

The Unsworth Pole War Memorial stands at the junction of Pole Lane and Sunnybank Road, Unsworth. Taking the form of a cross on a shaft, the memorial stands on a two-stepped octagonal base. It commemorates 55 casualties from WW1 and three casualties from WW2. Among them is Arnold Booth:- the eldest son of Jane and Amos Booth.

Arnold Booth had joined the army on a part-time basis, as a Territorial with the Manchester Regiment. On August 4 1914 the battalion received its orders for mobilisation. On August 10, Lord Kitchener appealed to members of the Territorial Force to volunteer for overseas service and over 90% did so. 

Arnold’s service record appears to have not survived but I did locate his Medal Index Card and it shows that he volunteered and arrived overseas on September 25th 1914. Along with the Victory and British Service Medals, Arnold was awarded the 1914-15 Star. This was awarded to those who served between August 5 1914 and December 31 1915. The trio was known as Pip, Squeak & Wilfred after a comic strip in the childrens’ section of the Daily Mirror.

On September 10 1914 the 1st/8th Bn., Manchester Regiment sailed from Southampton for Egypt arriving in Alexandria on September 25. On May 6 1915 they landed at Gallipoli. The diary of Private Joseph McLean gives us an insight into some of their service. Along with the War Diaries of the battalion, it is published on the Manchesters website.

Private Arnold Booth, 2614, was 24 years old when he was declared missing in Gallipoli on August 7 1915. He is commemorated on Panel 161A at the Cape Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Çanakkale, Turkey. His final resting place is still unknown.

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916.

The Helles Memorial serves the dual function of Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign and place of commemoration for many of those Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave.

Source: www.cwgc.org

Peter Booth survived the war. He was awarded the Silver War Badge after being diagnosed with ‘synovitis of the knee’. 191 cases of synovitis were noted amongst pension claimants, 84% being deemed ‘attributable’ to service.

I understand how important it is to have accurate information about our ancestors’ experiences during significant events like WW1. Unfortunately, in the case of Peter Booth, there are some gaps in the available records. Peter was 14 years old when Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914. Information passed down through generations of the Booth family recounts how he lied about his age and joined the war in 1915, motivated by the loss of his older brother Arnold.

Due to the destruction (in WWll) of around 60% of WWI service records, it has been challenging to find specific details about Peter’s military service. Nevertheless, I did manage to locate his Medal Index Card (MIC), revealing that he served with the East Lancashire Regiment and was awarded the Victory and British Service Medals as well as the Silver War Badge. The Silver War Badge Index Record records Peter’s service as February 12 1919 – November 7 1919 and also records that he had served overseas in a previous engagement. The 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment moved to Ireland for four years in 1919 during the Irish War of Independence.

These small glimpses into Peter Booth’s experience serve as reminders of his courage and dedication.

After his honourable discharge from the East Lancashire Regiment, Peter returned home to his family at 6 Duff Street, Thornton Road, Morecambe and found a job as a dock labourer at Heysham Harbour. The war had obviously taken its toll on him, both physically and emotionally, but he was determined to rebuild his life.

Peter Booth and 23 year old Morecambe girl Florence May Muir were married in the early months of 1923 and welcomed their first child, Marjorie, that same year. Three more children: Leslie (1926), Audrey (1928), and Renee (1929) were all born in the Greater Manchester district. By the time their son Barrie was born in 1936 the family had made their way to Leeds, West Yorkshire. Peter Jr., born on Valentine’s Day in 1940, also entered the world in Leeds. Their address, Seaforth Avenue in Harehills, Leeds, happened to be just a street away from where I would later live!

Peter Booth built a thriving business, specialising in professional vehicle spray painting and his craftsmanship and reputation attracted clients from across the United Kingdom. Jean Booth (who was married to Peter Booth jnr.) told me that due to the devastating effects of being gassed during the war, her father in law would face struggles every winter. In the face of severe weather conditions or frigid temperatures, he would find himself unable to engage in his work.

When Peter died in 1959 the five medals were passed down to his son, Peter Jr., but they vanished when he passed away. It's surprising that all five medals remained together. I managed to track down Peter Jr’s widow, Jean and her two sons, Shaun and Neil, who now live in Tadcaster, York and Selby. After managing to convince the family that I was genuine, I met the Booths last summer in Ossett to reunite them with their long-lost heirlooms.

Arnold, the son of Arthur Booth, carried a name of profound significance. It was a name chosen to pay homage to his late uncle, who lost his life during the First World War. Despite never having the chance to personally know his heroic relative, Arnold’s name stands as a solemn testament to a cherished family member. Poignantly, Arnold Booth met a tragic end during World War II.

Flight Lieutenant Arnold Booth was a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Tragically, he lost his life when Lancaster ED972 took off from RAF Wickenby at 23:50 hours on the night of 30/31st August 1943 on a bombing raid over Monchengladbach, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. It was presumed that the aircraft crashed in the target area. All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery, Locality Kamp-Lintfortt, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany. In recognition of his exceptional bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on April 3 1945, with effect from August 30 1943.

Throughout the years, I have come across, and extensively researched, the stories of many of the Ossett Fallen. I am often asked how I discover these individuals; my response is always the same. I’m not sure that I do – it feels as if they find me. For some reason, the medals belonging to Arnold and Peter Booth emerged in Ossett. I’m honoured to have been able to play a part in uncovering their story and I’m delighted to have been able to unite the Booth family with these medals.

My partner, Simon Rogers, and I are volunteers for the CWGC Eyes On Hands On Project. We have been trained by the CWGC to clean and maintain our local war graves and for several years Simon has done just that. On the day that Simon and I crossed paths with the Booth family and the seller, James Brocklehurst, Simon happened to be wearing his CWGC volunteer shirt, which sparked James’ curiosity about the project. Motivated by Simon’s devotion, James graciously pledged to donate the cost of the medals to the CWGC. Such acts of generosity truly make a difference in preserving the memory of those who served in the Two World Wars.

Lost over time, it becomes increasingly vital to ensure that these stories reach a wider audience whenever they are uncovered.