Tag Archives: Lancashire

03Apr/16

Tearle, Joseph, 1878, Preston (4/Loyal Nth Lancs)

The Preston Tearles are all descended from one marriage in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, between Joseph Tearle 1803 and Mary Ann nee Smith. They had (amongst many children) a son called Joseph, born in 1838, who married Sophia Kibble in Preston, Lancs, in 1858. Other members of the family drifted up to Preston on the Euston-Dunstable-Preston railway line and became part of the Lancashire business culture that Joseph had joined. Unsurprisingly, the parents of Joseph 1803 were Richard 1778 and Mary nee Pestel, and Richard’s parents were Joseph 1737 of Stanbridge, and Phoebe nee Capp.

Now, the son of Joseph 1838 (of interest to us militarily) was Joseph 1878, who had married Rachel Elizabeth Parker in 1900, in Preston. In the 1901 census, they were living in the house of Rachel’s parents and Joseph was working as a drysalter – basically, as a chemist. You would have thought that a man with three children in 1911, and 34yrs old in 1914, would be safe from the recruiters, working busily to send men to WW1. Not so for Joseph. I have precious little documentation, but his medals card speaks volumes:

Joseph 4029 WW1 army medal rolls

Joseph Tearle 4029 WW1 army medal rolls.

Firstly, on 31 June 1915 he joined the 4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and was given the number 4029 and the rank of private. His discharge date is odd – in the middle of 1916, fully two years before the armistice of 11 Nov 1918. In the next column is the reason for his early release – he was given a Para 392 discharge. Paragraph 392 of the King’s Regulations refers to a medical or physical condition (eg wounds) so serious that he “is not fit enough to be an efficient soldier.” I cannot find the Chelsea records that would document the process of this decision, but I do have the document that grants him the Silver War Badge. This badge would allow him to go home and wear it on his civilian clothes to indicate that he did everything he could to go to war, that he had caught a dreadful sickness caused by active service, and to the highest standards of the British army, he was in no condition to fight.

Here is his record in the awarding of the Silver War Badge, as well as the document itself:

WW1 Silver War Badge
Name:    Joseph Tearle
Discharge Unit:    4th L.N. Lancs.
Regiment Number:    4023
Rank:    Pte.
Badge Number:    117528
Unit:    Infantry (Preston)
Piece:    3085
List Number:    TH 0401-0800
Record Group:    WO
Record Class:    329

Joseph Tearle WW1 Silver War Badge

Joseph Tearle 4023, WW1 Silver War Badge.

The hand-written numbers in the central column are the serial numbers of the badges awarded to each soldier. You can see that he was given a Para 392 discharge, and that he had not fought overseas.

17Mar/15

Tearle, Charles, 1894, Preston, UK (Loyal Nth Lancs Regt)

Here is his service record from CWGC

Name: TEARLE, CHARLES Initials: C Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn.
Date of Death: 30/11/1917
Service No: 36932
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8.
Memorial: CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL

Charles was killed during the Battle of Cambrai, which started on 20 Nov 1917. When the Germans regrouped and attacked on 29 Nov, after initial Allied success, Charles was killed in the following 5 days of fierce action. Cambrai Memorial was established to commemorate those who have no grave.

Son of Charles 1860 of Preston and Jane nee Swarbrick. His mother was Sarah Tearle 1831 who had made her way up to Preston following her father and brother, hoping for a better life. She married Thomas Hoole in Preston in 1868. Sarah’s parents were Joseph 1803 of Tebworth and Mary Ann nee Smith, who died in 1849. Joseph’s parents were Richard Tearle 1778 of Stanbridge and Mary nee Pestel. And Richard’s parents were Joseph Tearle 1737 and Phoebe nee Capp.

There is a lot more written about the story of the Preston Tearles here, some of it occasioned by the discovery of the story of Charles Tearle, soldier.

PTE CHARLES TEARLE 1ST5TH BN THE LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRES

Pte Charles Tearle 1st/5th Bn The Loyal North Lancaster Regiment.

The army record of gratuities to his family (below) show two sums sent to his father, Charles, in Preston.

Charles Tearle UK Army Effects

 

Here is the Cambrai Memorial in the grounds of the Louverval Military Cemetery.

Cambrai Memorial Louveral Military Cemetery

Cambrai Memorial Louverval Military Cemetery

Across the countryside Louveral Military Cemetery

Across the countryside Louverval Military Cemetery

The headstones in Louverval Military Cemetery mark the graves of fallen soldiers; however for those whose bodies were never found, the names are inscribed on the Cambrai Memorial.

Charles Tearle in Book of Remembrance at Cambrai Memorial in Louveral Military Cemetery

Charles Tearle in Book of Remembrance at Cambrai Memorial in Louveral Military Cemetery

Charles Tearle on the Cambrai Memorial in Louveral Military Cemetery

Here is Charles’ name on the Cambrai Memorial.