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Preston man searching for details of 5′ 1″ grandfather’s First World War exploits

Posted on - 5th March, 2023 - 12:00pm | Author - | Posted in - History, People, Preston News, UCLan
Sean Livesey
Sean is researching grandfather Fred’s exploits in World War I

A Preston man is searching for details of his grandfather’s exploits in World War I.

Sean Livesey’s grandfather Fred – who stood at just 5′ 1″ tall – was part of The Cheshire Bantams, a special battalion that accepted recruits from 5′ tall up to the then minimum height requirement of 5′ 3″.

Three years after quitting his job to realise a lifelong ambition of studying history at university, Sean is putting the finishing touches to his dissertation. It focusses on Fred and is titled The Cheshire Bantams in the First World War: An Institutional and Personal History. 

Read more: A hero’s return? World War I and soldiers with disabilities

UCLan student Sean is looking for help in seven areas.

Sean said: “Fred passed a medical at the Preston recruitment office and would have received a free rail pass to allow him to travel to Birkenhead on 30 November 1914. I would love to hear from any Blog Preston readers who have similar stories of their parents or grandparents. It is likely that Fred travelled with workmates of a similar stature.

“On his return home Fred was employed by F.A. Gatty’s Dyers at Walton-le-Dale, known locally as the Khaki Mill. Does anyone have any memories of working there or had family that did?

“Fred was well known on the local sporting scene, specifically as a trainer for Higher Walton F.C. and as a cricket umpire, where he had the nicknames ‘Mac’ and ‘Nick’. Does anyone have any recollections of Higher Walton F.C. – now disbanded – or the Preston and District Cricket League in which he umpired?

“Fred was also involved with the notorious ‘Brookhouse League’, a sporting group that operated out of the former Brookhouse Pub, near present day Plumbs. Does anyone have any stories regarding that league, or any press cuttings that may have appeared in the Lancashire Evening Post?

“At some point Fred was the concert secretary of a club in the Tithebarn area of Preston, possibly called the ‘Fruiterer’s Club’. Does anybody have a recollection of such a club? It was probably cleared to make way for the Guild Hall, so could still have been in operation in the 1960s.

“Fred was very nearly involved in the Greyhound Pub disaster of 1960. Until very recently the pub’s landlord Eric Ratcliffe was still known to frequent the pubs of Preston. Can anybody put me in contact with him?

“Fred and his wife Ethel regularly played bowls at the Frenchwood Club. Are there any older members who may remember them from the late 1960s?”

Read more: Preston booms due to World War II production

Sean is planning to submit his dissertation by mid-April before hosting an exhibition at Cheshire Military Museum.

If you have any information that could help, contact Sean as soon as possible on 07454 102390 or SLivesey4@uclan.ac.uk.

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