A British War Medal issued to 41506 Pte J W Nichols of the Manchester Regiment. He is believed to be the James William Nichols (or Nichol/Nicholls ) who was born in Oldham on 9th August 1894 to James Henry and Lavinia Nichol or Nichol[l]s. James Henry was a cardroom jobber and the family were living at 3 Back, St James’ Street in Oldham, having baby James baptised at the parish church of St James’, Oldham on 23rd September 1894. By 1901 the family was living in Frank Street. In 1911 the 16-year-old James William was living with his family at 25 New Earth Street, Oldham and employed, along with his sister, as a little piecer whilst their father was now a stripper and grinder in a cardroom. They also had a younger brother, Henry, still at school.
By late 1915 James William was a stripper and grinder himself. He stood 5 feet 4 ½” tall, weighing 133 pounds, and had a 38 1/2” chest measurement. He attested his willingness to serve aged 21 years 103 days on or about 11 December 1915 at Oldham, making him one of the last of the Derby Scheme volunteers. He was mobilised circa May 1916 and medically examined at Ashton-under-Lyne on the 6th of that month. Being pronounced medically fit for General Service, he was posted to the 10th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, an Oldham Territorial Battalion, under the regimental number 5294, appropriate for a Territorial unit. At some point he also passed through the Territorial 8th (Reserve) Battalion of the Regiment. Judging by the dates of his TAB inoculation, which took place when he was with the 3/10th Manchesters, he probably did not go overseas before July 1916 at the earliest. For his overseas service he was issued the new regimental number 41506, from the regular and service battalion sequence. Like fellow 2nd Battalion member 41507 Pte William O’Gara, also of Oldham and formerly of the 10th Battalion, this probably took place under authority of A.C.I.1499. Pte Nichols was posted to the (Regular) 2nd Battalion of the Regiment (14th Brigade, 32nd Division) on the Western Front most probably, like Ptes O’Gara and Ogden (mentioned below) on 28-29 September 1916. This would have put him in line, like 41500 Pte Robert Mallalieu, 41502 Pte George Harry Mather and 41508 Pte John Nield to have served on the Somme and taken part in the Battle of the Ancre, the 2nd Manchesters’ attack on Serre on 18 November 1916. This was the last major action of the Battle of the Somme and is described on themanchesters.org as follows: "The Manchesters gained their objective and were the only regiment to do so ...The company got into Munich and 28th Trench but were unable to advance or withdraw, bombs were scarce, the Germans were on both sides of them and advancing up a trench in front of them. when a dugout caught fire and the smoke was so dense that the men had to put on their gas masks. This party was all killed, wounded or taken prisoner." Ptes Mallalieu, Mather and Neild were captured on the Somme at Serre with the 2nd Manchesters on 18 November 1916 and 41508 Pte William Ogden, also an Oldham man, was killed in this action and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. (Image left: Field kitchen of the 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment near St Pierre Divion, November 1916.)
Possibly after a period at home with the 8th Reserve Battalion of the regiment (perhaps due to sickness for injury as there is no casualty list entry for him), Pte Nichols was later posted to the 13th Manchesters in the 66th Brigade of 22nd Division in Salonika. This was possibly in time to take part with the 13th Manchesters in their assault on Pip Ridge on 24 April 1917, during the Battle of Doiran 1917, or he may have been a post-battle replacement. 41505 Pte G Matthews was with the 13th Manchesters (‘A’ Company) when hospitalised with 66th Field Ambulance on 29 September 1917, it is possible that Pte Nichols’ transfer had taken effect by this time; certainly it was probably whilst in this theatre that Pte Nichols caught the region’s endemic Malaria, which his pensions records refer to as attributable [to service], caught circa July 1917.. (Similarly 41503 Pte H N Elliott of the 3/6th Manchesters, attached to the 14th Liverpool Regiment, was in the Salonika theatre by 17 March 1917, by which time he had completed 1 year 4 months’ service, of which 5 months was with the field force.)
At some point Pte Nichols was transferred to the Labour Corps with whom he served under the new regimental number 534021 – such transfers were due to a decrease in medical category due to the effects of injury, disease, etc, in James’ case possibly due to his Malaria. It seems likely that he remained in the Salonika theatre for this posting. 534022 Pte Nicholas William Gunn, late Welsh Regiment, made his transfer to the Labour Corps (Base Lines of Communication Company) on 17 April 1918 and Pte Nichols’ transfer most probably took effect on the same date. 534026 Pte Harry Albert Hicks made his transfer to “Labour Corps Employment Base” at the same time, subsequently being posted (like Pte Gunn) to the Salonika-based 968 Area Employment Company on 23 September 1918. Labour Corps Area Employment Companies were formed in 1917 for salvage work, absorbing the Divisional Salvage Companies, and a range of other duties in their dedicated area (in this respect they were possibly similar to those of Home Service Employment Companies, which consisted of medically downgraded personnel in recognised trades and provided batmen, clerks, sanitary men, cooks, laundrymen, storemen, tradesmen such as butchers and tailors, and other essential staff members for hospitals, barracks and command depots).
Pte Nichols was finally transferred to the South Lancashire Regiment and posted to their 9th Battalion, with whom he served under the regimental number 41567. This unit was also based in Salonika, as part of the 66th Brigade of the 22nd Division alongside the 13th Manchesters. This transfer probably took effect either on 21 September 1918 like 41560 Pte Patrick Campbell, also a sufferer from Malaria incurred in July 1917, or between the 31 October 1918 transfer date of 41561 Pte William John Sharp (Pte Sharp also reported Malaria from July 1917) and the 11 November 1918 transfer date of 41569 Pte Thomas Swift. Most probably this was to replace the casualties incurred during the 66th Brigade's assault on Pip Ridge during the Battle of Doiran on 18 September 1918, in which the brigade suffered 837 casualties, a casualty rate of 65% of those engaged.
Following Pte Nichols’ discharge his Malaria was judged as 20% disabling (later 30%) and he was pensioned for 12 Shillings weekly for one year in the first instance, with effect from 2 November 1919. He does not seem to have been assessed as fully recovered from Malaria until some time in 1922-23. Pte Nichols would most probably have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal some time after February 192[1?]. His postwar address was 5 Jackson Street, Lees Road, Oldham. He married Mabel Chapman in Oldham in the second quarter of 1921 and as of the census date was living with Mabel at 16 Overens St, Oldham and employed again as a Stripper & Grinder in the Cotton Trade for Royal Mills Co, Oldham, Cotton Spinners at the Royal Mills Feather Stall Rd, Oldham. As of the 1939 census register, James William Nichol[s] was still employed as a stripper and grinder in a cotton mill card room and was also involved in a voluntary ambulance service (possibly, like his son, James (also a cotton mill worker) the St John’s Ambulance). James William Nichol[s], husband of Mabel, of 18 Parkfield, Chadderton, Lancashire died on 7 April 1966. Probate was awarded to Mabel and Henry Nichol, retired cafe proprietor.
