241144 Pte Cunningham 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment, wounded June 1917

241144 Pte Cunningham 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment, wounded June 1917

William Cunningham, born in 1892, was a coal miner, having worked prior to his enlistment for J Hargreaves, Reedley Pit, Burnley. He lived in Burnley, Lancashire, where he married Margaret Ann Murray on 4 October 1915. They had one son, John. William stood 5 feet 3 ½” tall upon discharge and was described as having a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair. He enlisted for the duration of the war at Burnley on 23 December 1914. Having attested for and been embodied in the 5^th East Lancashires on 23 December 1914, he spent approximately seven months training with ‘A’ Company of the 2/5^th East Lancashires and was posted to the 1/5^th with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force on 2 July 1915. He landed at Gallipoli on or about 18 August 1915, most probably being sent as a reinforcement in light of the battalion having lost two-thirds of its strength due to death, injuries or sickness. He served as a Private under the regimental numbers 2569 or 3309 and then 241144 in the 1/5^th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment in Gallipoli and Egypt from 2 July 1915 to 11 March 1917, and then in France from 12 March to 17 May 1917. He was regimentally employed as a bomber. He was wounded, suffering a Gun Shot Wound to his Chest, neck and right arm (any penetrating wound, in this case possibly a shrapnel wound) on 28 April 1917. At this time the battalion was at Nobescourt Farm, Roisel, ten miles north-west of St Quentin, primarily involved in furnishing working parties, and it seems likely that it was in the course of one of these that Pte Cunningham was wounded. He was sent home to join the strength of 193 Territorial Force Depot on 18 May. Subsequent to being posted home his commanding officer with the 1/5^th filled in his Particulars as to Character, noting that Pte Cunningham was sober, reliable and intelligent, had shown special aptitude for employment as a miner (being useful with a spade), and was a good soldier.  Pte Cunningham had a couple of Absent Without Leave charges on his Regimental Conduct sheet including being late to report at tattoo on being posted to his Reserve battalion. After a temporary attachment from the 4^th East Lancashires to the 17^th (Transport Workers) Battalion, Scottish Rifles, he was re-posted to and then transferred from ‘C’ Company of the 4^th (Reserve) Battalion at Scarborough to the Army ‘P (T)’ Reserve (to return to his occupation as miner) on 27 July 1918. He was aged 25 years 9 months at this time, having served 3 years and 217 days in total. His military character was given as ‘very good’ notwithstanding three charges on his regimental conduct sheet for absence (one from the 2/5^th at Southport, one from the 1/5^th at Suez, and the aforementioned one before reporting to the 4^th), and one for leaving a fatigue without permission whilst with the 1/5^th at Suez. He was subsequently pensioned at 27/6 for one month, followed by 5/6 for a further 48 weeks, for a 20% disabling gun shot wound to the neck. He was then discharged under paragraph 392 xvi (a) of King’s Regulations on 10 February 1919.  His post-discharge address was 54 Anna Street, Burnley, Lancashire. In August 1920 he was awarded a final gratuity of £48 15s. He would have received his British War Medal and Victory Medal in October 1921.