No record in the War Diary [WO/95/2694]

1777 Pte Thomas Arthur Chatterton, a labourer from 35 Barn End Cottages in Thornset near to New Mills, suffered GS wound in the head and was admitted to 1st NMFA then transferred to the 50 CCS and 2 General Hospital. He re-joined the 1/6th Battalion on 30th July 1915.

 1777 Pte Thomas Arthur Chatterton

Thomas enlisted in Whaley Bridge in January 1913 and served with “H” Company. He was the Son of Mr Moratio Chatterton of Thornsett and was employed at Waterside Paper Mill. He attended Thornsett Independent Chapel. Thomas was wounded five times, but on each occasion recovered and returned to duty. In total he returned to England 3 times for hospital treatment before returning to France.

Thomas served overseas in the 1/6th (Feb ’15 – May ’16), 1/5th (Dec ’16 – June ’17) and 10th () Battalions.

Page 1 of his Army service record recording that Thomas arrived in France on the 25th February 1915 and was first wounded on the 17th July 1915 with a GSW in the head. After returning to the 1/6th Battalion he was again wounded with a GS wound on the 12th September 1915 and transferred to Hospital in England.

Page 2 of his Army Service Recording that Thomas returned to the 1/6th Battalion in France with the 6th Reinforcement on the 4th March 1916. However, he again returned to England on the 11th May 1916 suffering from mayagia (muscle pain) and influenza.

He returned to France with the 25th Reinforcement on the 19th November 1916 and was posted to the 5th Battalion from the 14th Infantry Base Depot at Calais.

Thomas was wounded for the 3rd time on the 4th May 1917; but remained at duty.

He was wounded for the 4th time two months later on the 3rd June 1917, this time with a GSW in the back and was transferred to England.

It would seem that Thomas was arrested on the 24th September 1917, tired by a district court martial and sentenced to 2 years detention for deserting His Majesty’s Service.

However, Thomas returned to France with the 40th Reinforcement on the 19th October 1917 and posted to the 14th Infantry Base Depot in Calais. He was transferred to the 10th Battalion on the 24th October 1917 and killed in action on the 15th March 1918.Thomas’s luck finally ran out when he was the only man of the 10th Battalion to be killed during a period of heavy bombardment by the Germans.