Capt John Tattersall
16th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
2nd Salford Pals
L
etters 1915/16


Chris Tattersall sent me these letters concerning his grandfather Captain John Tattersall of the 16th Bn in WW1. He wrote - I have recently received copies of letters that my grandfather wrote during WW1. He was in the 16th Lancashire Fusiliers and became officer commanding A Company before he was wounded and repatriated in February 1916. The letters cover the period October 1915 to February 1916. To a non military eye they appear remarkably detailed describing his experiences in the trenches and during rest periods behind the front line. They are self censored in respect
of place names but they include references to fellow soldiers by name. I suspect they were written to his father rather than to his wife whom he had married in July 1915. I also have a letter written by Col Abercrombie to John's father, who was Medical Officer of Health for Salford, notifying him
of John's injuries.
I feel they would be useful to researchers and others with an interest in
the Lancashire Fusiliers and the Great War.

John was born in 1889 in Patricroft, Lancashire into a family who were successful cotton brokers and manufacturers. His father, Charles Hermann Tattersall, studied medicine and eventually became Medical Officer of Health for Salford. John was educated at Giggleswick School and joined the family business. He was married about July 1915 to Christina Maitland McCrone. His service in the Lancashire Fusiliers described in the letters ended with his wounding and repatriation in February 1916. I have no knowledge of whether he returned to the Regiment during the remainder of the war.

John and Christina had 2 sons, Ian born in 1917 and my father Neil born in 1921. They moved to Lytham probably during the twenties. John continued to work in the family business, commuting to Manchester on the “Club Train.” He had interests in flying, cine photography (some footage survives) and especially sailing. He owned a lovely yawl “Stroma” and the family made extensive cruises up and down the West coast.

All this came to an abrupt end in 1939. Ian served in the Navy while Neil studied medicine during the blitz in London. Post WW2 John was unhappy with the economic and political situation in Britain so he and Christina moved to Kenya and bought a hotel and farm at Thompson’s Falls. He died in Kenya in 1949.



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