The photograph below, provided by Mr. George Perry, shows members of "G" Company, 4th Battalion, The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) at Milly Bridge Farm, Twyford Down, soon after mobilisation following the declaration of war on September 4th, 1914. These men were all pre-war 'Terriers', drawn from Askam-in-Furness and neighbouring Dalton-in-Furness.
On mobilisation the battalion was sent south on home defence duties and spent the next few months in Berkshire guarding the Great Western Railway. It was while stationed there that it suffered its first casualties of the war, several unwary men being knocked down and killed by the express trains.
Front row, left to right: Private F. Thomas, Private C. Mailes, Private 'Pim' Taylor, Private C Raven, Private T. Thompson, Private W. Williamson, Private 'Tar' Preston
Second row, left to right: Private J. Tyson, Private C. Phillips, Corporal T. Dickinson, Corporal E. Laidman, Sergeant Gibson, Lieutenant Kennedy, Lieutenant Spearing, Sergeant J. P. Wells, Corporal T. Atkinson, Private G. Huck, Private W. Ely, unknown
Third row, left to right: Private E. Burns, Private T. Gott, Private T. Crossley, Private J. Jackson, Private W. Waters, Private H. Phillips, Private W. Kipling, Private R. Wallace, Private C. Nicholas, Private H. Shrimpton, Private W. Corbett, Private J. Edwards
Back row, left to right: Private C. Wells, Private J. Charnock, Private M. Benson, Private J. Riley, Private P. Roberts, Private H. Riley, Private J. Gill
Several of the men did not survive the war, including Lieutenant Edward Spearing, who was killed at Delville Wood in September 1916, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
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