Private Thomas Atherton
This man was probably the Thomas Atherton born around 1876 at Ince-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, Lancashire, one of at least seven children of coal miner Thomas Atherton and his wife Ellen (née Pilkington).
On 24 April 1895 he enlisted at Wigan in the 3rd (King's Own) Hussars (No.3586). He gave his address as Platt Bridge and his occupation as collier. He served with the regiment in India from September 1898 and South Africa from December 1901, returning home just prior to his transfer to the Army Reserve in April 1903. He was discharged on 23 April 1907 on completion of his twelve years' engagement.
Atherton married Emma Rhodes in St Mary's Church in Ince on 4 April 1904. The couple had at least four children over the next ten years. By the time of the 1911 Census they were living at 4 Fogge Lane, Platt Bridge, Ince, Thomas working as a coal miner.
On 19 October 1914 at Wigan Atherton re-enlisted in the 3rd Hussars (No.29013). He gave his age as 37, his occupation as collier, and his address as 61 Victoria Road, Platt Bridge. Initially posted to the 9th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Shorncliffe, on 22 March 1916 he embarked for France, joining the 3rd Hussars in the field four days later.
Atherton's service in France was marked by a series of disciplinary offences: on 3 April 1916 for drunkenness (awarded 7 days' Field Punishment No. 1); on 22 May 1916 for being absent (15 days' Field Punishment No.1); 5 September 1916 for drunkenness (10 days' Field Punishment No.1); 27 March 1917 for not making himself acquainted with squadron orders (7 days' Filed Punishment No.2); and 24 July 1917 for being absent (21 days' Field Punishment No.1).
In September 1917, as part of a general reduction in the size of the cavalry, a number of men of the 3rd Hussars left the regiment. The regiment's war diary of 15 September records that:
56 other ranks of the regiment proceeded by rail from Hesdin to the Rouen Base for transfer to Infantry on the reduction of the 100 dismounted men allowed to Cavalry regiments.
Between twenty-eight and thirty-four of these men, including Atherton, were transferred to the North Irish Horse, joining the 1st (NIH) Regiment in the field on 11 October. Atherton was issued regimental number 2709.
In February-March 1918 the regiment, which had been serving as corps cavalry to V Corps, was dismounted and converted to a cyclist unit, serving as corps cyclists to V Corps until the end of the war.
On 9 May 1918 while convalescing from an illness at Trouville, Atherton was awarded 14 days' confined to barracks for being absent and out of bounds without a pass. It was not until September that he returned to his regiment.
Atherton was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve, on 11 January 1919. On 30 June 1919, however, he re-enlisted at Wigan in the 30th (Service) Battalion, King's Liverpool Regiment (No.101346). Later posted to the 29th Battalion, on 11 October 1919 he was discharged, being no longer physically fit for military service (paragraph 392(iii)(c), King's Regulations). Atherton was suffering from chrolic rheumatism.