A MAGNIFICENT & HIGHLY IMPORTANT 'QUADRANGLE TRENCH' MILITARY CROSS & DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL "DOUBLE GALLANTRY 1914 Star & Bar Trio with M.I.D. & ITALIAN AL VALORE MILITARE GALLANTRY MEDAL Group of Six to:1015.Sgt-Captain William Coleshill. MC DCM.1st, 12th & 22nd MANCHESTER REGt
THE D.C.M ( As Acting Sgt ) LG., 18th February 1915."For gallant conduct displayed on 27 Nov 1914 near Neuve Chapelle".
Severe casualties were sustained by the 1st Manchesters and its brigade during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. A succession of intensely fought battles followed, culminating in Second Ypres and Loos. M.I.D. (As Lance Corporal) LG 17th February 1915 ( for the same action at Neuve Chapelle ) Luckily, this typically brief and unassuming citation is well expanded by the fortuitous survival of the private war diary of the late Sgt/Captain Cecil F.G.HUMPHRIES. DSO. MC* DCM, a New Zealander, who, as a fellow sergeant with 1st Manchesters fought alongside William Coleshill during what was a seriously bloody trench raid action on the German positions at LAVENTIE. As usual, the preparations for the raid were well planned and highly secretive and on this occasion the Manchesters really took the enemy by surprise. This while the unit was serving alongside the Indian troops of the Indian Expeditionary Force. Indian Corps (General Willcocks): Lahore and Meerut Divisions. Sgt F.G.Humphries diary continues:" FRIDAY 27th November 1914. Trenches at Laventie. The bayonets were doing their deadly work and some of the poor devils were bayoneted in their sleep, so well had we taken them by surprise"
The battalion War Diary for the 27th November further states: ‘On the conclusion of the artillery bombardment at 11.30 pm (on the 26th) Captain Creagh sent out two parties of ten men each from No III Coy to reconnoiter the enemy’s sniping ditch to his right front about 60 yards distant. These were fired on from the enemy’s trenches but they advanced and found about 60 yards of trench unheld. They were then bombed and C.S. Wilson and 2 men were wounded. These parties returned carrying their wounded and had no more casualties. {Note} William Coleshill's friend & fellow, 4722. Colour Sgt Robert Wilson DCM died of his wounds three days later on 30th November. He was 37 and the son of the late Thomas and Elizabeth Wilson and the husband of Nellie Wilson, of 22, Whitaker Lane, Heaton Park, Manchester. Born in Ardwick in 1877. In fact, the true overall casualty position after this raid was worse than stated in the war diary as there were 5 killed and 7 or 8 badly wounded. The late Colour Sgt Wilson was fatally wounded in the arm and body by a German stick grenade.( MILITARY CROSS ) William Coleshill won his M.C. as Company Sergeant Major with 12th Manchesters. LG 25 Aug 1916 and the award is confirmed, by Howard Williamson as being for the attack on Quadrangle support trench, Somme, 7 July 1916.MC. LG., 25 Aug 1916"For conspicuous gallantry in action, when all his officers had become casualties he rallied and led his company with great determination, later he remained many hours under machine gun fire tending to and bringing in the wounded."
BATTLE OF THE SOMME. The attack on Quadrangle trench,which took place on DAY SEVEN of the Battle of The Somme and during the initial 'Big Push" has gone down in the history of the Manchesters as one of their most tragic events. This attack was 'sprung' on the unit with little preparation and as a result the casualties were totally appalling. In June of 1916 the 12th battalion had undergone intensive training for the forthcoming battle of the Somme. They went into action on the 3rd July in an attack on Railway Copse and Bottom Wood near Fricourt, after a hectic advance to the front they found themselves in two old german trenches looking north towards Contalmaison where they remained until 5th July. On the 6th July they advanced into Fricourt Wood and were ordered to take Quadrangle Trench ( which previous attacks by two other battalions had failed to take) The attack took place in bright sunlight without any cover. The result was a disaster for the battalion with 555 men killed, missing or wounded. The remainder of the battalion moved back to Ville, then Hailly, then Long and Albert where it stayed for the rest of the month.The 12th Battalion War Diary for 7th July 1916 states: 7/7/1916
Battalion arrived at Railway Copse at 6.30am and were distributed in trenches on ridge under hedge 800yards N of Copse which they reached under heavy fire and with some loss. 7.25am Lieut. N.G. Crawhall arrived with orders that we were to assault Quadrangle Support at 8.0am, the 9th Northumberland Fus and 9th West Riding Regt having failed. There being no time to issue written orders, the C.O. (Lieut. Col E.G. Harrison) and Adjutant (Capt. B. DuVal) went up to hedge to organise attack. Attack launched at 7.50am from Ridge to go over 9th Bn Northumberland Fus in Quadrangle Trench. Organisation D and B Coy leading, C Coy support, A Coy Reserve, Battn Bombers held by H.Q. About 10.0am news came of complete failure of attack under barrage and enfilade M.G. Fire. At 2.30pm the C.O. was ordered to go up and organise attack with all available troops in Quadrangle Trench and was wounded on his way up. The Adjutant sent orders to O.C. 9th North. Fus and advised 52nd Brigade. Battalion relieved by 51st Bde at 7.30pm. The following casualties occurred. Lieut. Col. E.G. Harrison CB DSO Wounded. Major G.S.W. Rusbridger wounded. Major H.F. Browell wounded. Capt. H. McKean killed. Capt. E.R. Thompson wounded. Capt. J.H. Betts killed. Lieut. H. Bate wounded & missing. Lieut. N.G. Crawhall wounded & missing. 2nd Lt. E. Kingsley wounded & missing BK. 2nd Lt. F. Latimer killed. 2nd Lt. J. Adams wounded. 2nd Lt. J.S. Greenwood killed. 2nd Lt. A.B. King killed. 2nd Lt. C.J. Alderton killed. 2nd Lt E.F. Smith killed, and 539 O.R.
Night 7/8th Battn returned to Meaulte.
3rd August 1916 saw them in action again, in an attack on Orchard Trench, the attack was heavily disrupted by german artillery and failed. On the 5th they moved to Carnoy the later back to Montauban. There then followed a number of moves in the next few months, in and out of the front lines. At the end of the year, they found themselves at Guillemont.
" On the front of the memorial are the words 'To the eternal memory of 1039 officers NCOs and men of the 12th Bn. Manchester Regiment who made the great sacrifice 1914-1918. Thier name liveth for evermore'.At the top of the stone column is the regimental emblem in bronze, and on either side a carving of a sword is inset in the stone. The memorial was erected by relatives and the 12th Manchesters Old Comrades Association.The number listed represents the total number killed during the war, but on the 7th of July 1916 the 12th Manchesters lost nearly 600 men in this abortive attack on the Quadrangle support trench not far from here.The battalion were only ordered to this attack just before it commenced, and had to try and 'catch up' to reach their positions.
One officer who survived wrote, 'The steadiness of the men was wonderful and they went over in as good a line as if on parade, although as soon as the advance started they were subjected to very heavy shelling and machine-gun fire. As our barrage had ceased, they had no shelter whatever and had a distance of 700 yards to cross. As soon as the first three companies showed themselves on the ridge overlooking the trench they were met by a withering fire and were mowed down in great numbers.......in a few seconds, hardly any of us were on our feet. The casualties were very numerous. Only two officers came out unwounded and one wounded officer was never fit for service again'.
The 12th Manchesters were raised at Ashton-under-Lyme, and had arrived in France in July 1915. The original memorial was a six foot tall cross made of oak with a slightly different inscription: 'To the eternal memory of all those comrades who laid down their lives on the 7th of July 1916'. The cross had been made by an old soldier from the 12th Manchesters (Ted Thompson) and was originally sited at Mametz Wood and unveiled by Major Browell in August 1927. Browell was one of those who had sailed with the battalion in July 1915 to France. The site at the cemetery was purchased in 1929, and the memorial was replaced by the permanent one that can be seen today.Also awarded an Al Valore Militare Italian gallantry medal as 2nd Lieut (temporary Capt) LG 17 May 1919.A SERIOUSLY GOOD "DOUBLE GALLANTRY" GROUP TO A MAN WHO FOUGHT IN TWO OF THE MOST WITHERING ACTIONS OF THE GREAT WAR....ONE OF THEM INFAMOUS. SELDOM DOES ONE SEE QUITE SUCH AN EXCEPTIONAL GROUP FOR SALE. IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS COLLECTOR OF MEDALS TO THE MANCHESTER REGIMENT, THIS IS A 'MUST HAVE' ITEM. 
We have been fortunate to receive from a client a picture of the officers of 12th Manchesters. William Coleshill is shown on the second row from the front (chair seated) and he's the third man from the left. He's very noticeable as he's a VERY large man indeed (with a large moustache) Good to put a face to this gallant man's name. SOLD