12825 Private Abraham Millward

12825 Private Abraham Millward born in 1898 in Biddulph, he was one of 11 children to John & Elizabeth Millward of 25 Welsh Row, Mow Cop. John’s occupation was a bricklayer, height 5 feet 4 ½ inches, weight 113lbs, blue eyes and light brown hair and unmarried.

Abraham enlisted on 31^st August 1914 in Macclesfield. Part of his Military Service Records is as follows:

Home 31/08/1914 – 18/0715 (Home means in Britain), embarked for France on 18/07/1915, joining his unit on the 19/07/15.

Between 12^th February 1916 and 26^th February 1916 he was admitted from the field to a field hospital with scabies, he rejoined his unit on the 26^th February 1916.

Abraham was killed on the 1^st July 1916, the first day of The Battle Of The Somme, he was one of 20,000 killed and 67,000 casualties, on that day alone. There is no record to how he died, but we do know his body was found as he has a grave, in Gordon Dump Cemetery in Ovillers-La Boisselle.

Abraham’s father John received his 1914-15 Star Medal on the 19^th August 1920 and his British War medal and his Victory Medal on the 30^th July 1921.