Private
Peter George BOARDMAN
Infantry
Died: 20th May 1918 - Age: 31

Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Houchin British CemeteryI. B. 9.
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.117
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour45A GQS
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Early Life :

The majority of this legend is courtesy of Geoff Cuthill of the Province of West Lancashire, to whom the project is grateful.

He was born at Farnworth, near Widnes, in the spring of 1887 to George Boardman and Elizabeth (nee Standish), who had married in 1883. Peter was baptised by Rev George Bond at St Luke’s, Farnworth on 7 August 1887, with the family abode given as Appleton. In 1901 the family are found on the census at 34 Farnworth Street, Widnes, with Peter as a 13 year old Grocers Assistant.

The census of 1911 has Peter, at home with his parents three siblings at 34 Farnworth Street,Widnes, as a Grocers’s Assistant. The census also shows that his parents had five children, with four still living. Of the surviving four, eldest is Elizabeth 1885, a dressmaker in her own account, Peter 1887, then Gertrude Helen 1895 who was born eight years after Peter, and a brother Charles Alfred 1898, all four baptised at St Luke’s.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: 5th Battalion South Lancashire Regiment 

1/5th Battalion August 1914 : in Warrington. Part of South Lancashire Brigade in West Lancashire Division. 13 February 1915 : left the Brigade and landed at Le Havre. Attached on arrival to 12th Brigade in 4th Division. 4 November 1915 : Brigade was attached to 36th (Ulster) Division. 6 January 1916 : transferred to 166th Brigade in 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

Action : France & Flanders 

France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.

Service No. 242173. Private of the 1st, 5th Battalion of the Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire) Regiment

In WW1 Peter, a volunteer, is shown as serving firstly with the 2/5 Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, and then the 1/5 Battalion, which was a Territorial Force battalion. His number 242173 is part of the block allocated after 1 January 1917 to the 5th Battalion. The movement of Peter from one battalion to another may be explained by the fact that with the reduction in January 1918 from four to three battalions to each infantry brigade the junior battalion was the one to close. The 1/5 battalion has entered in their War Diary, ’On the breaking up of the 2nd Line 4 officers and 100 O.R. were posted to this unit’. Also it is noted that just before this, on 8 January, they had received a draft of three hundred men.

In the book, 'Ich Dien', the Regimental History of the South Lancashire Regiment by Captain H. Whalley-Kelly, it has; At the beginning of February [1918] the 2nd/5th went to Menigate Camp near Steenwerck, and the men of 'A' Company proceeded to join the 1st/5th Battalion at Laires, while others were transferred to the 2nd/4th. 182 other ranks left to join No. 2 Entrenching Battalion at Doulieu, on 25 February, and thus, after nearly four years of comradeship, the 2nd/5th ceased to exist as a unit.

So it came about that while serving as 242173 Rifleman, in 5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, Peter was killed in action on Monday, 20 May, 1918, aged 31 years. At this period the battalion was part of the 166th Brigade, 55th West Lancashire Division. He is buried in the Sir Edwin Lutyens designed Houchin British Cemetery, in Plot 1, Row B, Grave 9., situated five kilometre’s south of Bethune. The family had the words “A Noble Life” added to his headstone. This cemetery was used by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division in 1918, so Peter lies among many of his comrades. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal. At this time the family reside at 30 Farnworth Street.

Sadly, only weeks later on 8 July 1918, his younger brother, Charles Alfred Boardman, who had previously served as Private 6670 in the South Lancs Regiment, died from wounds at a hospital in Rouen, and buried in the nearby St Sever Cemetery extension. He was serving as Private 85136, with the 35 Battalion, Machine Gun Corps.

Both brothers are commemorated on the war memorial inside St Luke’s Church, Farnworth, Widnes. Peter is also entered in the Roll of Honour Book published by United Grand Lodge in 1921.

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Widnes No. 2819 E.C.West Lancashire

Initiated
Passed
Raised
27th April 1911
25th May 1911
29th June 1911
 

Peter was initiated into Widnes Lodge No 2819, on 27 April 1911, aged 23 years, a Grocer of 30 Farnworth Street, Widnes. He was passed to the second degree on 25 May 1911 and raised to the third degree on 29 June 1911.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2021-02-20 10:20:19