I am looking for my grandfather, Pte 20304 Richard Lofthouse, who lived in Emmanuel Street, Bolton, with his wife Margaret and his son Harry, before and after The Great War of 1914-18.

I believe he was one of the 300 or more Bolton lads who answered the call to arms in 1914 and were enlisted in the 15th (Carmarthanshire) Battalion of the Welch Regiment.

The unusual nature of this event: soldiers, sometimes large numbers of them were transferred from one regiment into another during hostilities to replace those who had been killed or injured.

But for a large number of new recruits (over 300) to be taken from Lancashire and put into a south Wales Regiment was quite extraordinary.

I have gone through all the usual channels, the archives at Kew and Bolton and Carmarthan, regimental museums (later on in the war Richard Lofthouse was transferred into The South Lancashire Regt as Pte 63615). I've even phoned the Lofthouses listed in the Bolton telephone directory!

Someone, somewhere must have heard and know something of this mass movement of men.

Perhaps there are others in the Bolton area whose loved ones were involved.

Tel: 01524 822419 adjat1005sqn@hotmail.com