Henry Bradshaw Carswell

H. B. CARSWELL.

Captain, Henry Bradshaw Carswell, 7th Battalion, (T), Cheshire Regiment.

Born in 1886 at Prestbury, eldest son of local District Surveyor of Highways, Thomas and Maria Hannah, (nee, Bradley), Carswell, living at Main Street, Prestbury in 1891.

By 1901, they had moved to 13, Bollin Grove, Prestbury.
Henry was educated at Macclesfield Grammar School. He was the District Scoutmaster of the Macclesfield and District
Boy Scouts Association, he also was a regular attender at the Parish Church Prestbury. Henry had an elder sister Janet and two younger siblings Thomas and Marion.

Immediately on the outbreak of the war Henry joined the 2/7th Battalion Cheshire’s as a Private. He quickly won
promotion and in January 1915, he was gazetted, 03/03/1915, as a Second Lieutenant, and attached to the 2/7th Cheshire’s. Henry embarked for Gallipoli with the Cheshire Regiment, landing at Suvla Bay. He went all the way through the Gallipoli campaign, which was then followed with a spell in Egypt, followed by Palestine. In the June of 1918, the Battalion was drafted to the Western Front, they were stationed in Flanders, where the fighting had been exceptionally heavy and the Battalion had been involved in some big advances. Early in September, Henry obtained a leave, and on the 5th he married Kathleen Steen at Prestbury Church, they took up residency at Butley. Returning from leave Henry re-joined the regiment close to Zandvoorde where he was killed by an explosive shell, Sunday, 6 October 1918, he was aged 32 years.

Medals: 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

These medals were sent to his widow, who had since remarried, Mr K. Owen, Windyridge, Bollington, Macclesfield. Probate of his Will was with his widow Kathleen, Effects: £21.8s.1d.

Captain, Henry Bradshaw Carswell is buried at Perth Cemetery (China Wall), West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
C.W.G.C. Ref: – III. D. 12.

Also refer to

• Macclesfield Troops pre WWI
• Photos from Barnswood archive Macclesfield WW1
• ‘Great war history of 3rd Macclesfield’ by Sue Henderson- specific info re Carswell
• WWI List of Addresses Trevor Druce Macclesfield Reflects
• ‘Big Hats, Shorts and Dyb Dyb Dyb’ – a history of Macclesfield and Congleton Scouts by Norman Gosling- specific information about Carswell