Private Fred Ashworth,
15179 11th East Lancashire Regiment
Killed in Action 1st July 1916,
Somme France, aged 21
Lived on Albert Terrace
Buried at Queens Cemetery Puisieux France - C.8.
Commemorated on the Holy Trinity Memorial
Commemorated on the Burnley Grammar School Memorial
Burnley Express 7th July 1917 - 28th April 1917

Fred was employed at Ashworth Brothers, Cotton Manufacturers of Hapton and was the son of
Mr. Richard Ashworth who was well known in the town for the position he held at Peel Mill. He
enlisted in 1914 and spent his 21st birthday in Egypt, he had a brother who served in the Navy
during the war

The 11th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment were one of the famous "Pals" battalions and are universally referred to as the Accrington Pals. During the first month of the war it was suggested that men may be more willing to enlist if they could be certain of remaining in the same units as their workmates and friends. In response to this the mayor of Accrington offered to raise a "Pals" battalion and within two weeks over a thousand officers and men had been recruited from an area encompassing Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley and several other outlying districts.
Fred enlisted in September 1914, which makes him an original Accrington Pal (as distinct from men who joined the battalion later in the war). Original pals have (with a few exceptions ) a regimental number falling between 15000 and 15999. After initial training, he was posted to Egypt, arriving on New Years day 1916. In March of the same year he arrived in France where he was to take part in the battle of the Somme which commenced at 7.30am on the 1st of July, when 100,000 British troops left their trenches and advanced across no mans land in an attempt to capture the German lines facing them. By 12 am the British Army had incurred casualties of over 57,000 men, of whom over 19,000 were killed or subsequently died of wounds, and the attack had failed. The Accrington Pals had 235 officers and men killed, (of whom 135 have no known grave), with hundreds more wounded.

YOUNG MANUFACTURER WOUNDED (Burnley Express 19th July 1916)

News has been received that Pte. Fred Ashworth, son of Mr. Richard Ashworth of Albert-terrace Manchester-road and of the firm of Ashworth Bros. Ltd. Cotton manufacturers, Hapton, has been wounded.
Pte. Ashworth was in the machine gun section of the Burnley ‘Pals’ which battalion he joined on its formation. He was then only 19 and became of age while with the battalion in Egypt. Intimation has been received that he was wounded at the outset of the British offensive in France on July 1st and he is also said to be missing. Pte. Ashworth has another brother in the Navy. Every sympathy will be felt with Mr. Richard Ashworth in his anxiety. Mr. Ashworth senior, is well known in cotton circles for the responsible position he holds at Peel Mill (Mr. George Walmsley)

PRESUMED DEAD
YOUNG BURNLEY SOLDIERS FATE (Burnley News 28th April 1917)

Mr. R. Ashworth, Albert-terrace, Manchester-road, Burnley, has received official intimation of the presumed death of his son, Private Fred Ashworth, in France, on the 1st July last, on which date Private Ashworth was posted as missing.
He was in the machine gun section of the Burnley “Pals” which battalion he joined on its formation. He was the only 19, and became of age while with the battalion in Egypt. Intimation was received that he was wounded and missing at the outset of the British offensive in France on July 1st last year. Pte. Ashworth was a member of the firm of Ashworth Bros. Ltd., cotton manufacturers. Hapton. His brother, Harold Ashworth, is in the Navy.