Lance Corporal 36399 Leonard Hicklin

Killed in Action on Saturday, 24th August 1918, age 32.
Buried in Grave III. C. 6. at Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont, Somme, France.

16th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment. 15th Brigade of 5th Division.
Formerly 11063 Cheshire Regiment.

Husband of Mrs Eleanor Hicklin, of 39 Warrington Road, Northwich, Cheshire.
Born: Ocker Hill, Enlisted: Hartford, Cheshire, Resident: Northwich.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial, but commemorated on the Northwich Memorial and Brunner, Mond & Co. Memorial, Winnington.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/183390/

Genealogical Data

1901 Census
66 Solvay Road, Winnington, Cheshire.
Samuel Hicklin (51, Chemical Labourer, born Burton upon Trent), his wife Eleanor (45, born Burton upon Trent), and their 3 children: Leonard (15, Errand Boy in Co-operative Stores, born Tipton), Henry (10, born Northwich, Cheshire), and William (8, born Northwich, Cheshire).

1911 Census
39 Warrington Road, Northwich, Cheshire.
Leonard Hicklin (25, Labourer in Alkali Works, born Ocker Hill), his wife Eleanor (25, born Hartford, Cheshire), and their 2 children: Stanley (3, born Barnton, Cheshire), and Eileen (10 months, born Witton, Cheshire).
A further 2 children were born: Hilda born 4th February 1913, and Doris born 25th February 1915.

Personal Data

Although Leonard was born in Ocker Hill, his family moved to Cheshire before his fifth birthday. 'Soldiers Died in the Great War' shows him as also resident in Ocker Hill, but that is suspect as he had married a Cheshire woman, and had enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment.

After Leonard's death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £6/6/6d (6 pounds, 6 shillings and 6 pence); this was paid to his widow, Eleanor, in Deceber 1918. His War Gratuity was £5/10/0d (5 pounds and 10 shillings), this was also paid to his widow in December 1919. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that Leonard had enlisted in approximately April 1917.

Eleanor was awarded a pension of £1/13/9d (1 pound, 13 shillings and 9 pence) per week for herself and her 4 children, this was effective from 17th March 1919.

Action resulting in his death

On August 21st 1918 the 16th Royal Warwicks (the 3rd Birmingham Pals) made an advance of over 8000 yards through Bucquoy and Achiet le Petit, capturing all its objectives, several hundred prisoners and a large number of machine and field guns. On August 23rd it attacked again with the village of Irles as its objective. In spite of fierce enemy resistance and machine gun fire, they swept through to a line just in front of Irles, capturing a large number of prisoners and machine guns. Fresh troops were brought into the attack and Irles was taken that day.

Over 50 men of the 16th Royal Warwicks were killed on the 23rd August, and a further 12 men on the 24th August including Leonard Hicklin. He is buried in Adanac Military Cemetery in Miraumont.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.