A Territorial Force War Medal awarded to 18091, Sergeant Alfred Edward Ackers, who served with the 19th Battalion Army Cyclist Corps which were a part of the 57th (West Lancashire) Divisional Cyclist Corps attached to the 57th Division.

Neither Ackers’ Medal Index Card or medal roll entries, which can be viewed by clicking on here,  on here and on here, (if you have access to Ancestry), although a paper copy of the MIC will be provided with this listing, give any indication as to which theatre of war he served in.

The details of his award are as follows:

Territorial Force War Medal named to 18091 SJT.  A. E. ACKERS. A. CYC. CORPS.

FURTHER DETAILS:

Whilst I have been unable to trace any service records relating to this man, it is known that the 57th Division were issued instruction in August 1914 for all units of the Territorial Force to form a reserve unit. The men who had agreed to serve overseas were separated from the rest. Those left as ‘home service only’ were formed into ‘second line’ units, which was known as the 57th, 2nd Reserve.

When some of the ‘first line’ units of the senior 55th (West Lancashire) Division were sent overseas, their place in that Division was taken by the ‘second line’. The remainder, less the artillery which was in a parlous state as far as equipment went, moved to concentrate at Canterbury, Maidstone and Ashford and were formed into the 2nd West Lancashire Division, which got the number 57 in August 1915.

The ‘second line’ Divisions suffered greatly from lack of equipment of all sorts, and training was inevitably affected. The artillery did not leave its home basis for Canterbury until September 1915, having received some obsolescent equipment from the ‘first line’ units which were being re-equipped with modern guns. The infantry received Japanese rifles, quite different to the Lee-Enfields that equipped the British armies in the fields, and only got modern rifles and ammunition in late November 1915.

The passing of the Military Service Act in early 1916 deemed all men to have agreed to serve overseas and thus the Division was available to be sent, once it was trained. In July 1916 the units of the Division moved to the Aldershot area, being based at Blackdown, Deepcut, Pirbright, Woking and other places in the vicinity and ultimately moved overseas in February 1915.

It is known that the 57th Divisional Cyclist Company joined the 2nd Reserve in 1916, but did not sail with the Division in the February.

More details regarding the ACC can be viewed by clicking on here.

There is a reference to an Albert Edward Ackers living in Lancashire in the 1939 Register. If this is indeed the same man, which seems likely, then he can easily be traced in Ancestry. The details can be viewed by clicking on here.

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