A young Bolton soldier who once played for Bolton Wanderers Football Club has finally been laid to rest almost 110 years after his death. Second Lieutenant James Arthur Greenhalgh, of 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment, was buried with full military honours in a service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Guards Cemetery in Windy Corner near Neuve-Chapelle, France, on Wednesday. Greenhalgh family members travelled from Bolton to pay their respects.
Great-niece, Joanna Potts, could not attend the ceremony, but she ensured a personal inscription was placed on his headstone. Family of 2Lt Greenhalgh at the graveside She said: “Hearing my Great Uncle had finally been found after all this time has been an unexpected and surprisingly emotional time. We are so grateful that he will now be laid to rest and commemorated for the sacrifice he gave for us all.
” James was born in Bolton on May 5, 1889, one of five children born to Joseph Greenhalgh and his wife Hannah. A keen amateur footballer, he played for Bolton Wanderers , representing his town on the field before answering the call to serve his country. Colonel Paul Bedford Commissioned into the 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment on August 6, 1914, he joined his battalion in France shortly after and participated in significant battles, including the Battle of the Aisne and the fighting around Festubert.
James was killed in action on October 22, 1914, in the village of Violaines. At 5:30 hours the enemy attacke.
