Trafford

Born during the Mar Qtr 1898 in the Barton on Irwell R.D. - ref: 8c/682,
the 7th son of John Clement & Elizabeth Ann Rutter, Cotton House, Queens
Road, Ashton on Mersey.     John Clement Rutter was the son of John L. &
Harriett E. Rutter.  In 1871 J.L.R. was a Solicitor at Penn,
Staffordshire.

1901 Census - Glebelands Road, Ashton upon Mersey - son - aged: 3 - born:
Patricroft, Lancashire.

1911 Census - Coton House, Queens Road, Ashton upon Mersey - son - aged: 12
- Scholar - born: Barton on Irwell.

At the time of the 1891 Census the family were residing at - 87 Cromwell
Road, Patricroft, Barton on Irwell. 

Educated at Sale High School and Denston College ??  Occasionally played
for Sale RUFC.

Although 27 pages of his WO363 Attestation Papers survived the WW2 bombing
of London, only a few pages are still readable.  But from this I have
learned that he enlisted on the 6th December 1916.   On the 7th December he
was transferred onto the Army reserve list.   He rejoined and was mobilised
on the 19th February 1917 and was drafted to France on the 12th April 1918.
   His MIC does not state when he entered a theatre of war or even which
theatre, but it does state that he was originally in the Welsh Regiment -
his number then being 73532.   It is not clear as to why or when he
transferred from the Welsh Regiment to the Durham Light Infantry.

The 26/05/1916 edition of the local newspaper reports that had been
invalided home from Egypt and was in hospital.

Took part in the Battle of the Marne (Chemin des Dames Ridge Breakthrough)
- At 01.00hrs on the 27th, 4,000 German artillery and mortar pieces, fired
two million shells at the allied forces along a 30 km stretch of the front
line.  At 03.40, Twenty-five German Divisions attacked four tired French
and four weak British Divisions on the River Aisne between Soissons and
Reims.    One million of the shells fired by the Germans contained Phosgene
and Diphenyl-Chlorosine gas.

During WW1 two of his sisters Ellen Geraldine Lilian Rutter who in 1911 was
employed as a Nurse at the Austin Street Hospital Bethnal Green, London and
Ethel Theodora Christina Rutter, who in 1912 was a Student Nurse at the
Royall Infirmary, Gloucester, served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial
Medical Nursing Reserve and four of his brothers were also in the forces. 
An older brother, Clement Henry Edward Rutter, served with the London
Volunteers Regiment and managed to survive the war as did another brother
George Leopold Norman Rutter who was also serving with the Manchester
Regiment and invalided home during the Gallipoli fighting.  Claude Arthur
Gordon Rutter served with the 6th Bn Manchester Regiment and was killed in
action at Gallipoli.  Frederick William Gabert Rutter was killed in action
on 27th August 1915 at Gallipoli during the Battle for Sulva Bay. 

The 05/07/1918 edition of the local newspaper reported that he had been
posted as missing between the 27th & 31st May 1918.

Commemorated on the private family gravestone in St. Catherine's, Barton on
Irwell. Ref: 7l4.     His father, John Clement died 18/03/1899 aged 51
years and his mother Elizabeth Ann died 16/08/1922 aged 67 years.

He is also commemorated on the Royal Sun Alliance War Memorial, Ledsham,
Cheshire that has now been re-sited at the Alrewas National Memorial
Arboretum, Staffordshire.

Sale Football Club are unable to locate their WW1 Memorial.