The portrait we reproduce is that of Lance-Corporal James Swanick, of the 9th Cheshire Regiment, who has been twice wounded during the present world war struggle.
Lance-Corporal Swanick enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, and left for France with the first detachment of his regiment. He was wounded on June 24th and was in hospital for a period of thirteen weeks. He went back again to France on December 15th, and was only in the trenches for about a month when he was severely wounded in the left leg by a shell.
He is at present in No. 3 General Hospital, Sheffield, and has undergone an operation. This has not been entirely successful, and we understand he will be operated on again shortly to remove the remaining fragments of shell still in his leg.
Lance-Corporal Swanick, who is the son of Mr. William Swanick, of 8, Wilkinson-street, is very well known in the North End of the town, and his numerous friends wish him a speedy recovery.
Prior to enlisting this gallant local patriot resided with his grandmother in Little Neston.
Lance-Corporal James Swanick was born in 1893 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, and lived with with his grandmother, Ann Swanick, on Pritchard’s Row, Little Neston, Cheshire.
James served as part of the Cheshire Regiment during the First World War, initially in the 9th Battalion, but was moved to the 11th and then the 4th Battalion later in the war.
Due to his woundings James was entitled to wear a “wound stripe” as authorised under Army Order 204, of 6th July, 1916.
He seems to have survived the war, and received a disability pension at its end. It can be assumed that this pension was as a result of his two injuries.
It has been difficult to ascertain James’ actions following the war, but two documents do exist that detail that a James Swanick in the Cheshire area was married in 1921 to an Elizabeth F Floweth, and again married to a Doris Horton in 1931. Whether they are both instances of the same James Swanick being married, or just the one, is difficult to tell at the moment.
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