Ernest Yardley was born on 10 January 1890 in Winsford, Cheshire. He was the younger son of Joseph Yardley and his second wife Sarah Walker who married at St. Chad in the Over parish of Winsford on 2 November 1886. His older brother had been born on 10 August 1887 and named John, but was known from a young age as Jack. In the Census of 5 April 1891, the Yardley family were recorded at 66 Well Street, Over and Joseph was a salt maker.
Both sons attended the St John Church Of England Primary School in Over. Ernest was admitted on 5 June 1893. Sadly, his mother died when he was aged 7 and was buried at St John, Over on 6 March 1897. By the time of the next Census on 31 January 1901, Joseph, Jack and Ernest had moved to our area and were recorded at 3 Sunnyside, Victoria Road, Thornton, lodging with the family of Thomas Groves, a fireman at the Salt Works. Joseph had a similar occupation.
In 1907 Joseph married for a third time, to Grace Breckell, the widow of William Ronson, who brought her three young children with her: Jane Ann, William and Sarah Isabella. A daughter, Grace, was born on 28 May 1907 in Thornton. When the next Census was taken on 2 April 1911, Joseph, Jack, the two Graces, William and Sarah were living at 7 Pleasant Grove, Thornton. Jane Ann was working as a live-in domestic servant in St. Annes-on-Sea. Ernest and two of Thomas Groves's sons were lodging with the family of John Taylor, a gas stoker, at Holmes Terrace (now 8-16), Holmes Road, Thornton. Ernest was employed as a coal porter by William Brown, then of Lime Grove.
Ernest was still in the same employment when, in January 1915, he joined the army in Blackpool. His military record has not survived but we know that he was sent to France as a gunner with the Royal Field Artillery on 31 August 1915. The following August he received a gunshot wound to the left arm whilst with D Battery, 108th Brigade. Although he recovered to rejoin his unit, Ernest was killed in action on 4 October 1917. He was aged 27 and unmarried.
His father received this letter from Ernest's officer, advising him of the sad news: "I regret to have to inform you that your son, Gunner Ernest Yardley, was killed in the early hours of 4th October. It may be a consolation to you to hear that he was one of the best gunners in the battery. He always did his duty cheerfully and well, and his death will be a great loss to the battery, and will be felt especially by all his old comrades, who, I know, deeply sympathise with you. We are having a cross erected over his grave."
Gunner Ernest Yardley, 70728, D Battery, 9th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery is buried in Plot 2, Row I, Grave 4, Hooge Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
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