Eric James Wilshaw

2^nd Lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery

Eric James Wilshaw lived at 18 Arkwright St, Burnley and joined the war effort early on as part of the Royal Field Artillery. His brother, Leslie Roberts Wilshaw, also enlisted in the British Army as part of the Army Service Corps. During his time with the RFA, Eric served as a 2^nd Lieutenant and saw action on the Eastern and Western Front. In 1915, he was part of the forces involved in the landings at Gallipoli and was involved in a number of operations on the peninsula until the decision was made to evacuate in December. After a short period of rest, he was transferred to the Western Front where he saw action in France and Belgium. In 1917, he was serving in Flanders during the Third Battle of Ypres when he was wounded by the explosion of a gas shell at Passchendaele on October 31^st 1917. He later died of gas poisoning on December 23^rd 1918. His brother, Leslie, had also been killed in action earlier in the war in September 1917. Eric is buried at Briercliffe (St James) Churchyard.