Samuel E. Antrobus was born in 1879 at Rocksavage near Runcorn. He was the son of William Antrobus who was born at Sutton Weaver c. 1853 and his wife Harriet (nee Worrall) who was born at Frodsham c. 1853.
The 1881 Census recorded the couple as living at Ashwalk Cottages in Clifton village. William was working as a chemical labourer and Samuel was their first-born son, aged one year.
Ten years later the family were living at Weaver View in Clifton village and they now had five children: Samuel (11), Mary E. (9), Emma J. (7), Thomas W. (5) and Fred W. who was two years old. William continued to work as a chemical labourer.
By 1901 the family had moved to Weston village and were living on Company’s Row. There were two more children: Dora (10) and Ivy Elizabeth who was six years old. The father was now working as a sandstone quarry labourer as was Samuel. Thomas was an errand boy on a farm. Emma had left home to go into service in Runcorn.
In 1902 Samuel married Annie Clarke at Runcorn. Annie was born in 1882 in Gayton on Wirral. The couple would have seven children in total, five born before the next census in 1911. These were Nora (1903), George (1904), Annie (1906), Elizabeth (1909) and Jennie (1910).
By 1911 the family were living at School Hill in Heswall where Samuel was employed as a jobbing gardener. Two years later a son named Samuel was born, who sadly died in 1915 and finally a daughter named Dorothy was born in 1915.
Samuel enlisted in the 13th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment and became a Lance Corporal with the service number W/834. It is not clear how long he served for. He was killed in action on 7th July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in Picardie in France and on the War Memorial in Heswall.
His widow Annie emigrated to Ontario in Canada after the war ended, taking all the surviving children with her except for Annie.
William Antrobus died in 1927 and his wife Harriet in1929.
Samuel’s widow Annie died in Ontario in 1979.
Samuel was 36 years old when he was killed.
His brothers Thomas William and Fred were also both killed in the Great War in September and November 1918 respectively.