Alfred E. Downing was born in 1888 in Warrington. He attested on August 11, 1914 as a Rifleman in the 7th Kings Royal Rifle Regiment when he was 25 years old.
He was rapidly promoted through the ranks to Sergeant and subsequently fought in Ypres and the Somme (where he was wounded and repatriated, spending 68 days in hospital). In May 1917 he was awarded a temporary commission and after 3 ½ months training joined the 9th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in France as a 2nd Lieutenant. By May 1918 he was a platoon commander of D Company and about to take part in the 3rd Battle of the Aisne.
Edwin Slater was born in 1894 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. He attested in 1914 in Ashton-under-Lyne and joined the 11th Royal Scotts Regiment.
He deployed to France on on September 18, 1915. Around a week later he was involved in the opening phase of the Battle of Loos resulting in 381 Officers and Other Ranks killed, missing or wounded. Edwin was wounded and repatriated but in February 1916 redeployed to France again and later that year was involved in the Battle of the Somme where he was once again wounded and repatriated. He again redeployed to France in 1917 and on August 22 won the Military Medal.