Lieutenant-Colonel Doctor Herbert Wade was the commanding officer of the 1/9th Manchesters at the outbreak of the war and landed with them at Gallipoli on May 9, 1915 as their C.O.
Born in Oldham in 1865, to Mayall and Martha Wade. As a young man he left England to work in Singapore in a civil service job and while there served as a private in the volunteer artillery. Returning to the UK he married Ada Neal on December 23, 1893 and settled in Ashton-under-Lyne. His son John Mayall Wade was born there on September 28, 1894 and his daughter Ada Wade was born on March 5, 1896. Working as a librarian he also served as a non-commissioned officer with the Cheshire and Caernarvonshire Artillery Volunteers and was commissioned into the Manchester Regiment in 1900.
He was commissioned Captain on July 13, 1901 and Major on July 6, 1910 he became Commanding Officer in July 1913. By now he worked for the local authority as Education Secretary.
He sailed with the Battalion to Egypt in September 1915 and commanded them through their field training and defence of the Suez canal. 12 days after landing in Gallipoli he was shot and wounded by a sniper while stepping over some sleeping men in the firing line. He was evacuated to hospital in Alexandria where he subsequently learned of the death of his son Second Lieutenant John (Jack) Mayall Wade who was killed on June 19th while leading his men to attack the Turkish trenches. After approximately 54 days in hospital in Egypt he was invalided to the UK.
In the UK he initially spent some time in the 2nd Western General Hospital on Whitworth Street in Manchester. By October he was sufficiently recovered to command the Ashton Territorials present at the military funeral of Pte. Samuel Armitage in Ashton on October 7, 1915. He was also active in recruiting efforts in Ashton throughout October and November before joining the 3/9th Battalion in Southport, on light duty, at the end of November.
He rejoined the Battalion, from England, in February 1916 after they had evacuated Gallipoli and were guarding the Suez Canal at Shallufah. He commanded the Battalion throughout their stay in Egypt and sailed with them to France in March 1917. He was by now 52 years old. In May 1917 he was invalided back to the UK due to sickness and in June transferred to the Territorial Reserve. He did not return to action.
Lt. Col. Doctor Herbert Wade died on March 14, 1954 at a private nursing home in Withington, Manchester. His wife predeceasing him in late 1949.