Interesting WW1 Medal Pair to Wood 8th Cheshire Regiment.

WW1 British war and victory medal correctly named to Private Frederick Wood 8th Battalion Cheshire regiment.
There are some medals and group when you start to research, you just know it going to take some digging to find the man’s service history and you know it will take too long to piece together, even though it will be well worth doing. So here is what I know: Fred Wood was born around 1889 in Wilmslow Cheshire around 1889. Before the war he was employed as a Gardener in that area and was call up for service on 15th September 1915. He was already married to Elizabeth with two young children. He gave his preference to serve with either the Royal Engineers or the Cheshire regiment, so he was placed with the 8th Cheshire’s, probably a replacement for the men lost at Gallipoli during 1915 and early 1916. Although the 8th battalion were serving in Mesopotamia at the time he arrived in Bombay India in the March of 1917 and soon after being transferred to Kirkee and then Basra. What is strange, on leaving India for Mesopotamia, in the remarks section of his service papers is written “Elephants”. This needs further research. I know Elephants were used in India, but I cannot find any record that they were used by British troops.
Later that year he was promoted to Lance Corporal and probably joined Marchall’s Column and saw fighting at the Second and Third Actions of Jabal Hamrin and Tuz Khurmatli and was at Basra when the war ended.
In January 1919 he was transferred to Salonika and by the time he was discharged in December 1919 he held the rank of Acting Serjeant and was considered “a capable NCO”.
After the war he returned home to Elizabeth and had a third child. He continued to be employed as a Gardener, now with C. W. Jones at Alderley Edge.
Both medals are in very good original condition and comes with copies of his service records, medal index card, medal roll and census records.

Code: 29930