At just 5ft tall, Hincaster farm hand Ted Townley was deemed too short to fight for king and country. But, as Katie Dickinson discovered, mounting losses meant that it wasn’t long before the rules were changed so those of diminutive stature could join their taller pals on the front line.

SEVERAL months after the outbreak of the First World War, Birkenhead MP Alfred Bigland petitioned the War Office for permission to establish a battalion of men who were fit for service but did not meet the British Army’s height requirements.

This led to the formation of ‘Bantam Battalions’ – named after the small but aggressive Indonesian fighting cocks - where the minimum height for recruits was lowered from 5ft 3in to 5ft.

Falling into this bracket at 5ft exactly was Hincaster-born Private Edward Townley – known as Li’le Ted.

Born on December 27, 1893, Ted left school aged 12 and worked as a farm hand in Milnthorpe and Kendal.

His granddaughter Christine Valentine has carried out extensive research into Ted’s life, and discovered that by the start of the Great War he had was working with horses at either Dallam Tower estate or the quarry at Sandside.

In 1915, when the army’s height requirement had been lowered, Ted volunteered with the 11th Battalion King’s Own Royal Lancashire Regiment.

This formed part of the 40th Division and was made up entirely of men under 5ft 3in.

After receiving training in drill, musketry, bombing, bayonet, gas and firing and some service at home, Ted went to France in June 1916 and served on the Somme.

In 1917, he fought on the Hindenburg Line and at Cambrai.

Mrs Valentine remembers her grandfather commenting that for him being given 'a tot of rum' meant going 'over the top' within the hour.

At some stage (probably February 1918 when the 11th Battalion was disbanded) Ted was transferred to the 9th Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment serving in Salonika.

In April 1918, he was classed as B1 Disabled after being shot through the arm, and was certified to act as a ‘water duty’ man – meaning he had lighter duties.

Later that year he was transferred again to the 2nd Battalion East Surrey Regiment and fought with them in the final phase of operations in Salonika, near Lake Doiran.

It was here he was wounded a second time, losing a significant part of a calf. Ted was then evacuated to Malta and hospitalised for six months before being demobilised in 1919.

After the war he married Alice Taylor in 1926, had two children and went on to have several jobs, including working on the railway at Carnforth station.

Mrs Valentine, who lives in Crosscrake, said: “Ted never talked very much about the war with my mother and she never saw his wounds.

“However, I often talked with him about the war, and I saw his wounds when I was a child.

“It was a long time since the war, and maybe not so difficult to talk about with me - or maybe I was just a nosy child.”

Ted Townley died in February 1982, having survived to see his first great-grandchild born.