Pte 202901 James Hesketh Hammond

• Age: 29
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

James Hesketh Hammond was born in Liverpool in the December quarter of 1887, the son of Edward Hammond and his wife and Mary Ann (nee Hesketh) who were married in St Nicholas' Church, Liverpool in November 1873. James was baptisedon the 21st September 1887 in St Catherine's Church, Edge Hill in September 1887. His parents marriage certificate and his baptism record shows that Edward is a sail maker, in which trade he remained all his life.

The 1891 census shows the 3 year old James living with his parents at 14 Walpole Street, West Derby. His father Edward is 38 and his mother Mary Ann is 37. James has six older siblings: Hugh who is 16 and working as a telegraph messenger, Harriet 15, Helena 10, Thomas 8 and Edward aged 6 as well as a 6 month old sister called Eleanor. There is another son called Henry who would’ve been 13 at this time, but is absent from the house on the night of the census. All the family have been born in Liverpool. Sadly Helena died aged 11 later in 1891 and is buried in Everton Cemetery.

By the time the 1901 census was taken, the family had moved to 41 Vandyke Street in Toxteth. Edward and Mary Ann had two more children born since the last census; Edith aged 8 and Maria who was 19 months old. The other children living at home are Harriet, Henry who is working as a sailors cloth bag maker, Thomas who is a pneumatic lube attendant, Edward is a shoe makers apprentice and James and Eleanor are at school. Hugh had married Eveline Hale in 1899 and they were living in Willoughby Street with their 10 month old son Thomas.

The 1911 census finds the 23 year old James working as a foreman for a sack manufacturer. He is living at home at 41 Vandyke Street with his parents who have now been married 37 years. The family have had another daughter since the last census who is 11 years old and is called Marion. Mary Ann is recorded as having borne eleven children, two of which have died. Also still living at home are Edward who is a bootmaker and Edith who is helping her mother at home. Thomas had married in June 1910.

James enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 202901 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 29, on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar

Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

James was one of those killed, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres in Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Mary Ann.

His probate record shows that on 26th July 1918 at Liverpool he left £168 3/- to his mother and brother Edward in his will.

The mother Mary died aged 69 in 1923 and father died on the 11th April 1924 and was buried in Toxteth Park Cemetery.

We currently have no further information on James Hesketh Hammond, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.