Pte 21530 William Sydney Harris

• Age: 21
• From: Wavertree, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

William Sydney Harris was born in Edge-Hill, Liverpool on 28th July 1895, the son of John Harris and his wife Jane (nee Bell) who married in St Nicholas Church, Liverpool on the 23rd August 1887. John was a 23 year old clerk of Pitt Street, father William a wheelwright, whilst Jane was aged 22 also of Pitt Street, father Samuel deceased.. John was born in Shrewsbury and Jane in Parkgate, Cheshire. William was baptised on 04th September 1895 in St. Catherine's Church, Edge Hill.

William was the sixth of their surviving 12 children. His parents lived in Radcliffe Street, where Elizabeth Annie was born. After the birth of Gertrude Emma the family moved to 10 Holly Bank, where five more children were born: Ethel Hannah, John Percy, William, Stanley, and Dorothy Jane. By 1901 they had moved to Chantrey Street and had five more children: Edgar Samuel, Ronald Vincent, Ernest Edward, Leonard James, and Nora Irene.

At the time of the 1901 census, the 5 year old William was living with his parents at 2 Chantrey Street, Edge Hill. His father John was a postman. William’s siblings were Elizabeth aged 13, Ethel 10, John 8, Stanley 4 and Dorothy 2. The couple had another daughter Gertrude born in 1890 who was staying with her aunt and uncle John and Elizabeth Bell in Thornton Hough, Wirral.

By the 1911 census the family had moved to 37 Flaxman Street. His father, John, was still a postman aged 54, and his mother Jane was 42. They advise that the have been married for 24 years and have had 13 children, one of whom had died. They have eleven children in the household; Elizabeth A. was a 23 year old cheroot maker in a tobacco factory, Ethel Hannah 20 was a waitress , John Percy was 18 and employed by the Post Office as  a telegraphist, William now 15 was a greengrocers shop boy, Stanley aged 12 was a telegraph messenger. Dorothy Jane 12, Edgar Samuel 8, Ronald Vincent 7, Ernest Edward 4 are all at Clint Road school. The two youngest children Leonard 3 and 2 year old Nora are listed as at home. 

William’s father John Harris died on the 02nd  March 1913, aged 56, leaving £193-10s to his widow. 

 A memoriam notice was placed in 1918 in the Liverpool Echo on Saturday 02 March 1918 

HARRIS—In affectionate and loving memory of my dear husband JACK HARRIS, late of the G.P.O., who died March 2, 1913. (Though death divides, fond memory cling.) - From his loving Wife and Children, 17 Chantrey-street. 

William enlisted on the 04th September 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 21530. He gave his age as 19 years and 36 days and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet three and three quarter inches tall, weighed 105lbs, 34" chest with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England. He gives as next of kin, his mother who had moved back to Chantrey Street (which backs on to St. Cyprian's Church).

Formed on 7^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

His service records show:

29.4.15 Posted to the K.L.R. City Depot, this was the day before his battalion was due to leave for further training at Grantham

24.5.15 Posted to the 19th Battalion which was then at Grantham.

26.7.15: Not complying with an order. Three days confined to barracks.

07.11.15: Embarked for France from Folkestone with his battalion.

William was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 21, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.    

William was initially declared Missing. One of his siblings contacted the International Red Cross in hopes that he had been taken prisoner, but was notified on 30th November 1916 that they held no information on William.

His death was later assumed by the Army Council for official purposes as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916, two days after his 21st birthday.

William's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. 

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

His three medals were sent to his mother Jane, who received his Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s.

His mother was awarded a pension of 7/- a week from July 1917.

His family paid tribute to William, one year later on the anniversary of the battle, in the Liverpool Echo on 30th July 1917, under the heading, “Lost at Battle of Guillemont”:

“In loving memory of Private William Sydney Harris (Pals), the dearly-loved second son of Mrs. and late John Harris, who was killed in action July 30, 1916, in his 21st year. (Until we meet again.) - His loving Mother, Sisters, and Brother (in France). - 17, Chantrey Street, Edge Lane.”

He was remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918: 

"In sad but loving memory of my dear son Will (Pals), killed in action July 30, 1916. Sadly missed by all at home. -17, Chantrey Street, Edge Lane." 

In 1919 Jane was still at 17 Chantrey Street with eight of his siblings (Edgard, 16, is an invalid). Married sisters Elizabeth lived in London, and Gertrude in Liverpool, as did John.

His mother died on the 07th September 1935, aged 67.

William is commemorated on the following memorials -

St. Cyprian with Christ Church, Edge Hill

Liverpool's Hall of Remembrance, Panel 51 Right

And on the family headstone in West Derby Cemetery as William Sidney. 

ALSO 

WILLIAM SIDNEY 

SON OF THE ABOVE 

KILLED IN ACTION ON THE SOMME 

JULY 1916, AGED 21 YEARS 

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