L/Cpl 25347 William Henry Pulford Baker

William was baptised when he was two and a half years old on 09th February 1879 at St John's Church, Toxteth Park and he used this date to lie about his true age when enlisting.

 

The 1881 Census shows William, a scholar, aged 4 living at 23 Park Street Toxteth Park, the home of his grandmother Catherine Pulford. His mother is shown as a mariner's wife, presumably Henry was away at sea.

 

The 1891 Census at 28 Foxhill Street, Toxteth Park shows 14 year old William as a grocer's assistant still living with his grandmother Catherine Pulford and family and his mother is shown under her maiden name Pulford and not Baker. Again his father is presumably away at sea, unless they had separated. 

 

In the December quarter of 1897 in Cardiff, William now aged 21, married Cardiff born, Georgina Mary Lashbrook.

 

In the March quarter of 1899 in West Derby, Liverpool they register the birth of the first of their four children, (1 girl and 3 boys) a daughter Catherine Georgina May Baker but sadly she died, aged 2, in 1901.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 52 Galloway Street Edge Hill Liverpool. William, 24, is employed as a grocer, while Georgina is 31.

William enlisted in Knowsley, as Private 25347 and lied about his age claiming to be 35, when he was in fact 38, giving his residence as Kirkdale. He joined the 19th (Pals) Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. 

He served in 'D' Company and arrived in France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on 07th November 1915.

Having survived the opening phases of the Somme battles he was involved in the attack at Guillemont.

 

On 30th July 1916 Willliam, aged 40, is one of nearly 500 men killed in action.

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. 

Originally reported as Missing by the military authorities, his anxious family placed a "Missing Notice" in the Liverpool Echo on 02nd September 1916 and again on 18th September 1916.

Georgina waited over 13 agonising months before learning definite news; his death was announced in the Liverpool Daily Post on 13th September 1917:

"Lance-Corporal W. H. P. Baker, K.L.R., previously reported missing from July 30, 1916, is now officially presumed to have been killed on that date. Before joining the Army he was in the employ of Messrs. Peter Walker and Son (Cazneau Street branch). His wife resides at 51, Willoughby Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool."

Even after his death was officially accepted, friends and family made enquiries with the International Red Cross in Geneva in hopes that William had been taken prisoner.

His aunt, M. Pulford, of 55 Ruskin Street in Kirkdale, Liverpool, was notified on 17th October 1917 that they held no information.

Mr. J. L. Jones, (relationship unknown), of 26 Brae Street, Kensington, Liverpool, received the same reply on 01st February 1918. (John Lowe Jones, a scripture reader, lived at this address.)

His wife Georgina, at 51 Willoughby Street, Edge Hill, still pursued the search for clarity two years after he had been declared Missing,  but on 16th August 1918, received the same negative response.

Georgina was sent his pay owing of £1:6s:3d on 19/11/1917 to 36 Willoughby Street Edge Hill Liverpool.

Sadly William's body was never found or it was subsequently lost as he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. 

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 01^st 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.”   

A Grangetown (Cardiff) commemorative site provides the following information:

"Although he was from Edgehill in Liverpool, his wife Georgina was from Radyr and stayed with friends or relatives in Grangetown during the war at 12 Forrest St - the same address as Arthur Thomas. Georgina saw her missing husband on newsreel footage showing in the Ninian Cinema and asked to watch it again the following day to confirm it was him."

Arthur Thomas was Georgina's nephew, the son of her sister Sarah.  He joined the 16th Welsh (Cardiff City) Regiment in November 1914  and was later promoted to Lance Corporal. Arthur died of wounds on 07th July 1916 and, like William, is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.  Arthur was 24.

William earned his three medals. His 1914-1915 Star, issued under the name Barker and an incorrect regimental number, was returned for adjustment.

A War Gratuity is also sent of £6:10s to her at new address 51 Willoughby Street Edge Hill on 21st October 1919. Georgina was awarded a dependent's pension of £1 a week for herself and son George. George's portion of the pension expired when he reached his 16th birthday; Georgina continued to receive the widow's pension for the rest of her life. 

In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War, Georgina, 69 and incapacitated, was living with son George at 74 Edge Lane, Liverpool. George is 31, married with two children, and works as a sales manager for a cabinet maker.

Georgina never remarried and died, aged 73, at 74 Edge Lane in July 1943.

His son George died in 1963 at the age of 55.

William is commemorated twice in Liverpool's Hall of Remembrance, on Panels 12 Right and 15 Right.