Pte 24737 Wilfred Henry Heal

• Age: 22
• From: Thornaby on Tees
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: VI.W.5

24737 Private Wilfred Henry HEAL, 18^th Battalion, KLR.

Wilfred Henry was born in Thornaby-On-Tees, Yorkshire, in 1894, the sixth and youngest child of William, a railway ticket collector born in Lapford, Devon in 1853, and his wife Drusilla (nee Mare), also from Devon having been born in Morchard Bishop. They were married in 1876 in Guisborough, Yorkshire. Wilfred was baptised on the 24th May 1894 in Thornaby. 

In 1901 the family lived in Thornaby, Yorkshire at 7 Primrose Terrace. Wilfred is 6 years of age and lives with his parents and four siblings. His father is 48 years of age and his mother 47. His siblings, all born at Brotton, Yorkshire are recorded as: Beatrice M. aged 22 and employed as a school teacher, Alice aged 20 and a telegraph operator, William J. aged 15 and Joseph aged 12. 

His father died, aged 54, on the 21st December 1906. 

Probate 1907:- 

HEAL William of 12 Cambridge Road, Thornaby-upon-Tees Yorkshire railway servant died 21 December 1906 Administration York 16 January to Drusilla Hall widow. Effects £132 9s 8d. 

Wilfred’s mother died aged 53 in 1907 in Preston, closely followed by his father.

In 1911 Wilfred, now aged 16 and a solicitor's clerk, is living with his eldest brother William John, a 25 year old trained, certificated teacher, and his 30 year old sister, Alice, also a certificated teacher, at 58 Hartington Road, Preston. Also present in the household Maurice William Fell aged 5 born in Bartlestone, Leicestershire and referred to as a nephew.

When Wilfred Henry enlisted in Liverpool on 13th January 1915, joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 24737 he was employed as a solicitor’s clerk by Mr Walter Breakell, Solicitor of Fishergate, Preston.

He was first billeted at the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th 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. 

Wilfred crossed to France on 23rd December 1915 as part of a reinforcement draft for his Battalion.

He was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 1^st July 1916 aged 22 years.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257.

He now rests at Dantzig Alley Cemetery, France, where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY"

The village of Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley (a German trench) and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month and was used by field ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost during the great German advance in March 1918 but regained in August, and a few graves were added to the cemetery in August and September 1918. At the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of 183 graves, now in Plot I, but it was then very greatly increased by graves (almost all of 1916) brought in from the battlefields north and east of Mametz and from certain smaller burial grounds. 

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery now contains 2,053 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 518 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 17 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 71 casualties buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His death was reported in the local press on 24th July 1916:

HEAL.- Private Wilfred Henry Heal, killed in action July 1st, 1916, third son of the late Wm and Drusilla Heal, aged 22 years, late of Cambridge Road, Thornaby.

It was also reported in the Preston Guardian on 29th July 1916 under the header:

Private W H HEAL

"Private W H Heal, King's Liverpool Regiment was killed in action on July 1st, in France. He was 22 years of age, and was at the time of enlistment, in January 1915 a clerk in the office of Mr W Breakell solicitor".     

He was listed as killed in action in the Liverpool Daily Post on the 07th August 1916:

Killed. 

King’s (Liverpool Regt.) - Heal, 24737, W. H. (Preston);

His service record does not survive but his medal card shows that he earned all three medals.

Soldiers Effects to sister Alice Rowbotham, no Pension record found. 

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