Pte 332819 William Adams

• Age: 36
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 8th November 1918
• Commemorated at: Dourlers Cc Ext
  Panel Ref: II.C6

William Adams was born in Liverpool on the 26th January 1882 the son of Peter Edwin Adams and his wife Rose Ann (nee Whalley). He was baptised at St Timothy, Everton on the 19th February 1882. His parents married at All Saints Church in 1880

His first marriage was at All Saints, Liverpool on 06th August 1900. He gives his age as 20, a carter living at 4 house, 9 Court, Beau St, father Peter, a labourer. His wife is Catherine Weir, aged 20 living at 4 house, 5 Court Beau St, father Andrew, a cab driver. His mother signs the certificate Rose Ann Adams (various spellings of her name throughout)

On the 1901 Census he is aged 19, a dock labourer living at 8a Langdale Street, Liverpool. His wife Catherine is 22, also living there are her two brothers Thomas Weir 16, and William Weir 20.

They had two children born after the Census; Rose Ann born later in 1901 and Margaret born in 1903. 

His father died in 1902 aged 46.

His wife Catherine died aged 26 in the March quarter of 1905.

His second marriage was on 29th April 1908 at St Timothy's Church, Liverpool, William was a widower aged 26 living at 21 Field Street, father Peter(deceased), a labourer. His wife is Bertha Jones aged 30 living at 11 Field Street, father John Jones(deceased), a collier.

On the 1911 Census he is aged 29, a general dealer living at 62 Circus St, off Byrom St, Liverpool. His wife Bertha is 32 is assisting in the business and she was born in Wrexham.

His two children Rose Ann and Margaret are living at 55 Mansfield St, Liverpool with his now remarried mother Rose Ann Pollock and her husband George William Pollock.

William enlisted in Liverpool  joining the 18^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 332819.

At the time of his death on 8th November 1918, warfare had become mobile, with the British Army harrying the Germans, who would retreat to a position, fight, then retreat once more. The day before he was killed the Battalion had just marched from Mariollers to Marbaix in France, when it was ordered to take a position in the line near Marbaix, from the 1/5th Gloucestershire Regiment. On the following day, 8th November an attack was commenced at 07.30am supported by the 100th Battalion Machine Gun Corps and artillery fire. Despite their support, the advancing troops encountered fierce rifle and machine gun fire from the German position’s.

Although the attack was eventually successful, two more officers and thirty six other ranks were to be wounded, and fourteen other ranks Killed, only three days before the Armistice.

William was one of those other ranks killed in action that day. He was 36 years of age and was one of the last of the Liverpool Pals to fall, just three days before the Armistice.

He now rests at Dourlers CC Extension Cemetery, France. 

Dourlers village was in German hands during almost the whole of the First World War. It was taken on 07th November 1918, after heavy fighting, by the 6th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 1st K.O.Y.L.I. The communal cemetery was used by the Germans during the war, but in November 1918, a small extension was made by Commonwealth troops at the west end. After the Armistice, the German graves from the communal cemetery and others from the battlefields, together with Commonwealth graves from isolated positions and small cemeteries, were brought into the extension which contains 161 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 14 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to four casualties known or believed to be buried among them. The extension also contains 108 German burials, 62 of which are unidentified.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Bertha, 23 Harker Street, Liverpool. 

His widow Bertha remarried 1920 to George Gardiner at Holy Trinity Church. 

The 1939 register picks Bertha up at 12a Mansfield St, Liverpool, born on 22nd December 1881.

His mother died 1949 aged 86 after marriages to George William Pollock(married 1903, d.1913) and William Doherty (married 1916).

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