Pte 58354 James Houghton

• Age: 24
• From: Kearsley, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 7th December 1918
• Commemorated at: Archangel Allied Memorial

58354 Private James HOUGHTON, 17^th Battalion KLR, Killed in Action 7.12.1918 aged 24 years..

James was born in the first quarter of 1894, the second of seven children born to William Houghton, a coalminer, and his wife Mary Ellen (nee Christy), of Farnworth, Lancashire. They were married in St Peter’s Church, Farnworth in 1891 and James was baptised in St John the Evangelist Church, Farnworth on 14^th February 1894 when the family address was 3 Thomas Street.

In the Census of 1901 the family lives on the Race Grounds, Lark Hill, Farnworth. James is 7 years of age and lives with his parents and four siblings. His father, William, is a 36 year old coal miner (hewer) born in Little Lever, Bolton, whilst his mother, Mary, is 33 hyears of age and was born in Farnworth. His siblings are listed as; Ralph aged 8, Ernest 5, Edith 2 and new born Mary. 

By 1911, they live at 13 Bank View, Farnworth. His mother is head of the household, she declares herself as having been married for 20 years and has had 10 children of which seven have survived. James is now 17 and employed in the spinning industry as a cotton piecer. His siblings are listed as; Ralph aged 18 employed as a lap carrier,  Ernest aged 15 and a tap carrier, Eidth is aged 13 and a scholar and part time cotton carrier, Mary Elizabeth is aged 11, Hilda is aged 7 and Stanley aged 5.

Prior to enlistment he was employed at Earl of Ellesmere's Berryfield Colliery. 

James enlisted on 04th June 1918  and served in the 17^th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 58354, possibly having been conscripted in 1916 as as his medal card shows that he was awarded the BWM and VM. He trained at Oswestry and sailed in October 1918 with the North Russian Expeditionary Force.

From October 1918 he was one of those sent to Russia to protect Allied armaments and supplies from the Bolshevik revolutionaries and was killed during the action at Terassova on 6^th/7^th December 1918.

Graham Maddocks in his book “Liverpool Pals” relates how in early December 1918, intelligence indicated that the Bolsheviks were planning to attack the town of Tarassova and “D” Company of the 17^th Battalion made their way to the town on 5^th December to await the attack and learned from a prisoner that the attack would take place at 7.00am on 6th. Their CO, Captain E A Dickson MC, decided to pre-empt the attack and two officers, 76 other ranks, supported by 30 White Russians travelled through that night and came upon the enemy from the rear. They quickly captured an enemy blockhouse, killing seven and capturing four more, without suffering any casualties themselves. They then attacked a Bolshevik transport column and successfully attacked that, capturing it intact and seizing an amount of arms and ammunition including two Maxim machine guns. The enemy was now aware of their presence and fought back with snipers in the forest area. The Pals continued their advance and after heavy fighting during which the enemy lost many men they captured an enemy supply dump. By now they were within one mile of the enemy whose defence became more effective. One of their two officers, 2^nd Lieutenant A. Cousins, was wounded and Captain Dickson was soon up against an estimated enemy force of about 600 men. The White Russians made a somewhat hesitant if not reluctant attack against the Bolshevik flank but were never seen again. Dickson realised his ammunition was running low and his own Lewis guns were seizing up because of the wintry conditions and decided to withdraw, destroying the captured wagons and limbers and even killing most of the captured horses first. They retreated, taking the Maxim guns with them but eventually had to break up the guns and abandon them in the forest before returning to Tarassova with five prisoners and seven horses. Second Lieutenant Cousins later died of his wounds, as did Sergeant Percy Greany MM; three others were wounded but recovered, and Privates Charles Ainsworth, Robert Brown, James Houghton, Alfred Owens and Henry Turner were all killed during this action.

His body was never recovered and his name appears on the Archangel Memorial to the Missing.

During both world wars, Archangel was one of the ports through which the Allies assisted Russia with supplies and munitions. The cemetery was begun immediately after the occupation of the town in August 1918 by the Allied force sent to support the Soviet Russian Government against potential threat from German occupied Finland and other local sources. It was used by No.85 General Hospital, No.53 Stationary Hospital, No.82 Casualty Clearing Station, HM Hospital Ship 'Kalyan' and other Allied hospitals. 

ARCHANGEL ALLIED CEMETERY contains 224 burials and commemorations of the First World War, including special memorials to 140 officers and men with known burials in cemeteries elsewhere in northern Russia. Two of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains 7 Second World War burials. The ARCHANGEL MEMORIAL, which consists of panels fixed into the east wall of the cemetery, commemorates 219 British officers and men who died during the north Russian campaign and whose graves are not known.

He is also commemorated on the Memorial in Farnworth Cemetery.

James' loss was the second that the family had to endure as his brother 24264 Ernest of the  9th Loyal North Lancs. was killed in action on 16th October 1916, aged 20. He now rests at Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt, France where his headstone bears the epitaph:

FREE FROM SORROW GRIEF AND PAIN OUR LOSS IS HIS ETERNAL GAIN

His brother Ralph also served. 

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