Pte 52460 Francis Matthews Jackson

• Age: 38
• From: Pendleton, Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 18th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: V.B.29

Francis Matthews Jackson was born in the September Qtr of 1879 in Pendleton, Manchester and was the son of Thomas and Mary (nee Jackson) Jackson who married in 1876 in Chorlton-in-Medlock. 

The 1881 Census shows the family living at 1 Barker St, Salford.

Father Thomas is aged 28, a paperhanger born in Stockport, mother Mary is aged 30, born Warrington, Henry 5 born Hulme, Joseph 4 born Salford, and Francis Matthews aged 1 born Salford. 

The mother Mary died aged 41 in 1890. 

The 1891 Census shows the greater family living at 20 Cross St, Salford.

The head of the family is widow Ann Jackson, aged 61 born in Ireland, her children Margaret 30, Elizabeth 28, Francis 21 and widowed Thomas aged 38, a paperhanger, the grandchildren are Henry 15, Joseph 13, Francis is aged 10, a scholar, and Elizabeth 7 a scholar. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 5 Cooper St, Salford.

Widowed father Thomas is aged 49, a paperhanger, Francis is aged 21, a house painter, and Elizabeth aged 17. 

He married Jane Hampton on the 8th April 1901 at St Paul, Pendleton. Francis was a 22 year old house decorator of 63 Bury St, Salford, father Thomas, whilst Jane was aged 22, same address, father Isaac a miner. Jane Rebecca was born in Sedgley, Staffordshire in 1877, the daughter of Isaac and Margaret Hampton. 

The 1911 Census shows Francis and his family living at 18 Strawberry Hill Terrace, Pendleton, Salford.

Francis is aged 32, occupation house painter, born in Salford. His wife Jane is aged 34, born 1877 no occupation listed, she was born in Staffordshire. They have been married for ten years and have had five children of which one had died. Those listed on the Census are shown as: Margaret aged 9, born 1902, William aged 8, born 1903, Thomas aged 6, born 1905 and Joseph aged 2, born 1909. The children were all born in Salford. The pension record reveals Jane was born on the 19th Dec 1876 and 2 more children were born after the census, Ellen in 1913, and Francis 1916. 

Francis enlisted in Manchester and was formerly 17978, Border Regiment and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52460 when he was killed in action on the 18th October 1916 aged 38 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

18^th Battalion Diary

18^th October 1916

Attacked German trenches commencing 3.40 am. Relieved by 19^th Manchester Regt. Took up position in support Bn trenches W. of Goose Alley.

Graham Maddocks in his book Liverpool Pals gives an overview of the events of the day:

“At 3.40 am the whistles blew, and the Battalion left its assembly trenches, in three waves, approximately fifty yards apart, and began to cross No Man’s Land. Almost immediately, the German Barrage fell on the first wave and halted its advance, so that the second wave soon caught up with it. This was not a great problem at first, and the two combined waves were able to advance together for about 300 yards, whereupon they encountered the German Grid Trench system. On the right of the advance, it was found that the wire was largely intact, apart from a few gaps, and the Germans bombed and machine gunned these gaps, which prevented any further progress. Elsewhere along the trench, however, the wire was cut and there did not seem to be any serious opposition. Nevertheless, the men hesitated to jump down into the German trenches, and instead, began to filter back across to the safety of their own lines.

By this time the third wave had caught up, as had a fourth wave, which had been detailed to mop up any opposition once the trenches had fallen, and all four waves became intermingled which added to the confusion. No less than three attempts were made to try to get the men to go forward again, but each attempt became markedly less successful than its predecessor, and eventually the attack came to a standstill. Although the British assembly trenches had received the attention of the German guns, the attackers in No Mans Land had not come under any great intensity of fire up until this point.

However, once it became obvious to the Germans that the attack was disorganised and faltering, they began to fire into the massed men from the flanks. It was probably this that finally settled the issue and convinced the Pals that they could no longer gain the enemy trenches, and all four waves, now merged into one, began to retreat to their own lines. The whole attack had been an abysmal failure, and no ground had been gained at all”.   

He now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars. The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

Manchester Evening News Friday 18th October 1918 

Jackson - In loving memory of Private FRANK JACKSON, killed in action, October 18, 1916 in France.  

Time changes many things. 

But loving memories ever cling.  

Always remembered by his loving WIFE and six CHILDREN - 18 Strawberry Hill Terrace, Pendleton. 

Soldiers Effects and pension to widow Jane, 18 Strawberry Hill Terrace, Pendleton. 

Father Thomas appears on the 1921 Census living with daughter Elizabeth. He may have died aged 77 in 1929 or aged 87 in 1939. 

Thomas, Jackson, 1852, Stockport, Cheshire, England, Salford 

Widow Jane R. appears on the 1939 Register at 27 Plymouth St, Salford with children William and Francis. She died aged 96 in 1973 Rochdale. 

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