Pte 42974 John Jackson

• Age: 27
• From: Seaforth, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 4th August 1917
• Commemorated at: Hagle Dump Cem,
  Panel Ref: III.E.13

John Jackson was born in 1890 in Liverpool and was the son of John  Jackson and his wife Elizabeth. 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at 16 Miles Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool. His father is a 34 year old general labourer, born in Liverpool, His mother is shown as a 29 year old, born in Ellesmere, Shropshire. John is one year old and has three elder siblings; Jane aged 12, George aged 10 and Isabella aged 8.   

John was educated at St Thomas School, Seaforth.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 56 Wordsworth Street, Bootle. His father, John, is a 43 year old general labourer, his mother, Elizabeth, is shown as a 33 year old born in Frankton, Shropshire with no occupation listed. John is 11 years of age and he has five siblings in the household, George is a 20 year old joiner, Elizabeth is 9 years old, James E. is 5, William H. is 4 and Isabella is new born. The family also have two boarders living in the household.      

The 1911 Census shows the family have moved and are living at 75 Chestnut Grove, Bootle. His parents John aged 53 and Elizabeth aged  are present and advised that they had been married for 22 years and had nine children. They have eight children in the household; George a 30 year old married joiner, and their daughter in law Rachael, aged 29.  John Jnr a 21 year old railway clerk, Elizabeth Ann a 19 year old ironer,  James Ewart a 15 year old butcher's boy, William Herbert a 14 year old grocer's boy, Isabella a 10 year old scholar, as are Thomas aged 8 and Robert Edward aged 6.

Prior to joining up in June 1916, John was employed by Swifts Beef Co.

He enlisted and was serving in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 42974 when he was killed in action on the 04^th August 1917 aged 27 during the Third Battle of Ypres. 

The 17th Battalion Diary groups the action of the opening day of the offensive up to the relief of the Battalion on 04th August as follows: 

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.

During the action and their time in the line the 17th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds, and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3rd -4th August. 

A report on his death appeared in the Bootle Times on the 31st August 1917.

A SEAFORTH "OLD BOY."

Official information has been received that Pte John Jackson, K.L.R., was killed in action on August 1st. He was the son of the late Mr. John Jackson and Mrs .Jackson, 32 Pope-street, Bootle, and was an old boy of St. Thomas, School, Seaforth. Previous to joining the colours in June, 1916, he was employed by Swifts, Beef Co.

His Commanding Officer. in communicating the sad news, said "He was sadly missed by the men of his platoon, with whom he was a great favourite, and died like the good soldier he was.".

John now rests at Hagle Dump Cemetery, Elveringhe, Belgium.

Elverdinge was behind the Allied front line throughout the war, and Hospital Farm and Ferme-Olivier Cemeteries, both in the commune, were used in the earlier years for Commonwealth burials.

The cemetery, which was begun in April 1918, during the Battles of Lys, was named after a nearby stores dump. It was used by fighting units and field ambulances until the following October and was enlarged after the Armistice when more than 200 graves were brought into Plots III and IV from the battlefields of the Ypres Salient;

Hagle Dump Cemetery contains 437 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 139 of which are unidentified.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

John is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

Bootle Civic Memorial

St James R.C. Church, Bootle. 

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