Pte 36764 Thomas Christopher Jervis

• Age: 19
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• D.O.W Wednesday 9th August 1916
• Commemorated at: Dantzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: IV.N.4

Thomas Christopher Jervis was born in the March quarter of 1897 in Liverpool the son of Christopher and Mary Ann (nee Thomas). He was baptised in St. Jude the Apostle Church on 18^th January 1897.  His parents were then living at 9 Court, 2 House, Low Wood Street; his father's occupation is labourer. They had married on the 02^nd December, 1889 at St Simon C. of E. Church in Liverpool. Mary Ann was born in 1869 and was the daughter of John and Mary Thomas. She was baptised on the 06^th February, 1870 in Liverpool.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 42 Lowwood Street, Liverpool.

Thomas' father, Christopher, is aged 33, born in Liverpool in 1868 and is a wood machinist, his wife Mary Ann is aged 30, born in Liverpool in 1871 and they have three children, Emma Jane aged 11, born 1890, Sarah Alice aged 7, born 1894 and Thomas Christopher aged 4, born 1897.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 15 St Jude’s Place, Liverpool.

His father Christopher now aged 43, is a sawyer’s labourer (furniture) whilst his mother Mary Ann is aged 42. They have been married for 22 years and have thirteen children of which six had died. The children listed on the Census are; Emma aged 20, born 1891 and working in a mineral factory, Sarah aged 16, born 1895 a domestic servant, Thomas aged 14, born 1897 is a sawyer’s labourer, Elizabeth aged 8, born 1903, Margaret aged 5, born 1906, Harriet aged 2, born 1909 and Christopher born 1911. They also have boarders living at the property Alice Blake a charwoman aged 49, born 1862 and her three children Annie, aged 14, born 1897, Lily aged 7, born 1904 at school and Joseph aged 2, born 1909.

(The vagaries of Census records show years of birth changing from 1901 to 1911 for several family members and Mary Ann Jervis is named as Margaret on the 1911 Census Record. It is certain that her name has been input wrong as the census shows they have been married for 22 years which corroborates the date of the Jervis marriage. Thomas Christopher Jervis is also shown as Thomas E Jervis on the 1911 Census records with both 1901 and 1911 showing the same year of birth, with the 1911 Census showing the Initial E after his christian name only.)

He enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 17th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 36764 when he died of wounds on the 09th August, 1916 aged 19. during the Somme offensive.

He now rests at Dantzig Alley Cemetery, Mametz, France where his headstone includes the initial E. We have contacted the CWGC who have kindly accepted that his second name was Christopher and have arranged for the headstone to be amended accordingly.

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, including:-

AEROPLANE CEMETERY, FRICOURT, on the old German front line to the south of Fricourt village. It contained the graves of 24 N.C.Os. and men of the 20th Manchesters who died on 1 July 1916.

BOTTOM WOOD CEMETERY, FRICOURT, on the south edge of a small wood between Mametz and Fricourt Woods. This was a field ambulance station for some months from July 1916, and the cemetery contained 104 graves.

BULGAR ALLEY CEMETERY, MAMETZ, 230 metres east of the village, named from a trench. It contained the graves of 24 soldiers who died on 1 July 1916, and all but one of whom belonged to the 22nd Manchesters.

HARE LANE CEMETERY, FRICOURT, at the north-west corner of the village, named from a trench. It contained the graves of 54 soldiers who died on 1 and 2 July 1916, and of whom 49 belonged to the 10th West Yorks.

MAMETZ GERMAN CEMETERY, in which 12 soldiers were buried by their comrades in July and August 1916. This cemetery was near the crossing of the Fricourt-Maricourt and Mametz-Bray roads.

MANSEL COPSE CEMETERY, MAMETZ, on the Fricourt-Maricourt road, near the present Devonshire Cemetery: and MANSEL COPSE WEST CEMETERY, MAMETZ, 460 metres further west. These contained the graves of 51 men of the 2nd Border Regiment, who died on 1 July 1916.

MONTAUBAN ROAD CEMETERY, CARNOY, which contained the graves of 25 soldiers (almost all of the 18th Division) who died on 1 July 1916.

VERNON STREET CEMETERY, CARNOY, in the valley between Carnoy and Maricourt, at a place called "Squeak Forward Position". 110 soldiers who died in July-October 1916 were buried here by the 21st Infantry Brigade and other units.

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.

He was reported as died of wounds in Liverpool Daily Post on 11th September 1916.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to his mother Mary Ann.

Thomas is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 66 as 22nd Battalion K.L.R.  

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