Pte 22437 William George Jones

William enlisted on the 06th November 1914 at Liverpool, joining the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 22437. He gave his age as 19 years and two months and occupation as a ships cook. He was described as being five feet four and half inches tall, weighed 112lbs, 35” chest, with a sallow complexion, hazel coloured eyes, brown hair and gave his next of kin as his father Robert and religion as Church of England.  

The family apparently lived in Candia Street when William enlisted, as his mother wrote informing the military authorities of the change of address to Butterfield Street.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion.

15.4.16: Awarded seven days Field Punishment No 1 by O.C. Deducted 14 days pay for failing to return an article of property of an inhabitant which had been lent to him.

He was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 22437 when he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 19, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 Other Ranks

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July. 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.  

William was initially reported Missing, and his name was published in the list of K.L.R. Missing in the Liverpool papers on 14th September 1916.

An entry on his Casualty Form notes that a report was received on 05th October 1916 from the 1st/4th N. Lancs. Regiment, “Killed in action”.

In 1918, over two years since William (No.2 Coy, 8th Platoon, 20th Bn.) had gone missing, still holding on to hope that her son had been captured and taken prisoner, his mother contacted the International Red Cross in Geneva, but the response on 30th September 1918 was negative, they held no information on William.

William was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His Soldiers effects, Army pay and a War Gratuity of £7-10s went to his mother Lydia. His father was awarded a pension of 15/- a week from June 1917.

In 1919 his father provided information on William’s living relatives:  His brother John, 28, was living in London, and Louisa, 16, and married daughter Lydia Pugh and her infant daughter, also Lydia, were living at home with their parents at 8 Butterfield Street. 

William's parents received his service medals in 1920 and 1922 at their address at 8 Butterfield Street, Walton Park.

Sadly, William has not been found on any local memorial.

His father died aged 75 in 1933 and was buried at Anfield Cemetery. 

Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 27 July 1933 

JONES ROBERT – R.A.O.B. Anfield Lodge 5351. Cortege leaves 8 Butterfield Street today (Thursday) for interment at Anfield Cemetery at 3 p.m. The W.P. requests all Brethren to meet at the cemetery gates at 2.40 p.m. 

On the 1939 Register at Butterfield Street mother Lydia, dob 22nd May 1860, is living with married daughter Mary. L. Barnes and family. She died aged 86 in 1946.