Pte 15925 Thomas Knowles Kenworthy

His father died aged 44 in Manchester in April 1900, when Thomas was three years old, leaving over £1,300 to his widow Lucy.

 

In 1901 Thomas, 4, is living in Southport with his mother Lucy, 36, at 145 Sussex Road. His mother is living on her own means; she has a domestic servant and a boarder, a 33-year old British coffee planter born in Morocco.

 

In 1911 Thomas is found as a pupil at Crossley & Porter Orphan Home & School, in Savile Park, Halifax. His mother, 48, is living with her sister Emily Briggs, 49 and her nephew James Parker Briggs, 22, at 34 York Avenue, Great Crosby.

 

His mother died in November 1912 aged 49.  It appears, from information in his military record, that Thomas was raised and brought up as a son by his aunt, Emily, after his mother’s death, indicating that he lived in Great Crosby before enlisting in Liverpool, not too far away.

 

He enlisted on the 02nd September 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, joining the 17th Battalion as Private 15925. He gave his age as 19 years and three days and occupation as a bank clerk. He was five feet ten inches tall, weighed 129lbs, brown eyes, brown hair and gave his religion as Church of England. He told an untruth as to his age; he had just turned 18 that summer.  He gives as next of kin his aunt, Emily Briggs, Norwood, Fairholme Road, Great Crosby.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall.

His service record shows the following:

01.3.15-04.3.15: Admitted to Rainhill Hospital with stomach ache.

29.4.15: Thomas was transferred to 21st (Reserve) Liverpool Regiment. This was the day before the four Liverpool Pals Battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at  Belton Park, Grantham.  

23.8.15: Transferred to 17th Battalion.

24.8.15:-04.9.15: He joins the rest of his Battalion at Belton Camp, Grantham.

05.9.15:- 06.11.15: Larkhill Camp, Salisbury.

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion. 

Thomas was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 20, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. He served in ‘D’ Company.

17th Battalion Diary 30th July 1916

The Battalion was in support to 19 & 20 Battalions K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20th. Very thick mist. The attack was pushed home to the objective in places but in the main was held up by machine gun fire from hidden machine guns.

Fighting continued all day swaying backwards and forwards until by 6pm about 300 yards in depth had been gained & consolidated all along our front.

Casualties in the 17th Battalion were 15 Officers and 281 Other Ranks

Further details are reported in more detailed by Everard Wyrall in his book The History of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 1914-1919 Volume II 1916-1917

The 17th King’s had advanced (two companies each behind the 19th and 20th Battalions) in small columns. They too suffered heavily from machine-gun fire and were quickly absorbed into the waves that preceded them. They also shared the gains and losses of that terrible day.

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July. 

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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. 

A local newspaper gave the following report: 

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Mrs. Briggs, of Fairholme Road, Crosby, has received news that her nephew Pte. T.K. Kenworthy, of the" Pals," has been killed. He was on the staff of the Bank of Liverpool. He enlisted in August, 1914, and went out to France early in October, 1915, being subsequently attached to the machine gun section. His comrade "Bobbie," in a letter, says of Pte. Kenworthy:- He always endeavoured to instil his hopefulness into those around him."…

 

Thomas was buried close to where he fell and, after the war when graves were concentrated, his body was exhumed and reinterred in Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt, Somme, where he now rests.  

Maricourt was, at the beginning of the Battles of the Somme 1916, the point of junction of the British and French forces, and within a very short distance of the front line; it was lost in the German advance of March 1918, and recaptured at the end of the following August.

The Cemetery, originally known as Maricourt Military Cemetery No.3, was begun by fighting units and Field Ambulances in the Battles of the Somme 1916, and used until August 1917; a few graves were added later in the War, and at the Armistice it consisted of 175 graves which now form almost the whole of Plot I. It was completed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields in the immediate neighbourhood and from certain smaller burial grounds.

There are now 1348, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, 366 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 26 soldiers from the United Kingdom known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves could not be found.

The cemetery covers an area of 3,787 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low red brick wall.

His aunt Emily was awarded a pension of 10/- a week from May 1917.  

 

Mrs Briggs also received his identity disc. 

James P.  Briggs, executor, received Thomas’ Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £8-10s.

 

 

In 1919 his aunt provided information on Thomas’ living relatives:  he had an uncle Henry Parker in Waltham Cross, and an aunt Fanny Thompson in Halifax.  She signed for his 1914-15 Star in June 1920 but died soon afterwards.  His cousin James Briggs moved to Northampton.

 

Thomas is commemorated on the following memorials:

Crossley & Porter Grammar School, Halifax

Great Crosby & Blundellsands Memorial

Bank of Liverpool & Martins WW1 Memorial, 

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