Pte 52809 Richard George Henry Barton

Richard George Henry Barton was born in  the June quarter of  1889 at 65 Swire Road, Birkdale to Scarisbrick born general labourer James Barton and his Preston born wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Roscoe). They married in the December quarter of 1884 in the Ormskirk District and had 11 children of whom 4 died pre 1911. Richard was their 5th child. 

 

The 1891 Census shows them still at 65 Swire Rd Birkdale with his father aged 39?, and mother aged 35?, employed as a Charwoman. Richard is aged 2 and his two elder sisters Ellen 13, and Mary Alice 4. 

  

The 1901 Census at 23a Bury Road Birkdale shows Richard aged 12, father James is 41, a general labourer, mother Eliza A. 40, with elder sister Mary A. 14, and 2 younger brothers James 8 and Henry 6. 

  

The 1911 Census at 8 Broome Road Birkdale shows his father aged 53, who is an asphalt labourer, mother is 52, and 4 siblings Mary Alice 22 a laundry worker, James 18 a porter, Henry 16 a butchers porter, and Charlie 8 at school. Richard as a 22 year old working in a Laundry. 

 

Richard enlisted in Southport joining the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52809. His younger brothers also enlist as Pte 24757 James Barton into the RFA and John Henry as Pte 265952 Henry Barton 1/7th King's.

 

Richard was killed in action on 12th October 1916 at Le Transloy, aged 27, his body was not recovered or was subsequently lost.

The 17th on the left of the Bedfords were to be the attacking Battalions of the 89th Brigade. 

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

Richard has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01^st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

The loss of Richard was not the only suffering the family had to endure as on 09th July 1918 north of Arras, his younger brother Harry was killed in action, aged 19, with the 1/7th King's. He now rests at Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"A LOVING SON, TRUE AND KIND FOND MEMORIES LEFT BEHIND, FROM DAD"

Reported wounded in the Liverpool Daily Post 22nd Nov 1916. 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Barton, 52809, R. (Southport); 

 

The loss of Richard was not the only suffering the family had to endure as on 09th July 1918 north of Arras, his younger brother Pte Harry (No.265952) was killed in action, aged 19, with the 1/7th King's. 

 

The boys mother, Elizabeth Ann of 8 Broome Rd Birkdale, received a dependents pension for both sons until her death on 19th March 1920 after which his father James was the recipient. The fact that Harry's headstone bears only a message from his father, would suggest that the inscription was written after the death of his mother. 

His father was present when brother Charles married in 1931, family trees suggest James died in 1933. 

 
Insert at end:- 

We currently have no further information on Richard George Henry Barton, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.