Pte 42705 John Baxter

John was born in early March 1886 in Whitchurch, Cardiff to Wavertree born general labourer James Baxter and his Little Crosby born wife Mary Jane (nee Seddon). They married at Our Lady and St. Nicholas and St. Anne, Liverpool on 12th February 1882 and had 3 girls and 1 boy John. He was baptised on 27 March 1886 in Whitchurch Parish Church. He was the eldest child after the first born child Ann was stillborn in 1882. The reason for John's birth and baptism being in Whitchurch, Cardiff is unclear since neither of his parents had any association with  Cardiff. Presumably his father had employment there for a while. 

 

The April 1891 Census shows the family had returned to Liverpool. 

His parents, John aged 5 and baby Sister Elizabeth aged 3 are at  their new home at 18 Pearson Street Wavertree. 

 

The April 1901 Census shows the family have moved to 8 Mill Lane WavertreE.

It shows his parents living with John 15 a GPO Telegraph Messenger and his sisters Elizabeth 13 and Mary 2.

On 01st June 1908 his father James a Road Haulier died aged 51 at 26 Orford Street Wavertree, and he is buried at Holy Trinity Churchyard in Wavertree. 

 

The April 1911 Census finds John signing and completing the form at 26 Orford Street Wavertree on behalf of his widowed mother who is head of the household. Also present are Elizabeth 23 and Mary 12.  John is described as a GPO sorting clerk.

 

In September 1913 John, then aged 27 marries Ada Bucknall at St. Matthew with St. James, Mossley Hill.

 

In 1914,  John enlists as Pte 42705 into the 1st King's Liverpool Regiment. He  is subsequently transferred to the 18th Battalion (Pals) K.L.R.

 

On  22nd February 1916 a baby daughter Vera is born, she was baptised on the 15th Oct 1916 at Holy Trinity, Wavertree.

 

On 31 July 1917 during the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) John is killed in action. 

18^th Battalion

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18^th Battalion was part of 21^st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21^st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18^th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2^nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21^st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90^th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2^nd Lieutenant Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken.  Not far away from this action,  an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18^th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men wounded. They were relieved on the 2^nd August.

His body was not recovered from the battlefield and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. 

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

His Army Pay of £1:10s:5d is sent to his widow Ada on 28 May 1918 followed by a War Gratuity of £4 which was sent to her on 21 November 1919. Pension to Ada Baxter, later Dodd, 5 Glenfield Rd, Wavertree. In the September quarter 1920 his widow Ada remarries a Robert Dodd in Ormskirk. They have a daughter Audrey in 1921 and a son Norman H in 1923.

 

The mother died aged 68 in 1929 and was buried on the 5th Feb at Holy Trinity Churchyard in Wavertree. 

 

Ada, dob 7th Apr 1888, now widowed appears on the 1939 register with Audrey and Norman at 7 Berry Rd, Widnes. 

She died on 17th March 1980, address 20 Burlington Rd Southport.

 

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