Pte 25541 Harry Lines

• Age: 19
• From: Rhyl
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Harry Lines was born in June or July 1897 in Rhyl and was the son of Robert Charles Lines and his wife Mary Ellen (nee Bostock). His father was born in 1860 in Leamington Warwickshire, and his mother in Liverpool, where they married on the 28th August 1881 at St James' Church, West Derby. Robert was a 22 year old gas fitter of White Cottage, Tuebrook Terrace, father Thomas, whilst Mary was aged 25 of 22 Shaftesbury Terrace, father William. Harry was the youngest of their eight children: (Emily) Mary, (Robert) William, Alfred George, Bertram, Elizabeth Eleanor (who died at 1 year old), Gertrude May, and (John) Frederick.

The family lived in Liverpool until 1892/3 when they moved to Rhyl, where the three youngest children were born (his paternal grandmother was born in North Wales), then returned to Liverpool by 1901.

The 1901 Census finds the family at 23 Rossett Street, Anfield, with six children. His father is 41, a steam and gas pipe fitter, while his mother is 45. His two eldest brothers are working, Robert W. as an apprentice fitter, and Alfred as a shop boy.  Emily Mary, 18, is a housemaid in Newsham Drive. Harry is 3 years old.

The 1911 Census shows the family are now living at 62 Gloucester Road, Tuebrook, Liverpool. His mother Mary Ellen is married but her husband is not at the address. She is aged 56, born 1855 in Liverpool. They have been married for thirty years and have had eight children one of whom has died. Those children listed in the property are shown as; Alfred George, aged 24, is an unemployed cabinet maker, Bertram aged 21, is a commercial clerk for an estate-agent. Gertrude May aged 17, born 1894 no occupation listed, John Frederick aged 15, born 1896 is a junior clerk in a manufacturer’s office and Harry aged 13, is at school.

William, 26, a gas fitter like his father, is working in Manchester, and Emily Mary, 28, is a domestic servant (nurse), in Old Swan.

Harry enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 25541. Based on his regimental number and the amount of the War Gratuity, Harry volunteered in January 1915 when he was 17 years old. He must have lied about his age in order to serve overseas. 

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th 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. 

He shipped to France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on 07th November 1915.

Harry was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 19, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 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.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

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.   

Harry was initially declared Missing and his family sought help via the Liverpool Echo on Monday 11 September 1916 

His death was later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

Harry's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

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 01st 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.”

Harry earned his three medals. The Medal Index Card shows application for medals from his father at 22 Queens Road, Everton, and also from his brother William at 78 Herrick Street, Old Swan.

Harry’s Army pay and a War Gratuity of £7 went to his father.  His mother, at 62 Gloucester Road, was awarded a pension of 10/- a week from July 1917. 

His family placed a Memorial notice in the local press on the second anniversary of his death in 1918:

LINES- In sad but loving memory of Private HARRY LINES K.L.R. (Pals) aged 19 years, missing July 30, 1916 and presumed killed on that date. (He gave all for the cause of right and liberty.)- Sadly missed by Mother, Sisters and Brothers, 62 Gloucester Road, Tuebrook.   

Bertram attested in June 1916 and was mobilised that November in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He arrived in Basra (Iraq) in August 1917, served some time in Egypt, and was demobbed in April 1919.

Alfred enlisted in April 1917 and served overseas with the 3rd Grenadier Guards. He was medically discharged on 14th November 1918 with a 30% disability pension (pleurisy).

Fred enlisted at 18 in the 5th Battalion K.L.R. on 15th September 1914 and arrived in France in February 1915.  He was wounded in action on 24th September 1916 (shell wound to the head), qualified as a sniper and was wounded again on 28th June 1917. Fred was awarded the Military Medal, and arrived back in England in February 1919 for demobilisation. 

William had a son in 1919 he called Harry.

His mother died in 1920, aged 64,  and was buried on the 29th May at Anfield Cemetery.

His father in 1933 aged 72.

Harry is commemorated in Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 65 Left 

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