Pte 38436 Randall Maddocks

• Age: 33
• From: Formby
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 8th May 1918
• Commemorated at: Klein-vierstraat Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: IV.D.20

Randall Maddocks was born in 1883 in Formby, Lancashire and baptised on the 02nd December 1883 at St Peter's Church, Formby. He was the son of Charles Maddocks and his wife Alice (nee Houghton) who had married in 1877 at Our Lady & St Nicholas & St Anne's Church, Liverpool. 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at Cottage(?) Liverpool Road, Formby. Head of the household is his father Charles a gamekeeper born in Formby in 1848. His mother Alice is shown as born in Liverpool in 1846. Randall is 7 years of age and is one of seven children all born in Formby. He has siblings: Benjamin b. 1879, Jane b.1880, James b.1883, Alice M. b. 1886, Hugh b. 1888 and Abigail b.1891. Also present is Sarah Maddocks a niece. 

The family are still resident at the same address in 1901. Randall is shown as a 16 year old gardener (not domestic). His mother and father are still present in the household. As are siblings Benjamin, Jane, Jessie b. 1882 (not featured in 1891 Census), James, Hugh and Abigail.

His father died, aged 58, on 25th January 1903.

His brother died, aged 21, on 15th December 1908. 

On the 1911 Census Randall is aged 26 and is employed as a jobbing gardener at Liverpool Road, Formby. His widowed mother is the head of the household, she is aged 64  and advised that she had been married for 33 years and had 8 children, 7 of whom have survived. Randall has four siblings in the household; Jane 31 is a dress maker, Jessie 29 is also a dress maker, James 28 is a  joiner, and Abigail 20 is a dress maker.

Randall enlisted in Formby and was serving in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Lance-Corporal No 38436 when he was killed in action on the 8^th May 1918 aged 33 during the German Spring Offensive.

The 17th Battalion were at this time in the Vierstraat Sector. the diary reports that the day passed quietly until the afternoon. The front line ran through Klein Vierstraat Cabaret. At 4.30 pm it was reported that the Germans had advanced and were now in " our original front line". At 7.10 pm A and B company's of the 17th Battalion were ordered to move forward in artillery formation from support line with object of co-operating with French troops who were advancing towards the enemy. At 08.10 pm the advance was reported to be going well on the left but nothing could be seen on the right. The situation at the end of the day was that the 17th Battalion were holding the line alongside several other units but casualties were heavy. Captain Norman Henry and Second Lieutenant Dudley Hammond Black were killed in action alongside 17 other ranks one of whom was Randall Maddocks. 

He now rests at Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery, Belgium. 

The village of Kemmel and the adjoining hill, Mont Kemmel, were the scene of fierce fighting in the latter half of April 1918, in which both Commonwealth and French forces were engaged.

The cemetery was begun in January 1917 and Plots I to III were made by field ambulances and fighting units before the middle of January 1918. Plot IV was begun in April 1918. After the Armistice, graves were brought into Plot I, Row H, and Plots IV to VII, from two smaller cemeteries (FERME HENRI PATTYN-VANLAERES, Poperinghe and MONT-VIDAIGNE MILITARY CEMETERY, Westoutre) and from the battlefields of Dikkebus, Loker and Kemmel.

Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery now contains 805 First World War burials, 109 of them unidentified.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Randall was not the only loss that the family had to suffer during the war. His brother James was killed in action on 16th May 1915 whilst serving as Private 2801 with the 7th Battalion in The King's Liverpool Regiment. He now rests at Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy, France. 

Soldiers Effects to his mother Alice, Pensions of Randal and James to Alice.

Randall and his brother James are also remembered on the family headstone located in St Peter’s Church, Formby as well as on the following memorials:

Formby Cross, Three Turns Lane 

Holy Trinity Church, Formby.

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