Pte 17888 Benton Madeley

• Age: 29
• From: Warrington Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 20th September 1917
• Commemorated at: Tyne Cot Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 31-34

Benton Madeley was born in 1888 in Warrington, he was the son of the late Charles and Emma Madeley (nee Benton), of The Museum, Warrington; husband of Winifred Madeley, of "Ivy Dene," Fairfield Rd, Latchford, Warrington. They had married 7th Sept 1917 at Cairo St Chapel, Warrington. 

The 1891 Census shows the family living at The Museum, Bold Street, Warrington. His father, Charles, is aged 41, born in Derby in 1850 is a curator and librarian, his mother, Emma, is aged 46, born 1845 in Birmingham and has no occupation listed. They have two children at the time of the Census, both born in Warrington, Dorothy aged 6, born 1885 and Benton aged 3, born 1888. They also have a servant Catherine Coltrane aged 26, born 1865 in Warrington. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at Librarian's House, The Museum, Bold Street, Warrington. His father, Charles, is aged 51, is still the curator and librarian and his wife Emma is aged 56, and has no occupation listed. Their two two children are still living with them at the time of the Census, Dorothy now aged 16 and Benton aged 13. They have a general servant Sarah Fryer aged 29, born 1872 in Preston Brook, Cheshire, living with them.

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at Librarian's House, The Museum, Bold Street, Warrington. His father, Charles, is aged 61, and is the museum director, his mother, Emma, is aged 66, and has no occupation listed. Their son Benton aged 23 and employed as a bank clerk is still at home and they have a servant Gertrude Ratcliff aged 31, born 1880 in St Helens, living with them.

He undertook the Banking examination in 1913, while working for Union Bank of Manchester Limited in Warrington, and subsequently passed the Institute of Bankers Final Examination, held in April that year.

He enlisted on 23rd September  1914 at Liverpool and gave his age as 26 years and 277 days, and his occupation as a bank clerk. He was previously in 1st S.Lancs. He was five feet, six inches tall, weighed 116lbs, chest 35",had a fresh complexion, blue eyes, fair hair and gave his religion as Church of England. His wife Winifred Madeley, Museum, Bold Street, Warrington was his next of kin.

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. 

On 07th November 1915: Embarked for France with his battalion.

16th Sept 1916 - 1 days Field Punishment for being improperly dressed whilst in charge of limbered wagons

26th Aug 1917 - granted leave to the UK

11th Sept 197 - rejoined Battalion.

He was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 17888 when he was killed in action on the 20^th September, 1917 aged 29, during The Third Battle of Ypres.

Details of the attack in which Benton was killed are recorded in the Battalion diary:

19^th September 1917 – In support in Denys Wood.  Battalion relieved 17^th KLR in front line. Relief complete about 11 p.m.   

20^th September 1917 – A raid was carried out by a party of the battalion of 25 OR under Capt. C. Laird, just before 6 a.m. on The Twins. Enemy machine gun fire, however, proved too much for them, although several attempts were made to reach the objective.  Capt. C. Laird was killed in the operation, also 6 OR, and 14 OR were wounded.

Graham Maddocks in “Liverpool Pals”, p.178, explains:  “The remainder of September was fairly uneventful for the rest of the Pals Battalions, except for two trench raids made by the 19^th Battalion on 20 September 1917, which, elsewhere on the Salient, was the opening day of the phase of the offensive later referred to as the Battle of the Menin Road. These raids were made for two purposes. The first was an attempt to confuse the enemy as to the intensity and direction of the main attack, and the second was to try to capture two blockhouses known as ‘The Twins’, which commanded the 19^th Battalion’s trench front, and thus was able to dominate all its movement. The raiding party, consisting of Captain C. Laird, and twenty-five other ranks left the British front line at 6.00 a.m. and moved into No Man’s Land. However, it was soon spotted, and machine guns opened fire from the blockhouses. Despite a most determined effort to carry the objectives, the situation was hopeless from the start, and Laird and six other ranks were killed and fourteen more soldiers were wounded.”
 
His personal effects were returned to his wife. These were listed as follows: pocket scissors, safety razor in case, lanyard and knife,  1 wrist identity disc, letters , photographs, 3 pipes, 2 tobacco pouches, 4 handkerchiefs, 1 French dictionary, writing case, toothbrush in case, fountain pen, steel mirror, 1 9ct Gold Ring, wristlet watch, strap & guard, metal tube, note book and note case. 

Benton has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station.

His death was reported in the press:

PRIVATE BENTON MADELEY

Killed In Less Than Three Weeks After Marriage.

It was a pleasure so recently as September 8th to record the marriage of Pte Benton Madeley, son of Warrington respected Curator and Librarian, to Miss Winifred Royle, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Edgar Boyle, Ivy Dene, Fairfield Road, Latchford Without.

It is our sad duty today to announce that on September 20th, Pte Madeley was killed in action at an unnamed place. Great sympathy will be extended to Mr Madeley and especially to the gallant soldier's young widow. She was receiving letters of congratulations upon her marriage long after her husband had fallen in battle, and right up to the time she received the intimation of his death which came to hand on Thursday this week. It will be seen that less than three weeks elapsed between the wedding day, September 3rd, and the tragic events of September 20th, including the honeymoon which was spent at Llanfairfechan.

Faithful to the Last.

The Church of England Chaplain writing to the widow says her husband "died as a true soldier doing his duty bravely and faithfully to the last and we, his comrades and friends, desire to express to you our sympathy in your sad bereavement, which is our loss too. But we do not sorrow as men without hope, we look forward to the great day of reunion when sorrow and parting shall be no more. That is my earnest prayer that the great God and Father of us all, who knows each life and its troubles and trials, maybe your true Comforter and Consoler in this sad time."

Pte Madeley had a particularly attractive bearing and as a consequence he had a wide circle of friends. Educated at the Warrington Grammar School, he subsequently joined the staff of the Union Bank of Warrington. He was among those who hurried to the place where duty called at the outbreak of war, and September 1914 saw him a recruit for Lord Derby's Pals; he went to France in November 1915 in one of the Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment. He was home on his first leave when he was married on the anniversary of the wedding day of his wife's father and mother.

Winifred wrote a letter on Museum headed paper, 3rd Oct 1917, asking for any news of Benton as she had not heard from him since Sept 8th.

She subsequently received the news of his death by telegram.

Reported killed in the Weekly Casualty List 23rd Oct 1917.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Winifred 

Probate 4th December 1917 to widow Winifred, who never remarried and died September 1980

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