Pte 18619 Cyril Maher

• Age: 23
• From: Garston, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 9th February 1919
• Commemorated at: Archangel Allied Cemetery
  Panel Ref: Sp Mem B93

Cyril Maher was born in 1895 in Garston, the son of Richard Maher, a warehouseman, and his wife Maria (nee Whitlow). Richard, from Holmbridge Yorkshire, and Maria, born in Garston, married in 1877 and had at least ten children. Cyril had elder siblings James Joshua, Kate, Richard, Harold, Gordon, Dora, Hannah, and Gladys and a younger brother Reginald. Cyril was baptised in St Michael’s Church, Garston on 20^th August 1895.

In 1901 the family still lived at 11 Brunswick Street (where they had lived since at least 1891, when his father was a foreman in a copper rolling works). Richard,  is now 50 years old and employed as a council clerk, is living with his wife and nine children – Cyril having three older brothers, three older sisters, one younger brother and one younger sister. His eldest sister Kate, listed as Simpson, lives in the household with her infant son Harry. Eldest brother James is married and lives in Garston.

His father died in late 1902, aged 52, when Cyril was seven years old.

The 1911 Census shows the family at 17 Meredith Street, Garston. His mother, Maria, is a widow and she has five of her children living with her – Richard, 29 years, a copper shearsmith; Gordon, 26, a boilermaker; Hannah, 20, a tester in Garston bobbin mill; Gladys, 17, houseworker; and Cyril, 15, an apprentice boilermaker.

Cyril is found on membership lists of the Union of Boilermakers & Iron Shipbuilders, Garston Branch, admitted in April 1912.

He was a well-known sportsman, and played football for the Garston Royals, the same team his son would later play for.

His mother died in 1913.

On 04^th September 1914, Cyril enlisted as Private 18619, giving his age as 19 years 90 days and his occupation as boilermaker. He is described as being 5' 3" tall, weighing 118 lbs, with a sallow complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. He gave as next of kin his brother Gordon at 28 Durham Street, Garston. He was posted to the 12th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment  four days later, on 08th September 1914.

Whilst at Rollestone Camp (Salisbury Plain) he was awarded three days C.C. (confined to camp) on 19th May 1915 for neglect of duty whilst (..?) man, and seven days C.C. on 18th July 1915 for being absent off C/O's P...?

He arrived in France on 24th July 1915.

On 19th July 1916 he was attached for duty with Messrs Francis Morton & Co Ltd, Garston, who were involved in the production of munitions. His record shows that he served in France (possibly between late July 1915 and April 1918.

On 27^th October 1917 Cyril Maher married Kathleen Amy Crosby (It appears Kathleen was born Catherine Amy Crosby, in Garston in 1899.) who made her home at 33 James Street, Garston. On 03rd June 1918 Kathleen gave birth to their only child, Cyril.

On 01st April 1918 he was posted to 7th (Reserve) Bn. K.L.R. Whilst at Oswestry with 7th Bn. on 07th June 1918 he was admonished for being absent off Pass for 24 hours.

He was again absent, on 15th July 1918, off Embarkation Leave from noon until 2:15 p.m. on 17th July and deprived of 3 days' pay.

He joined the 17th Bn. K.L.R. in the U.K. on 07th August 1918 and embarked at Dundee on 12th October 1918,  disembarking at Archangel on 01st December 1918 after seven weeks at sea.

He was killed in action on 09th February 1919.

Graham Maddocks describes how Cyril, together with his fellow Pals; 381327 Private Charles Corlett; 114144 Private John Roberts; 114116 Private John Kenworthy; 29664 Private William McDonough; 50785 Corporal Charles Lewis Milton and 114191 Corporal Albert Wright; was killed. By early February 1919, the Bolshevik presence in the area of Seletskoe was growing steadily stronger and at 4.30am on 09^th February 1919 they opened up a fierce and sudden artillery bombardment on both flanks of the 17^th Battalion’s forward blockhouse positions and succeeded in cutting their communications with the rear. The Bolsheviks then attacked with infantry and although repulsed with considerable losses on the left flank, they eventually overran the right flank blockhouse position after a fierce fight and killed all its occupants except Private Roberts, whom they captured but later murdered.

A survivor of the Russian campaign, Private J. Grogan, 17^th KLR, described to Graham Maddocks how he went with others to to check on Church Post, the right hand blockhouse attacked, as HQ was unable to contact them by telephone. “

"When we found them they were dead. They’d all been dragged out and murdered".

Cyril and his colleagues were all buried in Seletscoe Cemetery.

He is now commemortated on a Special Memorial at Archangel Allied Cemetery.

During both world wars, Archangel was one of the ports through which the Allies assisted Russia with supplies and munitions. The cemetery was begun immediately after the occupation of the town in August 1918 by the Allied force sent to support the Soviet Russian Government against potential threat from German occupied Finland and other local sources. It was used by No.85 General Hospital, No.53 Stationary Hospital, No.82 Casualty Clearing Station, HM Hospital Ship 'Kalyan' and other Allied hospitals. 

ARCHANGEL ALLIED CEMETERY contains 224 burials and commemorations of the First World War, including special memorials to 140 officers and men with known burials in cemeteries elsewhere in northern Russia. Two of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains 7 Second World War burials. The ARCHANGEL MEMORIAL, which consists of panels fixed into the east wall of the cemetery, commemorates 219 British officers and men who died during the north Russian campaign and whose graves are not known.......

His son was 9 months old when Cyril was killed.

Following her husband’s death, Kathleen received the pay owed to him including a War Gratuity of £15-10s and also received his 3 medals – the 1915 Star, BWM and VM. Before their marriage, Cyril had declared his next of kin to be his brother Gordon, with addresses at 28 Durham Street, Garston and 7 Woodhey Road, Aigburth. Kathleen’s address was shown as 67 York Street, Garston but police enquiries following Cyril’s death located her at 32 Basing Street.

She was awarded a pension for herself and her son of 20/5d per week, but on 24^th May 1920 she married William Roberts in St Mary’s Church, Grassendale. He was aged 22 years, a fitter, son of William Roberts, master Mariner, of 9 Bennett Street, Garston. Kathleen’s age is shown as 20 years and is a widow, daughter of John Crosby, a teamster, and gives her home address as 1 Stanley Street, Garston. 

Cyril’s medals were delivered to her after that marriage and she signed for them as Mrs K. Roberts, 9 Bennett Street.

A curious footnote appeared in an article in the Liverpool newspapers and the Daily News (London) on 9th and 10th April 1924 under the heading, "Mystery Man's Picture: Liverpool Woman Thinks He is Her First Husband":

"The publication of a Press photograph of a "mystery man", who on admission to Windsor Hospital could remember nothing beyond that he was the son of Sir Charles "Somebody", came as a shock to a young Liverpool woman named Mrs. Roberts, of Basing Street, who declares she is convinced that the man is Cyril Maher, her first husband.

  She wrote at once to the matron of the hospital, and received a reply that the man had left with his wife to whom he had been married for about four years.

  Mrs. Roberts states she was married to Cyril Maher at Liverpool in 1917, and they had one son. He was a boiler-maker at Garston, and was reported by the War Office to have been killed on the North Russian front on Feb. 9, 1919. Sixteen months after that announcement she married again.

"A remarkable thing," Mrs. Roberts said in an interview, "is that six weeks ago I dreamt I had met Cyril Maher. He was in soldier's uniform, and had lost his memory."

 Mrs. Roberts has inspected an original photograph of the "mystery man" taken while in the workhouse and is convinced, like others of Maher's relatives, that he is her first husband."

However, Cyril's brother Harold in an interview stated emphatically that there was "absolutely no resemblance" to Cyril, and "none of his relatives see any likeness of him in it". He had received information from his brother's platoon officer, an ex-Sergeant who was present at the time, and the  brother of a former manager of an ironworks at Garston, who explained that the men were in a concrete blockhouse having a game of cards. Cyril was standing up watching when a shell from the Bolsheviks dropped in front of the blockhouse, and a piece went through a (loop?)hole and struck Cyril on the chest, tearing away a part of his side. Another Garston man, who was wounded at the time, assisted to bury him." (This version of Cyril's death is at odds with the description provided to Graham Maddocks by Pte Grogan).

To settle the matter, Kathleen made a 24-hour visit to Windsor, where she was accompanied by the police to the abode of the "mystery man". After meeting him in person she was satisfied she was mistaken.  

In 1939 Kathleen lived at 25 Lugard Road with her three Roberts children, her husband being away at sea. She became a firewatcher during the Blitz.

His son Cyril pursued a footballing career, playing for Everton and Tranmere before the Second World War. He did an engineering apprenticeship with Cammel Laird and joined the Merchant Marine, like his stepfather, serving on Cunard ships. He married in 1942, had a daughter, and after the war emigrated to Australia.  Cyril is found on electoral rolls in Melbourne until 1977. It is not known when he died.

Kathleen died in 1970, aged 70.

Cyril is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 21

St. Michael's Church, Garston.

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