Pte 53196 Stephen Mannion

• Age: 18
• From: Moseley, Staffs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 19th October 1916
• Commemorated at: A.i.f Burial Ground, Flers
  Panel Ref: V.M15

Stephen was born in Moseley Village,Staffordshire on the 25th December 1897, the son of Patrick Mannion and his wife Mary (nee Murphy) who were married in 1871 in Wolverhampton. His father was born in Galway, Ireland, and his mother in Wolverhampton. Stephen was the youngest of eight surviving children (three others died young).  His siblings were Mary, Catharine (Kate), Patrick, James, Michael, Henry, and Ellen. All birth records as well as the parents’ marriage show the surname as Manion with one ‘n’, and on some censuses they are listed as Manning.

On the 1851 Ireland Census a family tree has his father's parents as John and Mary Anne (née Keane) Mannion, Furlough, Co.Galway.  

Before Stephen’s birth, the 1891 Census shows that the family lived at 17 Hall Street, Wednesfield. His father, aged 42, was a general labourer (having previously worked in a manure works), and his mother, aged 37, was also employed as a labourer, in a manure works, despite her youngest child being only one year old. (Many of their neighbours were also employed in the manure works. The Ceres Works in Wolverhampton was the largest artificial manure works in the U.K.) The children are Mary 17, a vermin trap maker, Kate 14, a scholar, Patrick 11, a scholar, James 8, Michael 4, and Henry 1. 

He was educated at Moseley Village Infant and Junior School from 1900.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at No.4, 37 Back High Street, Heath, Staffordshire. Father Patrick is aged 54, an agricultural labourer, mother Mary is aged 47, with children Michael 13, an errand boy, Henry 11, Ellen 8 and Stephen aged 4. 

His mother died in 1907, aged 56, her address then 39 High Street, Heath Town.

The 1911 Census shows his father, Patrick, is now a widower aged 64, born 1847 in Ireland and his occupation is now as a cowman on a farm is boarding at 49 March End, Wednesfield, Staffordshire, with his son Stephen age 14 who is now an errand boy.

Stephen enlisted in Wolverhampton and served originally as Private 10659 of the Leicester Regiment. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about October 1914, when he would have been 16 years old. No 1914-1915 Star has been found, indicating that he did not ship overseas until some time in 1916, by which time he had been transferred to the 20th Bn. K.L.R.  His Medal Roll shows service overseas only with 20th.

Following the transfer he was serving in the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 53196 when he was killed in action on the 19th October 1916, aged 18, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

20th Battalion War Diary 

Near GUEUDECOURT.

19.10.16 5.10 p.m. - Two companies in FLERS support moved up to front line to relieve two companies 19th Battn. K.L.R.  Battalion H.Q. moved to FACTORY CORNER with advanced H.Q. at GIRD TRENCH. Owing to the bad state of the trenches due to heavy rain, a most difficult relief was carried out by 5 a.m. During the relief enemy heavily bombarded FACTORY TRENCH and approaches to front line numbers 3 and 4 companies in FACTORY TRENCH sustained following casualties during relief:-  Killed O.R. 7, Wounded O.R. 9. Whilst 4 teams of Lewis gunners were proceeding up AEROPLANE TRENCH to relieve front line they were caught in enemy barrage, 4 men were killed and 11 wounded out of 25 Lewis gunners, and all communications were ruined. Sergeant Milton, in charge of these sections, acted with commendable coolness and courage, and, after returning to the wounded, salved all the buried guns. All trenches where rendered impassable, relief was carried out “over the top”. Telephone communications between front line and Battn. H.Q. was rendered impossible by frequency of enemy barrages; consequently communication was kept up by runners between advanced H.Q. and O.C. FACTORY CORNER. 

Stephen was buried close to where he fell.  The CWGC Graves Registration exhumation form gives his number as 19659 6th Leicesters.  After the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in A.I.F. Burial Ground, Flers, France.

Flers was captured on 15 September 1916, in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, when it was entered by the New Zealand and 41st Divisions behind tanks, the innovative new weapons that were used here for the first time. The village was lost during the German advance of March 1918 and retaken at the end of the following August by the 10th West Yorks and the 6th Dorsets of the 17th Division.

The cemetery was begun by Australian medical units, posted in the neighbouring caves, in November 1916-February 1917. These original graves are in Plot I, Rows A and B. It was very greatly enlarged after the Armistice when almost 4,000 Commonwealth and French graves were brought in from the battlefields of the Somme, and later from a wider area.

His name appeared among the rank and file Killed in the Birmingham Daily Post on 29th November 1916. 

King’s (L’pool R.) - Clarke, 33720, W. (Salop); Mannion, 53196, S. (Wednesfield);

The Medal Roll and his Medal Index Card list him as Manion.

His Army pay of £4 13s 4d and a War Gratuity of £9 went to his father Patrick, still at 49 March End, Wednesfield, who was awarded a pension of 4/- a week from May 1917, increased to 8/- from 1918.

On the 1921 Census, father Patrick, aged 75, appears on the register of Wolverhampton Union Workhouse. He died shortly after, in the September quarter of 1921. aged 74.  

Stephen is commemorated on the Old Heath Cross, Old Heath, West Midlands.

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