Pte 24216 Richard Martlew

• Age: 35
• From: Bickerstaffe, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• D.O.W Monday 7th August 1916
• Commemorated at: Wimereux Cc
  Panel Ref: I.P.10

Richard Martlew was born in 1881 in Bickerstaffe and was baptised on the 01st May, 1881 at Holy Trinity, Church of England, Bickerstaffe. He was the son of Thomas Martlew and his wife Ellen (nee Lyon).

His father Thomas died in 1884 aged 31.

The 1891 Census shows the family living with their grandmother at Knowsley Lane, Knowsley, Prescot. The grandmother Mary Lyon is a widow aged 67, born 1824 in Seacombe and is employed as a laundress. Her daughter, Ellen, is a widow aged 40, born 1851 in Seacombe and employed as a charwoman. She has four children at the time of the Census, William aged 13, born 1878, Mary aged 11, Richard aged 10 and George aged 7. All of the children atre at school.  

The 1901 Census shows the family living at Littlewood Cottages, Knowsley, Prescot. Richard's mother, Ellen, is shown as being aged 48,(showing year of birth as 1853) and employed as a housemaid (not domestic). She has two children living with her Richard aged 20 employed as a painter’s apprentice and George aged 17 employed as a gardener not domestic. Their grandmother Mary Lyon aged 76 is now living with them.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at of Littlewood Cottages Knowsley Prescot.  His mother, Ellen, is shown as a widow aged 61, born 1850 no occupation listed. She is living with her three children, Mary aged 31, born 1880 no occupation, Richard aged 30, born 1881 is a house painter and George aged 27, born 1885 is a domestic gardener.  The three children were all born in Bickerstaffe.

Richard enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 24216 when he died of wounds on the 07th August 1916, aged 35, during the Somme offensive.

It is highly likely that Richard received his wounds during the attack at Guillemont on 30th July 1916:

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.    

Richard now rests at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France, where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"HE FOUGHT THE GOD FIGHT AND GAINED THE ETERNAL CROWN"

Wimereux was the headquarters of the Queen Mary's Army Auxilliary Corps during the First World War and in 1919 it became the General Headquarters of the British Army. From October 1914 onwards, Boulogne and Wimereux formed an important hospital centre and until June 1918, the medical units at Wimereux used the communal cemetery for burials, the south-eastern half having been set aside for Commonwealth graves, although a few burial were also made among the civilian graves. By June 1918, this half of the cemetery was filled, and subsequent burials from the hospitals at Wimereux were made in the new military cemetery at Terlincthun. During the Second World War, British Rear Headquarters moved from Boulogne to Wimereux for a few days in May 1940, prior to the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. Thereafter, Wimereux was in German hands and the German Naval Headquarters were situated on the northern side of the town. After D-Day, as Allied forces moved northwards, the town was shelled from Cap Griz-Nez, and was re-taken by the Canadian 1st Army on 22 September 1944. Wimereux Communal Cemetery contains 2,847, Commonwealth burials of the First World War, two of them unidentified. Buried among them is Lt.-Col. John McCrae, author of the poem "In Flanders Fields." There are also five French and a plot of 170 German war graves. The cemetery also contains 14 Second World War burials, six of them unidentified. The Commonwealth section was designed by Charles Holden.

He was reported as killed in action in the Liverpool Echo 17th Aug 1916

Private Richard Martlew of the Pals, died from wounds, first of the Knowsley men to fall.

Soldiers Effects to his mother Ellen and pension to Ellen and his brother George.

Probate 10th January 1917 to mother Ellen.

Richard was commemorated on the first anniversary of his death with a family notice in the Liverpool Daily Post on 08th August 1917:

MARTLEW - In memory of Private Richard Martlew (3rd Pals), who died of wounds on August 7th. - Ever remembered by May. 

He is also commemorated on the St Mary’s C. of E. Church Memorial, Knowsley.