L/Cpl 269882 Peter McCabe

• Age: 29
• From: Seaforth, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 4th August 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Peter McCabe was born in June 1888 in Seaforth the son of Gustave? (John) and his wife Alice (nee Rimmer). His father, born in Ireland, and his mother in Aintree, married in 1873; seven children are found on censuses, all sons: Peter had older brothers William, Thomas, James, John, and Edward, and a younger brother Alfred.

At the time of the 1891 census, the family is living at 5 Ruthven Road, Litherland, with six sons.  Peter is 3 years old, his father is a joiner. 

In 1901 they are found in Granville House, Seaforth Vale West, with six sons at home.
His father, 52, is a house joiner, his mother is 49.  Thomas, 25, is a telegraph linesman, James, 23, is a house painter, John, 18, is a commercial clerk, Edward, 15, is a railway messenger, and Peter, 12, and Alfred, 9, are at school. 

The mother Alice died in 1903 and the father John died in 1906.

On the 1911 Census Peter McCabe, is aged 22, employed as a dock labourer, born in Litherland, is boarding at 30 Ash Grove, Seaforth, with the Callaghan family and his brothers and sisters are split up but brother Edward was a Corporal in the Loyal North Lancashire Regt at Fulwood Barracks, Preston. (He was sadly killed on 15th Dec 1914 serving as Sjt 8422 1/ L.N.L.the son of John and Alice, Ruthven Rd).

Peter married Elizabeth Ann Doyle at Our Lady Star of the Sea R. C. Church, Seaforth on 26^th November,1913, giving his home address as 23 Palmerston Avenue, Litherland. (His Father’s name in the Register is John). A daughter Isabel Mary, was born on 18th June 1914, and a son Peter Edward, on 13th October 1916.

He was serving as Lance-Corporal No 269882 in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment when he was killed in action on the 4^th August, 1917 aged 29 during the Third Battle of Ypres.

The 17th Battalion Diary groups the action of the opening day of the offensive up to the relief of the Battalion on 04th August as follows: 

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.

During the action and their time in the line the 17th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds, and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3rd -4th August. 

Peter was one of those casualties referred to in the Diary.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, at Ypres in Belgium. 

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. 

CWGC and the pension card show he was serving in the 7th Liverpool T.F. Bn., posted to the 17th Bn K.L.R., his date of death given as 31st July  to o4th August 1917.

His widow placed a notice in the Liverpool Echo one month later, on 4th September 1917:

“July 31, killed in action, Lance-Corporal Peter McCabe, the dearly-beloved husband of Elizabeth McCabe, 1, Schubert Street, Seaforth.  (“Not my will but Thy will be done.”)”

Peter is commemorated on the Seaforth and Waterloo Civic Memorial. 

Peter’s daughter was 3 years old, and his son 9 months old when he was killed.

Elizabeth received a War Gratuity of £3.

The pension card, showing his rank as Corporal, in the name of Elizabeth Ann McCabe, 5 Verdi Terrace, Seaforth, late 1a Schubert Street, shows that she was awarded a pension of £1-2s-11d a week from March 1918.

Elizabeth remarried in 1921 to Charles Leahy, and had four children.

In 1939 Elizabeth, 49, is in St. Germans, Cornwall, with son Peter, 23, (and others whose records are closed because of age confidentiality, but likely her children).  Her husband, 48, a  master blacksmith, is at 5 Verdi Terrace.

Elizabeth appears to have been widowed in 1957 and emigrated to New Zealand the following year to join her children from her second marriage; she died there in 1978, aged 88.

His son Peter married, and died in 1974 aged 57.  Newly married daughter Isabel, 25, is found on the 1939 register living in Watford, Hertfordshire.  She had two children but sadly died in 1948 at the age of 34.

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