Pte 32636 John James McDonald

• Age: 20
• From: Poulton, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

John James McDonald was born in the December quarter of 1895 at Poulton, Cheshire and was the son of Nicholas McDonald and his wife Mary (née Mernor). His parents married in 1886 and had four children. John had older brothers William and Nicholas, and a younger sister Ann.

The 1891 census shows his mother’s birthplace as Oldbury, Staffordshire.

In 1901 the family is living at 22 Rankin Street, Poulton, with three sons. His father, a general labourer, is 48, his mother is 34.  William is 12, Nicholas 10, and John James 5.

He was educated at St Alban’s School, Liscard.  

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 22 Rankin Street, Poulton, Cheshire. His father Nicholas  is aged 58, born in Liscard, Cheshire in 1853 his occupation, is a labourer, whilst his mother Mary is aged 47, born 1864 in Oldbury, Cheshire, her occupation is a midwife. They have been married for twenty four years and have had four children, three of whom are listed on the Census as; Nicholas aged 20, born 1891 is a plasterer, John James aged 15, born 1896 is a baker’s errand boy and Ann is aged 8, born 1903.

Prior to the war, John was employed at Vernons Flour Mills, Seacombe. 

His father appears to have died in late 1914 aged 63.

John James enlisted in Wallasey and served in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 32636. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, John enlisted in the second half of 1915 and  arrived in France some time in 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 20, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

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.    

A report in the Wallsey News of 16th Semptember 1916 describes  him as Missing. This was a fate that befell many families following such colossal loses for the Pals.
 
"Private John James McDonald, of the King's Liverpool Regiment, is offically notified as missing since July 30th. He was educated at St.Alban's School, Liscard, and was employed at Vernon's Flour Mills, Seacombe. He was 20 years of age and is the youngest son of Nurse McDonald, 22 Rankin-street, Poulton,who has two other sons in the Navy."

His name also appeared in the list of K.L.R. Missing published in the Liverpool Post & Mercury on 18th September 1916.

His death was later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

John James' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £3 went to his mother, who was awarded a pension of 15/- a week from May 1917.

His brother, William, born 17th August 1888 in Wallasey, a dock laborer,  joined the Royal Navy on 07th March 1907 but was invalided out a year later, the reason given as heart disease. After war was declared he enlisted in Birkenhead in the Cheshire Regiment on 31st August 1914 (age 26, religion R.C., casual labourer).  He was discharged in October as not likely to become an efficient soldier (King’s Regulations 392 iii).  However, he enlisted again in the Navy on 01st June 1915, and served for the rest of the war as a stoker on H.M.S. Blake, a destroyer depot ship to the 11th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. He was demobbed in October 1919.

His brother, Nicholas, joined the Royal Navy in November 1911, signing on for 12 years as a stoker.  He seems to have spent the majority of the war at Woolwich, and appears to have died in 1922 aged 31.

In 1939 his mother, 79, a retired midwife, is living with married daughter Ann Quinn, 37, her husband, and sons John J., 16, an apprentice joiner, and Vincent, 13, at 14 Claughton Drive, Wallasey.  Also in the household is his brother William, 51, a general labourer.

His mother died in 1942, aged 81.

John is commemorated in the book, "Clan Donald Roll of Honour 1914-1918" (as McAlister).  

The dedication reads, 

"At the Call of Duty from the Four Corners of the Earth Came the Children of the Clan to Battle for the Right.

In many graves in many lands their gallant bodies sleep. Their spirits rest with God.

To their loved ones, bereaved of them, this Roll proclaims the price the Clan hath paid.  

A token it is also, bringing pride to lighten grief for lives so well laid down.

For this we know:  They yet shall live again."

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