Pte 29125 Samuel McRae

At the time of the 1891 census the family is living at 137 St. John’s Road, Bootle, with seven children.  His father has no occupation listed, his mother is listed as Elizabeth J., Samuel is 7.

 

They are still at 137 St John’s Road in 1901, with eight children.  His father is an engine driver (stationary), Samuel is 17, a dock labourer.

 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 47 Wadham Road, Bootle. Samuel's father, Alexander, is aged 62 having been born in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire in 1849, his occupation is shown as stationary engineman, whilst his mother Jane Elizabeth is aged 57 having been born in Newry, Ireland in 1854. They have been married for thirty three and have eight children of all of whom were born in Bootle.  Those listed as living at the home address are; Agnes aged 29, born 1882 is a dressmaker, Alexander aged 28, born 1883 is a general labourer, Samuel aged 27, born 1884 is a builder’s jobber, William aged 25, born 1886 is an oil merchant’s bookkeeper, David aged 23, born 1888 is a bookkeeper for a builder, Robert aged 21, born 1890 is a store-keeper for a ship contractor and Jessie aged 18, born 1893 is a pupil teacher.  

 

Samuel enlisted in Liverpool in about May 1915 joining in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 29125. He had previously served with the Liverpool Scottish, as evidenced by his photograph on this site. A 1914-1915 Star medal roll has not been found, indicating that Samuel arrived in France in 1916.

 

An online memorial site states that Samuel was Missing 16th April 1916, however, no evidence has been found to support this.  At the end of March the battalion moved from Franvillers to Bois des Célestins, near Chipilly, on the Somme.  The War Diary records Companies on detachment at Suzanne and at Bray, but no mention of any action or casualties until the 24th and 25th when it gives the names of O.R.s wounded and KIA.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 32, 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. 

Samuel was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.  

Samuel's headstone bears the epitaph:

"OUR HERO"

Like so many other Pals, Samuel was initially declared as Missing. This was reported in the local press on 18th September 1916 before the family were ultimately informed of Samuel's death.

Soldiers’ Effects, giving 19th Battalion but regimental number 20/29125, shows that his Army effects and a War Gratuity of £4-10s went to his mother Jane.

 

The pension card in the name of his father, at 47 Wadham Road, shows that he was awarded a pension of 8/- a week from May 1917.

 

His father died in 1920 aged 69 and his mother (Jane Eliza) in 1922 aged 68, living in Wadham Road.