Pte 17426 Alfred McWhirr

The 1891 Census sees the family living in Liverpool at 59 Court, Upper Mann Street, ToxtethPark. Alfred is incorrectly shown as having been born in 1885, he is living with his parents and 3 sisters. His father, John is a labourer born in Whitehaven in 1842, whilst his mother Isabella, was also born in Whitehaven in 1844. His three sisters are listed as; Margaret b. Whitehaven 1878, Florence b. Whitehaven 1885 and Sarah b. Liverpool 1889. There is also a lodger listed as living in the household, his half-sister Elizabeth Martin, 17, a domestic. 

By 1901 the family have moved to 169 Mann Street, Toxteth Park. Alfred is shown as an 18 year old plater's helper, as is his father, now aged 59. Both parents are recorded at the property along with his younger sisters, Florence, 16, a domestic nurse, and Sarah, 12. His eldest sister Margaret, 23, is a domestic servant in Falkner Street.

On 31st May 1903 Alfred married Margaret Ellen Waters at St Peter's Church in Liverpool. 

His father died in January 1911, aged 69.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 26 Wagstaff Stret, Toxteth Park, Liverpool. Alfred is living with his wife Margaret, and their two young children who were both born in Liverpool, Elsie aged 7 born 1904 and John Albert born 1911. Alfred's is employed as a rubber porter. They state they have had five children, three of whom have died.  Their first child  Alfred died in October 1908, and another son, William John, born 1908, died at 19 months in July 1909. Margaret, born in 1909, lived three weeks and died just before Christmas that year.  Alfred and Margaret buried three of their children within 14 months.

In 1911 his sisters are all married.  His widowed mother, 65, is living with daughter Sarah Ellen, 22, in Rankin Street, Toxteth Park.  His sister Margaret, 32, lives in Edge Hill, and Florence, 26, lives in Grafton Street.

Alfred and Margaret had wo more daughters were born after the census: Ivy on 11th November 1912 and Isabella on 29th August 1914.

Alfred enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 01st September 1914 in the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 17426.  He gives his age as 32 years and 73 days and his occupation as clerk (another page of his service record shows rubber porter). He is described as being 5’ 2 and a half inches tall, weighing 128 lbs, with a sallow complexion, grey eyes, and brown hair.  He has a heart and arrow tattoo on his left arm.  He gives his religion as C of E and as next of kin his mother Isabella, at 102 Eden Street, changed to wife Margaret McWhirr, at the same address.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.

Whilst at Knowsley, he was confined to barracks on three occasions for disciplinary infractions:

14/12/1914  Absent from tattoo until 10:50 p.m., 5 days

13/03/1915 Highly improper conduct in town, 10 days

02/04/1915 Creating a disturbance in the barrack room at 10:48, 7 days

His conduct sheet shows Character: Fair.

Alfred did not cross to France with his battalion on 07/11/1915 but instead was posted the next day to the 22nd (Reserve) Bn. K.L.R.

He reached Franceon 30th December 1915

30/12/1915 Joined 30th I.B.D., Etaples

09/01/1916 Joined 2nd Entrenching Bn. in the field

29/05/1916 Joined 19th Bn. K.L.R. in the field

13/06/1916  Forfeited 4 days’ pay for losing part of his kit (anti-gas appliances) 

19/07/1916  Sick, to Field Ambulance

19/07/1916  Admitted No.13 C.R.S. (Corps Rest Station)

23/07/1916  Discharged to duty

Alfred was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916 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.   

He was initially declared Missing. His wife and mother, at 102 Eden Street, appealed for information in the Liverpool Echo on 11th September 1916.

An entry on his Casualty Form dated 10th September 1916 shows that he was reported as killed in action and buried by the 1st/4th S. Lancs Reg., who provided the map reference for his grave. His grave was subsequently lost, as Alfred has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

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.”

He earned his three medals.

His children were 12, 5, 3, and not yet 2 years old when Alfred was killed.

Effects were sent to his widow Margaret, including a War Gratuity of £8-10s. She was awarded a pension of £1-8s-9d for herself and four children from April 1917.

Alfred is commemorated in the Hall Of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 22

In February 1920 Infantry Records requested the assistance of Liverpool City Police to ascertain Margaret’s whereabouts, as correspondence sent to 102 Eden Street had been  returned “Not known”. The Police informed the Army that she had married Percy E. Fowler, and was living at 59 Dove Street, Lodge Lane, Liverpool.

In 1920 Infantry Records twice requested information on Alfred’s living relatives; Margaret wrote in reply, “… to tell you the reason I have been ill and I am sorry to say I can’t answer all of the questions that is to be answered as I don’t know any of his people all that I know is he had no Grand people nor had he any mother or father as they are dead and that is all I can tell as I had to go out and work and had no time to go visiting … .”

She was able to inform them that she and the four children were living at 59 Dove Street;  His mother was dead (she died in 1919 aged 75);  She knew of his sisters, Florrie Roberts and Ellen Marlow, but ages and addresses not known. (His sister Margaret was living in Manchester.). Florence had a son in 1921 she named Alfred.

His widow Margaret had remarried in April 1918 and had three sons with her second husband (who served in the Merchant Marine during the war). 

In 1939 Margaret, 59, is still living at 59 Dove Street with her husband, 41, a dock gate man for the MDHB, and her children. 

Her youngest son, Percy served in the Second World War with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He was killed on 22nd November 1944, and now lies in Sittard General Cemetery, the Netherlands. Percy was 21 years old.

After losing her husband in the First World War, and her son in the Second, Margaret died in 1951 aged 71.

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

Grateful thanks are extended to Tracie Fletcher the Great Granddaughter of Alfred for her permission to use the photograph of Alfred on this site.