2nd Lieut Ralph Valentine Merry

• Age: 22
• From: Swansea
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: V.W.10

2nd Lieutenant Ralph Valentine MERRY, 18^th Battalion KLR.

Ralph Valentine Merry was born on the 07th May 1894 in Sketty, Swansea, the third of six children and second of three sons born to Alfred Merry, a Glamorgan born mining and metallurgy engineer and surveyor, and his Norwegian-born wife, Thora Nathalie (nee Henrickson) who were married on the 06th May 1890 in York, Toronto. He was baptised on the 05th August 1894 at St Paul's Church, Sketty. 

Ralph was educated at Wallasey Grammar School, where he became athletics champion and won medals for swimming, running and high jump. He also represented the school in football and cricket. His home address was 63 Manor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire.

After leaving school, he travelled a great deal in connection with mine engineering and before the war he worked in a Liverpool Office of a London firm of metal merchants. 

He was a regular worshipper at the Parish Church of St Mary, in Liscard. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 63, Manor Road, Liscard, Birkenhead, Cheshire. His father, Alfred aged 45, born in Swansea in 1856 is a mining and metallurgical engineer and surveyor, his mother, Thora Natalie, is aged 38, born 1863 in Norway and has no occupation listed. They have six children at the time of the Census, Alfred aged 9, born 1892 in Canada, Adelaide aged 8, born 1893, Ralph aged 6, born 1895 in Swansea, Dorothy aged 5, born 1896, Eleanor aged 4, born 1897 and Laurence aged 1, born 1900 were all born in Liscard. They have two servants named Bertha Dougherty aged 17, born 1884 in Liverpool and employed as a domestic cook and Annie Harris aged 19, born 1882 employed as a domestic nurse and also were born in Liverpool.  

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at 63, Manor Road, Liscard, Birkenhead, Cheshire. His father, Alfred, aged 55, is now employed as an analyst and his wife Thora Natalie is aged 48 and still has no occupation listed. They have been married for twenty years and have six children. Adelaide now aged 18 is studying music at home, Ralph aged 16, Dorothy aged 15, Eleanor Jeanette aged 14, and Laurence Gilbert aged 11 are all at school. They have two servants named Elizabeth Williams aged 21, born 1890 in Glasgow and employed as a general domestic servant and Matilda Wheatlyn aged 45, born 1866 employed as a professional sick nurse who was born in New Brighton.

His mother died, aged 50, in 1913.

Ralph enlisted in Liverpool as Private 16322 in the 18^th Battalion and was commissioned on 21^st March 1915. He was described as being six feet tall, weighed 147lbs, fresh complexion, brown eyes, brown hair and stated his religion as Church of England.

From the 23rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th 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.

He embarked for France on 07^th November 1915 as 2^nd Lieutenant on board the SS Invicta, disembarking at Boulogne. 

He is first mentioned in the Battalion war diary on 27th May 1916 when he was in charge of one of four parties of eight men chosen to act as cover to the 202^nd Field Company Royal Engineers who were marking out the position of new trenches to be dug in Maricourt.

He was killed in action on 1^st July 1916 the first day of The Battle of the Somme. The Battalion’s objectives on the day were the capture of the German front line and support line trenches, and the German fortified position known as the Glatz Redoubt. That would allow the 19th Battalion The Manchester Regiment to follow through and capture the village of Montauban. The German front line trenches fell according to the plan, but as the Battalion tried to leave the German support line, its advance was held up by enfilading fire from a machine-gun firing from Alt Trench, on the left flank. This gun was further protected by snipers and bombers who held a position in Alt Trench, at right angles to Alt Alley, and who were hidden by a rough tree hedge. These bombers and snipers were themselves supported by rifle fire from Train Alley, which ran back to Montauban itself.

Eventually, Lieutenant H C Watkins led a party of bombers towards the position in Alt Trench and one of these, with great luck, hurled a grenade which exploded in the midst of the Germans killing two and driving the rest back into Train Alley. This action allowed the advance to continue, as the Germans retreated or sought shelter in deep dugouts, where they were bombed and the Battalion was able to take its main objective The Glatz Redoubt.

At some stage during the course of this action, Second-Lieutenant Merry was killed. He was aged 22.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter wrote in the conclusion of his account of the day’s action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257.

Ralph now rests at Dantzig Alley British Cemetery near Mametz in Plot V, Row W, Grave 10. There is no private family inscription on his headstone.

The village of Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley (a German trench) and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month and was used by field ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost during the great German advance in March 1918 but regained in August, and a few graves were added to the cemetery in August and September 1918. At the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of 183 graves, now in Plot I, but it was then very greatly increased by graves (almost all of 1916) brought in from the battlefields north and east of Mametz and from certain smaller burial grounds.

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery now contains 2,053 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 518 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 17 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 71 casualties buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

A report on his death featured in the Liverpool Courier on the 10th July 1916:

“Lieut. Ralph V Merry, King's (Liverpool Regiment) who has been officially reported killed in action, he is the second son of Mr. A. Merry of 63 Manor Road, Liscard. He was only 22 years of age and joined the Liverpool Pals as a private soon after the outbreak of war, subsequently given a commission in the battalion. An old Grammar School boy, he was a prominent athlete and won one of the schools athletic championships. In business he was connected with the Liverpool branch of a London firm of metal merchants”.   

His death was also reported in the Birkenhead News on Saturday 22 July 1916: 

West Kirby Soldier. 

Private Richard Waters is also numbered amongst the slain! He was 25 years of age, and a member of the Liverpool Pals. He was an enthusiastic member of the Boys' Brigade previous to the war, and went into khaki soon after the campaign opened. His father, Mr. William Waters. passed away when his only surviving son was in France, and the greatest I sympathy goes out to the poor mother now left bereaved. The news of death came in a letter sent by Private Ernest Bird, of the same company. The latter said. that Lieut. Merry (his officer), Private Waters and Private F. Barnes, were amongst the killed. He said "I was one of the lucky ones and got through without a scratch. I am back again with my old section, of which, including myself, there are only four left." The Frank Barnes referred to in Private E. Bird's letter as being amongst the killed is a son of Mr. Samuel Barnes, of Eaton-road. 

Probate was granted in London on 11th January 1917:- 

MERRY Ralph Valentine of 63 Manor Road, Liscard in Cheshire second lieutenant in His Majesty’s army died 1 July 1916 in France on active service Administration London 11 January to Alfred Merry chemist. Effects £128 12s 8d. 

He is also commemorated on the following Memorials: 

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 23 as D V Merry

Wallasey School, Birket Avenue, Leasowe, Wirral (the former Grammar school),

Wallaseyans Casualty List

St Mary & St Columba, Withens Lane, Liscard

Wallasey War Memorial which is located in the hospital on Mill Lane, Wallasey.  

His older brother, Alfred, was awarded a Military Cross in July 1917 for “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, when showing great ability and courage in leading his men through the enemy wire. By his personal example he stimulated the consolidation, thus saving further casualties”.  Later that year he was awarded his first Bar when “as Battalion Intelligence Officer he was in charge of arrangements for assembly of the battalion, which was entirely successful. During the attack which followed he made frequent and successful personal reconnaissance’s which were of the greatest value in keeping the situation clear and later was called upon to take command of the troops in the frontline. He showed great endurance and courage under fire and set an example which inspired all he came into contact with.” His second Bar was awarded in July 1918 when “as intelligence officer to the battalion he remained in the frontline trench throughout the battle exposing himself without regard to danger to observe the enemy’s movements. He sent back much valuable information by which the fire of the artillery was directed onto many vulnerable targets. It was largely due to his courage and devotion to duty that Brigade was kept in touch with the various developments of the battle”.

His father died, aged 62, in 1918 

Ralph's death plaque was auctioned at Bamfords on 26th June 2023. 

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