Pte 51656 John Griffiths Bellis

• Age: 24
• From: Liscard, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: II.F.7

John Griffiths Bellis was born in Liscard in the second quarter of 1892, the son of John and Mary (need Griffiths) Bellis who married in 1872 in Birkenhead. 

The 1891 Census shows the family living at Grove House, Wallasey. His father, John, is aged 39, born in Seacombe and is a builder and farmer by trade, his mother Mary is aged 40 born in Liverpool. The children declared in the household are:  Martha Ann 18 b.Seacombe, Thomas 14 a telegraph messenger b.Liscard, Emma 12 a scholar b. Liscard, William 10 a scholar b.Liscard,  Alfred 8 a scholar b.Liscard, Edith 2 b.Liscard, Edward 1 b.Liscard, and his aunt, Sarah Griffiths 45 b.Liverpool. 

His mother died aged 41 on the 15^th May 1892 and was buried in Rake Lane Cemetery. 

The 1901 Census shows the family still living at Grove House, Wallasey. His father, John, is aged 49,  a widower and a brickmaker/bricklayer by trade. John G is aged 8, also present in the house are John's siblings: Martha Ann 28, W.G (son) 20, A.J (son) 18, E.A (daughter) 12, E.M. (son) 10 and his Aunt Sarah Griffiths 62. 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 2 Pelham Road, Liscard.  His widowed father is aged 59 (crossed out are details of his marriage, it shows that he was married for 20 years and had 11 children 8 of whom survived). He is a  builder/bricklayer, and still head of the household, Aunt Sarah 68 is still living with the family. John Griffiths Bellis is by now 19 years of age and is shown to be a joiner by trade. Also present are his siblings; Martha Ann 38, Edith Harriet 22, Edward Matthew 20. 

John enlisted in Wallasey as Rifleman 4948 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiemnt (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked aboard the SS Princess Victoria from Folkestone-Boulogne on 15th July 1916. He reached the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 16th July 1916 and proceeded to 11th Entrenching Btn on 02nd August 1916. He proceeded to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 05th August 1916 and was posted to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 05th September 1916 as Private No 51656.

John was killed in action on the 12th October 1916, aged 24, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive. 

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”
 
John now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

Reported missing in the Liverpool Daily Post 16th Nov 1916. 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Bellis, 51656, J. (Wallasey); 

He was originally reported as missing and the Wallasey News reported a request for information as follows:   

"Pte J G Bellis, of The King's Liverpool Regt., has been reported missing since Oct 12th. Any information will be gratefully received by his father who resides at 5 Ingleby Road, Wallasey".   

He was remembered by his family in the Liverpool Echo on 12^th October 1918: 

BELLIS - In affectionate remembrance of Private J. G. (Jack) BELLIS, K.L.R., youngest son of John Bellis, 5 Ingleby Road, Wallasey, officially reported missing October 12, 1916. 

Fresh in our hearts his memory clings,  

Still yet our grief is sore; 

Each passing day will ever bring  

The day we’ll meet once a once more.  

Sadly missed by his Father, Sisters and Brothers.  

Soldiers Effects to father John, no Pension record found.   

John Griffiths Bellis is commemorated locally on the Wallasey Civic Memorial and has a family memorial in Rake Lane Cemetery which reads:  

His father died, aged 70, on the 24^th February 1934 and was buried at Rake Lane Cemetery. 

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of John's service with the 6th Rifles.  

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