Pte 27941 Charles Moss

 

When he was 22, Charles married Eliza Quinn, 18, on 7th January 1895, in St. Mary’s, Walton, giving his occupation as labourer, and his address as 71 Neston Street, Walton.

 

They had three children, Thomas in 1895, Ann in 1897, and Jane in 1898, then moved to Frodsham, Cheshire, where Elizabeth Ann was born in 1900.

 

The 1901 census shows them at The Brow off the Quay, Frodsham Cheshire.  Charles is 29, a labourer in an oil cake mill, Eliza is 23, born in Widnes, Thomas is 6, Ann 4, Jane 2, and Elizabeth 1.

 

Eliza died later that year, leaving Charles with four children under seven years old.  Charles returned to Liverpool, no doubt to be closer to family, and in 1903 he married Annie Hughes in St. Luke the Evangelist, Walton.

 

1911 …. The information provided on the census form is misleading.  Charles and Ann have been married seven years and have one child together. 

On the 1911 Census the family are living at 42 Brasenose Rd. Kirkdale. Charles is aged 39, a labourer, wife Ann is aged 40, born in Mold, Denbighshire and they keep things simple by declaring being married for 17 years with 4 children, Thomas 16 a wire worker, Jane 13 at school, Ann 12 at school and Susannah 3. 

His youngest daughter Elizabeth Ann is living with her uncle, John Daniel Moss, and his family, at 76 Eton Street, along with widowed uncle Thomas Moss and his seven children (including nephews John Radcliffe, 12, and Walter Charles, 9).  John would enlist in the 14th Bn K.L.R. as Private 18589.  He was killed in action at Salonika on 14th September 1916. John was 20 years old and is commemorated on the Doiran Memorial.

 

Charles’ eldest son Thomas volunteered soon after war was declared, and went to France on 16th March 1915.  He achieved the rank of Sergeant with the 1st Bn K.L.R.  He was killed in action at Cuinchy on 25th September 1915, aged 20.  Thomas was initially declared Missing on 25/th September 1915 and his parents were not officially informed of his death until nine months later.  They announced his death in the Liverpool Echo on 4th July  1916. Thomas is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

 

Charles enlisted at Seaforth, Liverpool. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he volunteered in about April 1915, soon after his son went to France. He was serving in in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 27941 when he was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916 at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

17th Battalion Diary 30th July 1916

The Battalion was in support to 19 & 20 Battalions K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20th. Very thick mist. The attack was pushed home to the objective in places but in the main was held up by machine gun fire from hidden machine guns.

Fighting continued all day swaying backwards and forwards until by 6pm about 300 yards in depth had been gained & consolidated all along our front.

Casualties in the 17th Battalion were 15 Officers and 281 Other Ranks

Further details are reported in more detailed by Everard Wyrall in his book The History of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 1914-1919 Volume II 1916-1917

The 17th King’s had advanced (two companies each behind the 19th and 20th Battalions) in small columns. They too suffered heavily from machine-gun fire and were quickly absorbed into the waves that preceded them. They also shared the gains and losses of that terrible day.

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July.

 

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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. 

Charles, like his son, was initially declared Missing in Action. His death was later presumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.  And like the months of anguish the family suffered when Thomas was missing, it was nearly ten months before his widow announced his death in the Liverpool Echo on 17th May 1917:

“July 30, 1916, reported missing now reported killed in action, Private Charles Moss, beloved husband of Annie Moss, 32 Anglesey Street, Bootle.  Also Sergeant Thomas Moss, son of the above, killed in action September 25, 1915.  (Sadly missed.). -  Mother and Family.”

 
Charles 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.”

His children were 19, 17, 16, 8, 5, and 2 years old when Charles was killed.  His widow Annie received Charles’ Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £4-10s.  Annie, living at 32 Anglesey Street, Bootle, was awarded a pension for herself and three minor children of £1-10-10d a week from March 1917.

 

His widow Annie never remarried, and in 1939 was still living at 32 Anglesey Street, Bootle.  She died in 1955, aged 85.

 

His youngest son John Daniel served in the Merchant Navy in WW2.  Another nephew, Walter Charles Moss, son of Thomas and brother of John, was killed in the Blitz in February 1941, aged 39.

 

Charles and Thomas are both commemorated on the following memorials -

Bootle Civic Memorial

Bootle’s Fallen.

Thomas is commemorated in Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 18.