Pte 30124 Patrick Murphy

• Age: 23
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Patrick James Murphy was born in Liverpool on 14th July 1893, the son of John Murphy and his wife Catherine (née Burke) who were married on the 31st July 1892 at Holy Cross Church, Liverpool. On the marriage record John was of 5/12 Rose Hill, parents James and Elizabeth Murphy, whilst Catherine was of 60 Gerard St, parents Patrick and Margaret Burke. They had three children, Patrick had younger siblings John Joseph, born in 1895 but who died at 7 months, and Eliza Margaret, born in 1898. He was baptised on 30th July 1893 in Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool. His father John was born in Liverpool and his mother Catherine was born in about 1873 in Ireland and had lived in Liverpool since childhood. 

On the 1881 census the Murphy family are living at 9 in 1 Court, Rose Hill.

The head is widow Eliza aged 47 with sons John 14, and Patrick 13(both appear on the 1911 census later).  

None of the family has been found on the 1901 census. His mother may have died after giving birth to Eliza in 1898, aged about 26, and the family dispersed. A pauper Patrick Murphy, aged 8 (Patrick would have been 7) is found in the Fazakerley Cottage Homes.  

Patrick was educated at St James School and prior to the war he was employed by Messrs James Witney and Son, 49 Oldhall St. 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 5 Washington Street, Bootle, with the family of Eliza Hardy a widow aged 65, born in 1846 in Blackfordby, Leicestershire. His father, John, is a widower aged 43, born in Liverpool in 1868 and whose occupation is listed as a dock labourer. Patrick is aged 17, born 1894, is occupation shown as a hairdresser and daughter Eliza aged 13, born 1898.  Also in the household is his uncle, Patrick Murphy, 41.

Patrick was educated at St James School and prior to the war he was employed by Messrs. J. Witney and Sons.

Patrick enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30124. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about May 1915, and arrived in France in 1916. 

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 23, 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.   

Patrick's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he 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.”

Like many other Liverpool Pals killed at Guillemont, Patrick was originally reported as Missing. His name appeared among the list of K.L.R. casualties published on 18th September 1916 in the Liverpool Daily Post. 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Murphy, 30124, P.;   

His death was announced in the Liverpool Echo on 27th September 1916: 

“Private P. Murphy, K.L.R., has been killed in action.  He was twenty-three years of age and was educated at St. James’s school.  Prior to joining the colors he was employed as timekeeper by J. Whitney and sons, stevedores.” 

Nottingham and Midland Catholic News - Saturday 04 November 1916 

ROLL OF HONOUR.  

PTE. P. Murphy of the K.L.R., age 23 years, of 27, Cranworth Street, Bootle, who has been killed in action. He was an "old boy" of St. James's School, and prior to enlisting was a timekeeper for a firm of stevedores. 

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £4 went to his sister Mrs. Eliza M. Callan.  The pension card in the name of his father at 27 Cranworth Street, Bootle, does not specify the amount of pension awarded, and shows later addresses for him as 18 Chaucer Street and 15 Rhyl Street, both in Bootle.  At the time of communicating with the CWGC regarding Patrick’s memorial, he lived at 20 Chestnut Grove, Bootle.  It is not known when he died. 

Patrick is remembered on the following Memorials;

Bootle Civic Memorial

St James Church, Bootle 

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