Sgt 17437 Thomas Nall

• Age: 23
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

Thomas Nall was born in the December Quarter 1894 in Liverpool and was the son of William Francis Nall and his wife Phoebe Caroline (nee Roberts) who married in Liverpool in 1878, both having been born in Liverpool. Thomas was the fifth of six children, his siblings were Phoebe, Edith, Daisy, Samuel and George. Three other children died in infancy.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 8 Odsey Street, Kensington.

Father William aged 49 is shown to be employed as a Joiner, mother Phoebe 43, children Edith 19, Daisy 11, Samuel 8, Thomas 6  and George 4 (everybody born Liverpool).

By 1911 the family are living at 1 King Street, Holt Road, Liverpool.

His father is 58, a joiner with Liverpool City Council, working at the Botanic Gardens. His mother is 52 (married 33 years 9 children 6 still alive), working as a Nurse, children Daisy 21, Samuel 18 an unemployed railway porter, Thomas now 16 is a Clerk with the Great Western Railway, and George 14 at school.
His employment with the Great Western Railway was as an invoice typist and Goods Manager based at Birkenhead.  

Thomas enlisted in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion as Private 17437. He gave his age as 19 years and 321 days and his occupation as a Clerk. He is described as being 5'9 inches tall, weighing 142lbs, 34" chest, with sallow complexion, blue eyes and  fair hair. He gave his religion as Baptist. He listed his NOK as his father William 21 Flaxman St, Edge Hill

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 28th October 1914 he was appointed unpaid Lance Corporal. 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.  Whilst at Grantham, Thomas was appointed paid Lance Corporal on 20th July1915. They remained at Grantham until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

Thomas was appointed Lance Serjeant on 20th September 1916 and promoted to Serjeant on 18th February 1917. He was killed in action on 22nd March 1918 aged 24 during the German Spring offensive. 

The Battalion diary gives an insight into the events of the day:

22^nd  GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

Thomas has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial. 

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

A report in the Liverpool Echo of 23rd April 1918 shows:

Killed in action in his 24th year, Sgt T. Nall (Tom), K.L.R., the dearly beloved son of W and P Nall, 21 Flaxman Street.