Pte 17913 Harold Jerram Newell

• Age: 21
• From: Waterloo, 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.

Harold Jerram Newell was born on 01st May 1895 in Waterloo, Liverpool, the son of Alexander Alfred Newell and his wife Ethel Kate (née Jerram). He was baptised on 09th June 1895 in the parish church of Tooting Graveney, Wandsworth where his parents had married on 07th August 1894. Harold was the eldest of five children. His siblings were Lionel, Lizzie May, Norman, and Frederic Oldershaw.  All five children had Jerram as a middle name. 

The 1901 Census shows the family residing at 83 Lawton Road, Waterloo, Father Alexander A. is aged 35, a shipping office clerk born Liverpool, mother Ethel K. is aged 26, born Liverpool, with children Harold J. 5, Lionel J. 3, and Lizzy M. J. 2.  

The 1911 Census shows the family have moved and are living at 16 Molyneux Road, Waterloo.

Father, Alexander aged 48, born in Liverpool in 1866 occupation, is a clerk in a steam ships company office commercial clerk. His wife Ethel is aged 36, born in Waterford, Ireland in 1875 with no occupation listed. Their children were all born in Waterloo. They have been married for sixteen years and have five children, Harold aged 15, Lionel aged 13, born 1898, May aged 12, born 1899, Norman aged 9, born 1902 and Frederic aged 8, born 1903 are all at school. Also recorded as living in the household is sister in law Fanny Jerram aged 34, born 1877 in Hull who has no occupation. 

Harold enlisted on the 14th September 1914 at Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion as Private 17913. He gave his age as 19 years and 150 days and occupation as an engineer’s apprentice with H & C Grayson Ltd until 1916. He was five feet eight and half inches tall, weighed 120lbs, 35” chest, fresh complexion, grey eyes, brown hair and gave his religion as Church of England and next of kin father Alexander, 16 Molyneux Rd. 

Formed on 7^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 30th April 1915 the 19th 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. 

His service papers show: 

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion. 

03.12.15: Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal. 

12.4.16: reverts to Private at own request.  

08.5.16: Wounded at Maricourt and sent to 96 Field Ambulance with shrapnel in right knee. 

08.5.16: Now a gunshot wound to right leg admitted to 21 C.C.S. 

12.5.16: Admitted to 4 General Hospital with pyrexia (fever). 

24.5.16: Transferred to 6 convalescent depot, Etaples. 

01.06.16: To 30 I.B.Depot. 

18.6.16: Rejoined unit. 

Harold was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 21, 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.      

His father wrote to Infantry Records on 22nd August 1916:

“I shall be much obliged if you will tell me whether you have any recent news of my son, Pte. H. J. Newell 17913, 19th Battn. King’s Lpool Reg., no.3 Company, 11 Platoon.  We have not heard from him for nearly a month and his habit was to write at least weekly.  

“You will find him in your “wounded” list two or three months ago but he returned to the fighting line just before the “push”.

“Thanking you in anticipation,

Alex. Newell”

Evidently he was informed in reply that Harold had been declared killed in action, as his parents posted in the Liverpool Echo on 26th August 1916:

“July 30, killed in action, aged 21 years, Harold Jerram (Pals), eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex. Newell, 16, Molyneux Road, Waterloo.”

Despite having received official word of his death, his father, by then living at 29 Neville Road, Waterloo, contacted the International Red Cross in hopes that Harold had been taken prisoner, but received a reply dated 16th November 1916 that they held no information on his son.

Harold's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

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.”

Harold was remembered on the first anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Echo on 30th July 1917, under the heading, “Lost At The Battle Of Guillemont”:

“July 30, 1916, killed in action, Private Harold Jerram Newell, late of Molyneux Road, Waterloo, 19th King’s (Liverpool) Regiment (Pals).” 

He was also remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918;

"In loving memory of Harold Jerram Newell (3rd Pals), who fell in the battle of Guillemont, July 30, 1916."

He earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity £8-10s went to his father.  No pension card has been found, indicating that his parents did not apply for a pension.

His brother, Lionel, attested in November 1915 when he was 18, in the R.F.A. (Territorial’s) and was posted to the Reserve. He was mobilised in October 1916 and arrived in France in February 1917. He suffered serious wounds on 22/08/1917 to the nose, right thigh and left wrist, and was invalided to England.  He was posted to Italy from January 1918, and again invalided to the U.K. in January 1919 with I.C.T. (left leg) and discharged with a partial disability pension (nose). 

In 1919 his parents were at 29 Neville Road with Lionel, 22, Lizzy, 20, Norman, 18, and Frederic 16.

Lionel married in 1930, had a son he named Harold, and died in 1941 aged 43.

In 1939 his parents, with Lizzy, 41, and Fanny Jerram, 63, are still at 29 Neville Road.  His father, 74, is retired, his mother is 65.

His father died in 1947 aged 82 and his mother in 1959 at the age of 84. 

Harold is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Crosby with Blundellsands Civic Memorial.

St Faith's C. of E, Church, Crosby. 

Waterloo and Seaforth Civic Memorial.

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 19.

His father died on the 10th Nov 1947 aged 82.  

Liverpool Echo - Wednesday 12 November 1947 

NEWELL - Nov. 10, at 29 Neville Rd, Waterloo, ALEXANDER ALFRED, beloved husband of Ethel Newell. Service at St. Mary's Church, to-morrow (Thursday), at 2.15; cremation afterwards at Anfield. (No flowers or mourning by his wish.) 

His mother died in 1959 at the age of 84.  

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