Pte 12820 Nicholas Nolan

• Age: 21
• From: Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

Nicholas Nolan was born in the March quarter of 1897 at Chorlton and resided in Manchester. He was the son of Nicholas John and his wife Jane Ada (nee Smith) who were married in 1885 at St Andrew, Ancoats.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 16 Chorley St, Ardwick. Hisfather, John, is aged 35 and a painter, mother Jane A.  is aged 33. They have five children in the household; Thomas 15 is a railway porter, Edward  is 7, Elizabeth 5, Nicholas 3 and Florence 1, all born in Manchester.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 18 Prestage St, Old Trafford, Manchester. His father, Nicholas John, is aged 45, was born 1866 in Manchester and his occupation is shown as a house painter, whilst his mother Jane Ada is aged 43, born 1868 also in Manchester as were their children. They have been married for twenty six years and have had thirteen children of which six had sadly died. Those listed in the household on the Census are; Thomas Edward aged 25, born 1886 is a labourer in a flour mill, Edward aged 17, born 1894 is an iron turner (electric engines), Elizabeth Ann aged 15, born 1896 works in a warehouse, Nicholas aged 14, born 1897 is an errand boy, Florence aged 11, born 1900, Joseph aged 6, born and their nephew Thomas aged 8, born 1903.

He enlisted in Manchester and was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 12820 when he was killed in action, aged 21 on the 22nd March 1918, during the German Spring Offensive.

The 19th Battalion diary gives an insight into the days events:

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. 

Nicholas' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he 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.

He is also remembered on the Borough Of Stretford - WW1 Book Of Remembrance, Stretford, Greater Manchester.

Soldiers Effects to father Nicholas J., Pension to father and mother Jane Ada.

His father Nicholas died June 1924 aged 59 and his mother Jane Ada died aged 74 in 1942.

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