Pte 31142 Reginald Joseph Orme

Reginald Joseph Orme was born on 16th May 1894, the son of Joseph Parr Orme and his wife Edith (née Goldsmith), known as Edie. His father, from Waterloo, and his mother, born in Douglas, Isle of Man, married in Liverpool in 1890 and had eight children: Reginald had older siblings Harold Goldsmith, born in 1891, and Elsie Edith 1892, and younger siblings Gilbert George 1895, Gertrude Harriet 1897, Doris Mary 1898 and Josephine 1899, both of whom died in infancy, and Marguerite, born in 1904.

 

Reginald was baptised in St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool, on 27th May 1894.

 

In 1901 the family is living at 154 Breck Road, Anfield, with four children.  This is the address of the Royal Hotel (still in business).  His father, 38, is a public house manager, his mother is 30, Harold is 10, Elsie 8, Reginald 7, and Gilbert 6.  His aunt, Beatrice Goldsmith, 35, lives with them and works as a barmaid.

 

His brother Gilbert died in January 1902, at the age of 6.

 

Reginald attended All Saints School before enrolling in St. Margaret’s Church of England School, Aigburth in 1902 (exempted from religious instruction). (His birthdate is listed as 17th May.)  He was withdrawn in August 1906, reason given “fees”.

 

By 1911 they have moved to 4 Ogden Street, His mother Edith, 39, married, is head of household, Elsie is 18, a hotel barmaid, Reginald is 16, a hotel waiter, Marguerite is 6, at school. Also living with them is adopted son George William Hulme, 11.  Four of their eight children are still alive.  His father and older brother Harold are apparently away at sea.

 

His mother died in April 1915 aged 43, then living at 77 Greyrock Street, Anfield.

Reginald enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 31142 when he was killed in action on the 29^th April 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. Details of the action were recorded in the battalion diary:

By the 25^th April the battalion had taken up positions of readiness in the Voormezeele sector. According to the battalion War Diary, on the night of the 27^th, at 8.30 p.m. they moved to the line to relieve 4^th Bn, relief completed about 1 a.m.

28^th – At about 1 p.m. a company of composite battalion gave way on the left of our line and the Bosche penetrated from the Canal Bank to the left of my battalion front, which position he maintained despite 5 hours fighting. My reserve company was ordered to counter-attack and restore the position at 7.45 p.m. but enemy laid down a barrage at 7.43 a.m. and the counter attack was unable to proceed. The enemy bombardment lasted until 10.30 p.m. and I then organised a defensive flank.

29^th – At 3.30 a.m. heavy enemy bombardment opened, followed later (9.00 a.m.) by enemy attack and our line was forced back to G.H.Q.1 where I organised and held on to the position. The enemy got through on both flanks practically surrounding 2 of my companies. ‘A’ company was actually surrounded and after severe fighting were captured.

Reginald Joseph has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station.

Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, he served 33 months, enlisting in about July 1915

 

He was initially declared Missing on 29th April 1918 and his date of death later presumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on that date.

 

His family made enquiries with the British Red Cross on 20th November 1918, still seeking information as to his fate.

 

His father died of illness in hospital in November 1918, aged 55.  The newspaper notice of his death states that he was serving as a Petty Officer on H.M.S. Alsatian, which was an armed merchant cruiser 1914-1918, on North Atlantic Convoy duty.

 

His brother Harold served in the merchant marine during the war.

 

Reginald’s Army effects and a War Gratuity of £15-10s went to his aunt, his mother’s younger sister, Mrs. Eva May Brew, of 5 Starkie Street, Everton.