Pte 53120 James Pearce

• Age: 20
• From: Brentford, Middlesex
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 23rd April 1917
• Commemorated at: Arras Memorial
  Panel Ref: Bay 3

James was born in the September quarter of 1896 at Brentford, Middlesex. He was the son of Thomas Pearce and his wife Sarah (nee Ware) who married in the March Quarter of 1891 in Brentford.

The 1901 Census finds the family living at 17 Pottery Road, Berntford. James' father is a 33 year old water gas maker, born in Brentford, his mother, Sarah, is 29 years old. They have six children in the household; Thomas C. is 12, Edward is 9, Ellen is 7, James is 5, Albert is 3 and Alice M. is 4 months old.  

The 1911 Census shows the family are still living at 17 Pottery Road, Brentford. His father Thomas is aged 43, born 1868, occupation dock labourer, his mother, Sarah, is aged 39 born 1872 in Brentford as were their children. They have been married for twenty one years and have had ten children, seven of whom are in the household; Edward aged 20, born 1891 occupation parcel checker, James aged 15, born 1896 occupation van boy, Albert aged 13, born 1898, John aged 9, born 1902, Lily aged 6, born 1905 are at school, Maria aged 3, born 1908 and William born 1911. 

James enlisted in Brentford, originally joining the East Surrey Regiment as Private 15902. He was subsequently transferred to the 18th Battlion of The King's Liverpool Regiment and was killed in action on 23rd April 1917, aged 20.

On that day the Battalion had occupied old German Trenches at Henniel on the Arras sector of the front. In the evening, it moved to a sunken road to support an attack by the 18th and 19th Battalion’s of the Manchester Regiment. Elements of the Pals were to provide mopping up parties for both the Manchester Battalions, who were to move forward at 18.00pm. However, as the orders were not received until 17.45pm,it proved impossible to join the Manchester’s in time for their attack and the mopping up parties followed from where they presumed that the assaulting waves had left.

By this time, the German retaliatory barrage had begun, and the British Front Line was so heavily shelled, that the Battalion took up position in the shell holes in front. As the situation was chaotic, some troops on the right flank had begun to pullback, it was decided to withdraw to the British front line under cover of darkness to consolidate. Eventually, by morning the position became clearer, and the Battalion was able to move forward to occupy the old front line which had been vacated by the Germans, who had retired over the next crest.

Altogether the Battalion’s losses were four officers and one hundred and one other ranks, killed, wounded or missing.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial in France.

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

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