Pte 24353 Gilbert George Pelling

• Age: 21
• From: Lewes, Sussex
• 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.

Gilbert George Pelling was born in Lewes, Sussex, in the September quarter of 1895, the son of Richard Orswin Pelling and his wife Ann (nee Standen), both born in Sussex and who were married in Lewes in 1889.  Gilbert was the third of five children;  his siblings were Lilian, Frank, Searle, and Eric (who died in infancy). 

By 1900 they have moved to Liverpool where youngest son Searle is born. 

In 1901 they are living at 32 Fearnside Street, Edge Hill. His father is aged 33, a tailor born in Lewes, mother Ann is aged 34, born in Petworth on the South Downs, Lilian is 10, Frank 8, Gilbert 5, and Searle is 8 months old. A brother Eric died in infancy died in 1903. Lilian sadly died in 1907 aged 17, the family still living in Fearnside Street. 

By 1911 they have moved to 35 Bannerman Street, Liverpool.  His father is aged 42, a tailor, mother is aged 45. They have been married for 21 years, and have had 5 children, 3 of whom have survived. All three surviving children are declared in the household;  Frank, 18, is a milkman, Gilbert is 15, a grocer’s assistant, Searle is 10. 

Gill (as he was known to his Pals) enlisted in Liverpool in September 1914, as Private 24353, 19^th (Pals) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. The battalion trains in Sefton Park but is billeted at home until November when they move to Knowsley, near Liverpool.  On 30^th April 1915 all four of the Pals battalions leave Liverpool for Belton Park Camp in Lincolnshire and by September are at Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain for final infantry training. 

Gilbert ships to France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on 7^th November 1915.  In the new year the Pals battalions take up position in the south of the Somme line near Carnoy and, after specialist training at Abbeville for the ‘Big Push’, the battalion is in the front line at Maricourt.  Gilbert survives the deadly days of July 1916 on the Somme, until the 30^th, when the battalion takes part in the attack on the village of Guillemont.  The attack fails, and this day becomes the deadliest day of the war for the Pals battalions and the City of Liverpool, with nearly 500 dead.  

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.  

Private Gilbert Pelling is one of those lost; his body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.  He was 21 years old.

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.”

Gil's death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 21^st August 1916: 

“July 30, killed in action, aged 21 years, Private Pelling (Pals), the dearly loved second son of Richard and Annie Pelling, 139, Alderson Road, Wavertree.”  

An article in the Liverpool Echo on the 26th August 1916 invites people the next day to attend :

A Memorial Service at St Dunstans, Earle Road at 11am: Memorial Service for Robert Glynne Davies, Gilbert Pelling, Arthur Collett, Herbert Lawrenson, and Joseph Henry Martin.

All these men were local lads and must’ve attended St Dunstans Church and known each other. Indeed, looking at the war records, both Arthur and Joseph were punished for the same misdemeanour in July 1915. Arthur, Herbert, and Joseph served in the 20th and Gilbert in the 19th Battalion. All four lads were killed on the same day, all have no grave, all their names are on the Thiepval Memorial. Arthur was 19, Herbert 25, Gilbert 21 and Joseph 22 years old. Robert was a Captain in the 4th Battalion King’s (Liverpool Regiment), he was 29 when he was killed on the 14th August 1916 and is buried in Caterpillar Cemetery, Longueval.

All five of these mens names are remembered on the war memorial in the churchyard of St Dunstans Church, along with another 107 men from the same parish.

On the first anniversary of Gilbert’s death, in the Liverpool Echo, on 30^th July 1917 under the heading ‘Lost At The Battle of Guillemont’:

“In loving memory of Private Gilbert Pelling, 3^rd K.L.R. (Pals) who was killed in action in France, July 30, 1916.  (Sadly missed by Father Mother and Brothers.)”

“In loving memory of Gilbert (Gill), Pals, killed in action July 30, 1916.  Fondly remembered by his chum George, in France, and all at 136 Wellington Road.  Ever in our thoughts.”  (This is likely George Fardoe, Pte 24371 K.L.R. whose family lived at 136 Wellington Road, before and after the war. George came home.)

And in 1918, on 01^st August in the Liverpool Daily Post:

“In loving memory of Gilbert Pelling, K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action July 30, 1916.  – Sadly missed by Father, Mother, and Brothers.”

"Pelling - In loving memory of Gilbert (Gill), killed in action, July 30, 1916. - Always remembered by George and all at 136, Wellington Road."

Gilbert’s effects went to his father Richard.  The pension card shows Richard at 139 Alderson Road, Wavertree and at 69 Kensington, Liverpool.  Some time after Gilbert’s death his parents moved south, as CWGC shows Gilbert as the ‘Son of Richard and Ann Pelling, of 78 Holmesdale Road, Reigate Surrey’.

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