Pte 24240 Herbert Pennock

• Age: 21
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Herbert John Pennock was born in 1893 in Liverpool and was the son of Herbert William Pennock and his wife Alice (nee Guile) who were married on the 23rd November 1891 in St George's Church, Everton. Herbert was a 23 year old sailmaker of 128 Priory Grove, father Robert, whilst Alice was 23 of 6 Mere Lane, Everton, father John. Their first child, also Herbert John, died in infancy in 1892. 

The 1901 census records Herbert’s mother Alice, aged 33, living at 6 Walton Lane with her three children, Herbert aged 7, Alice aged 5 and 2 year old Robert. The family are living with her own parents John and Catherine Guile and three of Alice’s siblings. John has a newsagents shop. There is no record of Herbert senior, but as he is listed as a sail maker on their marriage certificate it is possible he was away at sea. Young Robert sadly died in 1905. 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 31 Herschell St, Everton.

Herbert senior is aged 45, and is working as a warehouse porter, his wife Alice is aged 43(married 19 years, 5 children 3 still alive). They had both been born in Liverpool. Herbert junior is 17 and is a painter and decorators apprentice. His siblings Alice aged 15 is at home. They have another son who is also called Robert and who was born in 1908. 

Herbert enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 24240 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

According to the 20^th Bn War Diary, on 10th October 1916 the battalion marched from Dernancourt via Mametz to Bazentin Le Grand where it bivouacked for the night. The next day the battalion moved up to site for assembly trenches, arriving about 11 p.m., where it dug in two good trenches, Nos.1 and 2 Coys front and Nos.3 and 4 Coys in rear.

From the War Diary:

Near Eaucourt L’Abbaye.  12/10/1916. The 4^th British and 6^th French armies continued the attack. Zero 2.5 p.m.  The whole XVth Corps attacked […]  The attack of 89^th Inf Bde was carried out with 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right, 17^th Bn KLR on left, 20^th Bn KLR in support, 19^th Bn KLR in reserve.  Battalions attacked in four waves. On the departure of the attacking battalions Nos. 1 and 2 companies advanced, each in two waves, to garrison the front line trench vacated by 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right and 17^th KLR on left. On Nos 1 and 2 Coys vacating front assembly trench, it was occupied by two platoons of Nos. 3 and 4 Coys respectively, from rear assembly trench. As the assaulting waves left their trenches they were met by intense machine gun fire, especially on our left. The enemy also opened heavy barrages on our front support and assembly trenches. […] Capt. H. Beckett, commanding No.1 company, reached the front line with few casualties, but Lieut R.D. Paterson leading No.2 company was killed. His company also had few casualties. The assaulting battalions were held up by very heavy machine gun fire, and made little progress.  […] At 4.20 p.m. two platoons, No.4 Coy, under Cpl Brighouse, were sent up to reinforce the left, and No.3 Coy under Cpl Sutton followed at 4.45 p.m.  Battalion HQ moved up to front line at 4.55 and remaining two platoons of No.4 Coy moved up to join Cpl Brighouse. 

Casualties during action: 

Officers – Killed Lieut. R.D. Paterson, 2^nd Lieut G.L. Grennan, Wounded – 2^nd Lieuts A.E. Griffin, L.E. Mclean Hayes, C. Buttemer, Wounded Cpl g. Brighouse.

Other Ranks killed – 20. 

It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day Herbert was killed.

It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.

As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them and at the same time the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire. Those German regiments were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire. As such it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.

Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”

Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Alice. 

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

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.”

He is also commemorated on the War Memorial at Breckfield Council School, Everton.

On the 13th October 1917, a year after his death his family posted a notice in the Liverpool Daily Post:

Pennock – In fondest memory of Private H. Pennock (Bert), K.L.R., eldest son of Mr and Mrs Pennock of 31 Herschell Street, who was killed in action in France, October 12 1916. (“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend”)

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Alice. 

His mother died, aged 69, in the December quarter of 1937.

His father died soon after, aged 72, in the March quarter of 1938.

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