Pte 27305 Samuel Billingsley

• Age: 33
• From: Liverpool
• 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.

Samuel Henry Billingsley was born in Liverpool on 24th November 1882 the son of Samuel Billingsley and his wife Martha Jane (nee Parker). His parents married on the 21st August 1870 at St James' Church, Walton. Samuel was a 21 year old iron dresser, father Samuel an iron dresser, whilst Martha was aged 19, father Henry a mariner, both of 41 Lamport Street. They had nine children, tragically, their first three children died young: Henry Samuel died when he was 2, William Henry at 4, and Elizabeth Jane at 2 years old.

Samuel was baptised on 05th March 1883 at St Peter's and St Nicholas' Church, Liverpool. His father's occupation is recorded as an engineer. Samuel had two surviving older sisters: Annie and Elizabeth Jane, and younger siblings William, Eleanor, and George (who died at the age of 5).

The 1891 Census finds the family living at 64 Enid Street, Toxteth. Samuel is 8 years of age and living with his parents and four siblings. His father is 41 years of age and employed as a weighing machine fitter, born in Runcorn, whilst his mother is 40 years of age and born in Liverpool. His siblings are recorded as; Annie aged 13, Elisabeth aged 10, William aged 5 and Eleanor aged 2. There is a servant living in the household Jane Davison who is 18 years old.   

The 1901 Census finds the family still living at 64 Enid Street, Toxteth Park. Samuel is 18 years old and single, he is employed as a fruit porter. Her lives with his parents and four siblings. His father is aged 51, still employed as a weighing machine fitter, whilst his mother is 50 years old. His siblings are recorded as; Annie aged 23 and a greengrocers assistant, Elizabeth Jane aged 20 and a laundress, William aged 15 and an office boy (commercial) and Eleanor aged 12.

Samuel married Margaret Ann Faragher on the 26th April 1903 at St Philemon's Church, Toxteth. He was aged 20 and an engineer store keeper whilst Margaret was 18 years old and the daughter of a master mariner. He was living at 64 Enid Street and Margaret at 4 Stananought Street.

The 1911 Census finds Samuel and Margaret living at 16 Alfred Street, Liverpool. Samuel is employed as a timekeeper in tin box factory. They have two children; Annie (born 13th August 1907) aged 3 and Jennie (born 18th August 1909) aged 1. They advise that they have been married for 7 years and have had two children.

Although the 1911 census shows Margaret's place of birth as Liverpool, it appears she was born in the Isle of Man on 06th November 1884 to parents George Alfred and Amelia Faragher. Margaret had a son William Henry Faragher, born in Liverpool on 22nd February 1902, who was baptised in St. Philemon on 30th January 1903, mother Margaret Ann Faragher of 4 Stananought Street. Little William died and was buried in St. James' Cemetery, poignantly on what would have been his first birthday, 22nd February 1903.

By 1911 his parents have moved across the river to New Ferry, Cheshire, and are living at 7 Onslow Road with the two youngest children still at home. His father is 61, working as a machine fitter for a soap manufacturer, his mother is 60, William, 25, is a ship chandlery clerk, Eleanor is 22 and a dressmaker. Annie and Elizabeth are both married. Eleanor married later that year.

Samuel enlisted in Liverpool, likely in the spring of 1915 and served in the 19^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 27305. 

He arrived in France in 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 33, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

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.

Samuel's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is now commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, 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 01^st 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.”     

Soldiers Effects to father Samuel including a War Gratuity of £5 whilst the pension of 5 shillings a week (the motherless rate) was awarded to his mother Martha, the guardian of child Annie, 7 Onslow Road, Rock Ferry. . 

Samuel and his wife were separated; daughter Jennie remained with her mother. The pension card notes, "whereabouts unknown".

Daughter Jennie seems to have adopted the name Josephine; she married Walter Rigby in 1929 and in 1939 she was living with her husband and family at 52 Rutter Street in Liverpool. She died in 1972 aged 63.

Annie married William Jenkins in 1933 and in 1939 lived in Selby in Yorkshire. She appears to have died in 1984.

What became of his wife Margaret is not certain. When her father died in 1925 she received his effects of £380.  A Margaret Ann Billingsley of 106 Combermere Street, Toxteth, died in 1957 aged 75 and was buried in a public grave in Allerton Cemetery.

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