Pte 22236 William Stanley Roberts

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: IX.L.4

William Stanley Roberts was born 24th April 1894 at Waterloo, Liverpool the son of Henry (Harry) Roberts and his wife Margaret Ann (née Bell) who were married in Toxteth in 1891. He was baptised on 17th October 1894 at St Peter's C. of E. Church, Liverpool. William was one of thirteen children and their eldest son. At the time of his baptism, his parents were living in Chesnut Street, and his father’s occupation was listed as victualler. 

William went to sea, aged 16, with the Red Star Line and sailed on ships such as the SS “Zeeland“ and Pacific Steam Navigation SS “Ortega” in and out of Liverpool.  

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 11 King Street, Waterloo, Liverpool. William's father, Harry, is aged 42, born in Liverpool in 1869 occupation shown as a telegraphist for a newspaper, whilst his mother Margaret Ann is aged 40, she was born in 1871 in Liverpool as were all their children. They have been married for twenty one years and have had twelve children of which two have sadly died. Those recorded on the Census are; Margaret Annie aged 20, born 1891 no occupation, Lilian Mildred aged 18, born 1893 is a dressmaker, William Stanley aged  16, is a ships steward, Elsie aged 14, born 1897 is a dressmaker, Nellie aged 11, born 1900, Harold aged 10, born 1901, Edith Eveline aged 8,born 1903, Amy aged 6, born 1905 and Herbert Victor aged 5, born 1906 are at school and Joseph Henry aged 1, born 1910. 

Another daughter, Jane (or Jean), was born shortly after the census.

Willie was on board the Ortega on a return voyage to Liverpool after the commencement of the War. She was at Montevideo en route to Callao under the command of Captain Douglas Kinnier. On 16th September 1914 she sailed from Valparaiso, Chile bound for Liverpool. She was immediately chased by the German cruiser Dreden and was attacked. When she was ordered to stop on 19th September 1914 the master took the Ortega into the shallow un-chartered Nelson Strait, near Cape Horn. While the Dresden waited for her to re-appear, the liner, led by two lifeboats taking soundings, traversed 100 miles via the landward side of the Queen Adelaide Archipelago, the Smyth Channel and the Straits of Magellan where she was met by the Chilean warship Admiral Lynch which was searching for survivors. She eventually reached her home port of Liverpool. 

William enlisted in Liverpool on the 05th November 1914 joining the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22236. He was aged twenty one years and gave his occupation as a steward. He was described as being five feet five and half inches tall, weighed 130lbs, 37” chest, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England and his father as next of kin at 11 King Street, later changed to 20 Wesley Street.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. William arrived in France with his battalion on 07^th November 1915.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 22, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 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. 

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.   

Willie was initially listed as wounded in action, reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 19th August 1916:

“Private William S. Roberts has been wounded. Prior to joining the “Pals” in October, 1914, he was in the service of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.  He is the son of Mr. Harry Roberts, of 20 Wesley Street, Waterloo, and was employed on the “Courier” private wire staff.”

Not long afterwards he was reported wounded and missing in the Liverpool Daily Post on Thursday 09 November 1916: 

Mr. George G. Weiss, of 29 Marine Crescent, Waterloo, contacted the International Red Cross in Geneva, but was notified in a reply dated 11th September 1916 that they held no information on William. (Mr. Weiss had by then retired as the Swiss Consul to Liverpool.  His residence was walking distance from the Roberts home in Wesley Street.) 

After a year of uncertainty and anguish, his family was informed, in July 1917, that the Army Council had declared him, for official purposes, as having been killed in action on or since July 30th 1916.

Willie was buried close to the village of Montbrehain in France. Details were contained in a letter to William's father, from the Imperial War Graves Commission. The letter was dated 26th March 1916 and addressed to Mr H Roberts at 20 Wesley Street, Waterloo, Liverpool:

82 Baker Street,

London, W1

Sir,

I am directed to inform you that in accordance with the agreement with the French and Belgian Governments to removed all scattered graves and small cemeteries containing less than 40 graves, and certain other cemeteries which were situated in places unsuitable for permanent retention, it has been found necessary to exhume the bodies buried in certain area's.  In the process of exhumation the grave of Private W. S. Roberts was located in the vicinity of Montbrehain and his remains have been re-interred in Plot 9, Row L, Grave 4, Guillemont Road Cemetery, Guillemont.

The new grave has been registered in this office. The reburial has been reverently and carefully carried out. 

I am to ask you to be good enough to complete and return the enclosed forms to this office as soon as possible.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant.      

As can be seen from the letter above, that after the war when graves were concentrated, William's body was removed and re-interred in Guillemont Road Cemetery, where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defence's at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

Willie was remembered by his family in the Liverpool Evening Express 31st July 1919: 

ROBERTS - To the cherished memory of Willie, Liverpool Pals, who fell in action at Guillemont, July 30, 1916, the beloved eldest son of Mr and Mrs Harry Roberts, 20 Wesley Street, Waterloo. (Asleep with the brave.)  

Willie was remembered by his family in the Liverpool Evening Express on Monday 01 August 1921: 

He was also remembered by his family in the Liverpool Evening Express on 01st August 1922: 

ROBERTS – In proud and sacred memory of my beloved eldest son, WILLIAM STANLEY ROBERTS (Liverpool Pals), who fell in action at Guillemont, July 30, 1916. (His duty nobly done.) - 20 Wesley Street, Waterloo. 

Willie earned his three medals, which his father signed for.

His Army pay  of £1 1s 10d and a War Gratuity of £7-10s went to his father Harry.  His mother was awarded a pension of 12/6d a week from May 1917.

In 1919 his three brothers and six of his sisters were living at home with their parents at 20 Wesley Street.  Lilian was living in Derbyshire with her husband Herbert Hayto, who had also lost a brother in the war.  Herbert served in the Leicestershire regiment and was taken prisoner in May 1918.  Sadly, Herbert died in 1920 at the age of 30, leaving a young child.

His father died, aged 60, in 1929. 

Willie is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Waterloo and Seaforth Memorial

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 44 Left

A footnote to the story of the Ortega is that in 1918 she was used to transport American troops to France and the following year, on 31st January 1919, made the first voyage through the Panama Canal to Valparaiso.

Grateful thanks are extended to Brian Roberts for permission to use both the wonderful photograph of Wiilie as well the detailed biographical information. 

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