Pte 16479 William Robinson

• Age: 22
• From: Eastham, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

16479 Private William ROBINSON, 18^th Battalion KLR.

William Robinson was born in 1894 in Eastham, Cheshire on 26th February 1894, the eldest of four children born to Isaac, a lock gateman with the Manchester Ship Canal Company, and his wife Mary (nee Green), who married at St Mary, Eastham on 04th May 1893 when both were 28 years of age. He was baptised on the 4th March 1894 in Eastham. 

The 1901 Census finds 7 year old William living with his widowed father and two siblings at Eastham Village.

His father is 37 years of age and was born at Hooton, he is still employed as lock gateman. William's siblings are shown as May aged 6, and Joseph aged 5. There is also a servant declared in the household, Alice Eccleston aged 50.

By 1911 William, now aged 17 is employed as a domestic gardener and is living with his widowed father, now aged 47 and working for the Manchester Ship Canal, at Eastham Locks. His father declared that all four of his children had survived. Both May now aged 16 and Joseph aged 15 and also a domestic gardener are still living in the family home.     

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 04^th September 1914, aged 20 years 190 days and gave his occupation as clerk and his next of kin as his father of 4 Eastham Locks. He is described as being 5' 6" tall, weight 115lbs, 34” chest, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He gave his religion as Church of England.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th 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

He crossed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on 07/11/1915, and between 25^th March and 7^th April 1916 was attached to 30^th Division Grenade School.

He was killed in action at Montauban on 1^st July 1916, aged 22 years, as part of No2 Company.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257. 

William has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.  

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.”

The Birkenhead News of 15^th July 1916 reported:

Also Amongst The Killed.

Private Robinson Reported Dead.

A friend of Private William Robinson of the 3rd Pals battalion, K.L.R.,  [Make note he was 2nd Pals/18th, CWGC state he was with No.2 Coy] has written informing the soldiers relations that he has met his death in the recent "Push". The soldier, who resided at The Locks, Eastham, was a gardener by trade, but at the formation of the Pals, immediately offered his services and was sent to the Western front some months ago. No official information of his death is at present to hand. 

William is also remembered on the Eastham war Memorial at the junction of Stanley Lane and Village Road, Eastham, Wirral.

Soldiers Effect to brother Joseph, Pension to sister May. 

Father died aged 61 in 1925. 

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