Pte 22259 George Smith

• Age: 25
• From: West Derby, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• D.O.W Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

22259 Private George SMITH, 20th Battalion KLR.

George Smith was born on the 24th March 1890 in West Derby Road, Liverpool, the son of Frank Tipping Smith and his wife Sarah (nee Jackson) who had been married in May 1878 at Christ Church, Everton. George was baptised on April 09th 1899 in St Peter’s Church, Liverpool.

At the time of the 1891 census George was the baby of five children. He had four siblings – Norman aged 10, Harold 8, Caroline 7 and 2 year old Margaret. Their father Frank was 40 and had been born in Stratford-On-Avon, his wife Sarah was 29 and was born in Liverpool. Frank was working as a licensed victualler on the premises at 241 West Derby Road which was a pub.

George's mother, Sarah, died before the next census which was in 1901. The family are still living at the pub at 241 West Derby Road, Liverpool. His father, Frank, a widower aged 50, has five of his children living at home; Harold  aged 19 is helping out at the pub, Caroline, 17, is a confectionary assistant, and Margaret 12, George 11 and Walter 8 are at home. Norman had left home and was working as a barman in a pub in Great Charlotte Street. The family also have two domestic servants, Mary Metcalf and Elizabeth Scrimshaw.

Frank and four of his children were living at 47 Withens Lane in Liscard, Cheshire when the 1911 census was taken. Margaret aged 22 is assisting at home and in Frank’s hardware business, George is 21 and an apprentice at Ogdens Tobacco factory, Walter, 18, is an apprentice plumber and Frank also has had another daughter called Teresa age 8. It is not known if Frank remarried and was again widowed, so it is unclear who her mother was.

George enlisted in Liverpool on November 13th 1914 joining the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22259. He was recorded as being employed as a clerk with Ogden’s Tobacco Company in Liverpool where he had been since 1911. He is described as 5’ 6”, weighing 123lbs with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England.

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.

George arrived in France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on  November 07th 1915.

He was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on the 01st July 1916 and reported to have been fatally wounded by gun fire.

War diaries for the 20th Battalion shows the details of the day:

Maricourt

Zero Hour 7.30am. After 65 minutes intensive bombardment the Battalion advanced to the attack of the German trenches. The Battalion advanced in four lines each of the two leading Companies on a frontage of 2 platoons – No’s 1 & 2 Companies (in that order from the right) leading. No.3 Company in the 3rd wave, No.4 Company in the 4th wave. There being a distance of about 100 yards between each line. The lines advanced through the enemy’s artillery fire as though on parade in quick time. The leading waves went on without a pause to Alt Trench and Casement Trench which were secured at (time not stated) am. The casualties up to this being small. Our barrage lifting Dublin Trench (the 1st Objective) was captured and consolidation immediately proceeded with. Captain Whiting with the 3rd wave entrenching about 150 yards in the rear. Captain Robinson was wounded and No.2 Company was commanded during the day by Lt C P Moore. Casualties up to now were killed 2 officers – 1 wounded and 49 other ranks casualties killed and wounded.

At 11.50 am orders were received for the assault of the Briqueterie. The Battalion operation orders for this were issued from NW of Germans Wood. Our barrage lifted at 12,30 pm and No. 4 Company under Captain E C Orford assisted by a section of bombers under 2nd Lt Baker who went up Nord Alley and Chimney Trench to secure his left flank, who had got right forward under cover of the fire of our guns rushed it almost without opposition. On the far side a party of the enemy were found in deep dug-outs. They brought a machine gun into action and some close fighting ensued in which Lt Gooch and Lt Williams were wounded. Opposition was however speedily overcome and the garrison consisting of the H.Q. of a Regt, one Colonel and 4 other officers – 40 rank and file , 2 machine guns together with maps, orders, documents and material fell into our hands. Steps were immediately taken for consolidating the ground won, which however owing to the destruction wrought by our “heavies” was a matter of great difficulty, what had been trenches being almost unrecognisable as such and the earth so pulverised that cover could only be made by aid of sandbags.

The garrison was heavily shelled through the afternoon and most of the night and casualties were many. Battalion H.Q. were at the junction of Glatz Alley and Casement Trench north west of Germans Wood and this together with Dublin Trench received considerable attention from enemy guns. Casualties during the day 2 officers killed (2nd Lts F Barnes and JC Laughlin) and 3 wounded (Captain H H Robinson, Lt S Gooch and 2nd Lt F J Williams). 75 other ranks killed and wounded.

George 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.”

He is also commemorated on the war memorial of Imperial Tobacco Co (Ogden’s), Boundary Lane, Anfield, Liverpool.

George’s brother Walter enlisted in the 14th Cheshire Regiment Machine Gun Corps in December 1915. He survived the war and was discharged in July 1919.

As of July 1919 his siblings were recorded as; Norman aged 40, Harold 39, Walter 26 then resident at Middlesex War Hospital at Napsbury, Hertfordshire, Caroline 37, Margaret 31 and Tersea aged 17.  

Their father Frank died in 1933 and is buried in West Derby Cemetery.

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