Pte 16423 John Henry Smith

• Age: 28
• From: Liverpool
• 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.

16423 Private John Henry SMITH, 18th Battalion KLR.

John Henry Smith was born in 1888 in Liverpool, the son of William Smith and his wife Mary (nee Denniston) who were married in 1881 at Old Fylde, Blackpool. John was baptised on the 25th March 1888 at St Margaret’s Church, Toxteth where the record shows that the family lived at 32 Northbrook Street, Toxteth and that William was a verger.

The 1891 census records that the family were living at the same address. William had been born in Banbury in 1854 and Mary was born in 1855 in Kirkgunzeon, Dumfries, Scotland. The couple had five sons – Joseph aged 8 who was born in Perth, Scotland, Alexander 6, William 5, John 3 and 6 month old Sidney had all been born in Liverpool. Father William was working as a Sexton(church maintenance), possibly in St Margarets. 

By the time of the 1901 Census, William aged 47, a gas meter inspector and Mary, aged 46, had seven sons – the two youngest, Alban had been born in 1892 and James in 1894. All the sons were living at home which was the same address as the last census.  Joseph is 18 and is a clerk in an electric light company, Alex is  16 and a clerk in a shipping company, William is 15 and is now working as a clerk for an electrical light company, John is 13, Sidney is 10, Alban is 8 and James is 7. 

In 1911,  John is 23 and working as a clerk (a draughtsman) with Liverpool Corporation Electrical Supply Company. He lives with his parents at 65 Hatherley Street, Toxteth, father William is aged 57, still a meter reader, mother Mary is aged 56 and are shown as having been married 29 years and have had 7 children all of whom have survived. His siblings Joseph W. 28, William E. 25,  Alex and  William jnr are working for Liverpool Corporation Electric Supply Department, Sidney 20 is a clerk in the Education Dept, Alban 18 is a junior clerk for a milling and ship biscuit maker and James W. 17 is a junior clerk in an estate agents. (Alex not on Census). 

John Henry enlisted on 31st August 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, giving his occupation as a draughtsman with Liverpool Corporation Electric Supply Department, and his next of kin being his father who now lives at 20 Fletcher Drive, Grassendale, Liverpool. John is described as 5’ 6”, weighing 119lbs, 34” chest, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His religion was 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 the 7th November 1915.

He had home leave in the UK between 17th and 27th in May 1916, on his return from leave, he was attached to the Machine Gun School at Camiers between 11th and 21st June 1916.

John Henry was killed in action at Montauban on 01st July 1916 with No 1 Company, 18th Battalion.

The events of that day for the 18th Battalion were:

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 18th 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.

John has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme in common with many of his comrades who have no known grave.

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.”

On 18th July 1916, the City Electrical Engineer writes on behalf of the family to ask for any information concerning John Henry “who was an employee of this Department. We have heard unofficially that he has been killed in action and as his people have received no notification I should be glad to hear of any information”.

John’s mother was already grieving when John was killed as his father William had died aged 62 and was buried in Allerton Cemetery on the 04th April 1916, just weeks before his son was killed.

John’s war record shows that in 1919 his mother was still living at 20 Fletcher Drive with her sons, Joseph, Sidney, Alban and James. Alex had married in 1907 and was living at Willow Road, Bournville, Birmingham and William was living at Tennyson Street, Liverpool.

Liverpool Daily Post on 3rd April 1916 

SMITH - March 30, at 20 Fletcher Drive, Cressington, Liverpool, aged 62 years, William the beloved husband of Mary Smith. Interment at Allerton Cemetery (tomorrow) Tuesday at 2pm. 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Mary, 20 Fletcher Drive, Cressington.  

His brother, Alban, born in 1892, enlisted as a Liverpool Pal joining the 22nd Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment on 04th November 1915 and went to France on 11th July 1916, a matter of days after his brother was killed, as replacement in the East Lancashire Regiment as Private 32236. He was wounded in France, a gunshot, while he was part of the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force on 12th August 1917. He was demobilised in June 1919. 

Mother Mary not on the 1921 Census at 20 Fletcher Drive, but still there on the 1922 Electoral Roll:- 

First name(s), Last name, Birth year, Birth place, Parish, Registration district, County,  

Alban, Smith, 1892, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Garston, West Derby, Lancashire,  

Sidney, Smith, 1890, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Garston, West Derby, Lancashire,  

James W, Smith, 1894, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Garston, West Derby, Lancashire, 

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