Pte 29659 Arthur Donnison Taylor

He was educated at Arnot Street School, Liverpool from 1899.

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 33 Euston Street, Walton. Arthur's mother Clara is head of the household. She is married and is aged 37, born in Hull in 1864. Arthur is 7 years of age. He has four siblings living at the home address; Clara G. born in 1888 in Middlewich, Cheshire, his three other siblings were all born in Liverpool; Wilfred born 1891, Elsie born 1892 and Ernest born in 1897. 

His father, Joseph, appears in 1902 register of the Prince of Wales Masonic Lodge, Westminster Road. He is aged 34, an engineer of 33 Euston Street. 

The 1911 Census shows the family are still living at 33 Euston St Walton Liverpool. Arthur's mother Clara is again declared as head of the household. She is still shown as married. Arthur is aged 17 and is a junior clerk for a forwarding agent. He has two brothers also listed in the household; Wilfred aged 21, and an apprentice marine engineer and Ernest aged 14, is a milk boy.  

His father was on the electoral roll in 1914 at Euston Street but thereafter his whereabouts are unknown. He may have died at sea. 

Arthur enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 29659. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about May 1915.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th 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. 

Arthur arrived in France on 29th December 1915.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 22, 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.   

Arthur was buried close to where he fell (with an unidentified soldier of the 19th Bn.) and, after the war when graves were concentrated, his body was identified by his ID disc and reinterred in Serre Road Cemetery No.2, Beaumont Hamel (Graves Registration form shows the date 1931).

In June 1916, the road out of Mailly-Maillet to Serre and Puisieux entered No Man's Land about 1,300 metres south-west of Serre. On 1 July 1916, the 31st and 4th Divisions attacked north and south of this road and although parties of the 31st Division reached Serre, the attack failed. The 3rd and 31st Divisions attacked once more on the 13 November, but again without success.

Early in 1917, the Germans fell back to the Hindenburg Line and on 25 February, Serre was occupied by the 22nd Manchesters. The village changed hands once more in March 1918 and remained under German occupation, until they withdrew in August.

In the spring of 1917, the battlefields of the Somme and Ancre were cleared by V Corps and a number of new cemeteries were made, three of which are now named from the Serre Road. Serre Road Cemetery No.2 was begun in May 1917 and by the end of the war it contained approximately 475 graves (Plots I and II, except for Row E, Plot II which was added in 1922 and Row AA, Plot I which was added in 1927), but it was greatly enlarged after the Armistice by the addition of further graves from the surrounding area.

There are now 7,127 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery, mostly dating from 1916. Of these, 4,944 are unidentified.

The cemetery, which was not completed until 1934, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Serre Road Cemetery No.2 was begun in May 1917 and by the end of the war it contained approximately 475 graves but it was greatly enlarged after the Armistice by the addition of further graves from the surrounding area. There are now 7,127 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery, mostly dating from 1916, of which 4,944 are unidentified.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 22nd August 1916:

“July 30, killed in action, aged 22 years, Private Arthur Davidson (sic) (Art) Taylor (Pals), the dearly-loved son of Clara and the late J. R. Taylor, 33 Euston Street, Walton, and grandson of the late Rev. J. R. Taylor. (Deeply mourned by all.)”

“July 30, killed in action, Private A. D. (Arthur) Taylor (Pals).  (Sadly missed by his loving Fiancée Dolly and all at 250 County Road, Walton.)” 

Arthur earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £4 went to his mother Clara, who was awarded a pension of 10/- a week from April 1917.

Arthur was remembered a year later in the Liverpool Echo on 30th July 1917, under the heading, “Lost At The Battle Of Guillemont”:

“To the dear memory of Private Arthur D. (Artie) Taylor, 19th K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action July 30, 1916, the dearly-loved son of Mrs. and the late J. R. Taylor.

We have lost him, we who loved him

But, like others, must be brave;

For we know that he is lying

In a British soldier’s grave.

(Sadly missed by Mother, Sisters, and Brothers.) - 33 Euston Street, Walton.” 

“In loving memory of my dear brother, Private Arthur Donnison Taylor (Liverpool Pals), second son of Clara and the late J. R. Taylor, killed in action in France July 30, 1916.

Far and oft my thoughts do wander

To a grave not far away,

Where they laid my loving brother

Just one year ago to-day.

- His loving Sister Gertie.”

“In fond remembrance of Private A. D. (Arthur) Taylor (Pals), who was killed in action July 30, 1916. (They miss you most who loved you best. Ever remembered by his fiancée Dolly and all at 250, County Road, Walton.)”

Arthur is commemorated in Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 38 Right