Pte 52836 Robert Tynan

• Age: 31
• From: Walton, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: V.A.12

Robert (Bob) Tynan was born 03^rd February 1885 and baptised 22^nd February at Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church son of Thomas Tynan and his wife Elizabeth Mary (nee Cole). His parents were both born in Ireland and married on the 5th October 1878 at St Anthony’s Church, Liverpool. Thomas was from 5 William Moult Street, father Martin, whilst Elizabeth was of 239 Great Cheetham Street, Salford, father John.   They had twelve children all born in Liverpool, two of whom died in infancy. Bob had older siblings Mary, born in 1880, James 1881, and Thomas Edward 1883, and younger siblings Joseph 1887, Ann 1888 (who died at age 1), twins John and Peter, 1889 (John died in infancy), John 1892, Helena 1894, Elizabeth 1896, and Daniel 1898.

At the time of the 1891 census the family is living at 59 Bulwer Street, Everton with five sons and a daughter.  His father is 40, a Police Constable; Robert is six years old.

In 1901 they are living at 28 Chirkdale Street, Kirkdale now with nine children.  His father, 51, is a Police Sergeant, his mother is 45, and Robert is 16, a joiner’s apprentice.

Bob married Annie Hollis Tracey at St. Luke The Evangelist Church, Walton in 1906. Their son William Hollis was born in 1908 but sadly died at the age of ten months, (the family then living at 9 Woodhouse Street, Kirkdale). Another son Richard Hollis was born on 22nd January 1910.

The 1911 Census shows Robert, married, is living in his mother’s house living at 44 Lenthall Street, Walton, Liverpool. His father is not present, mother Elizabeth is married aged 54 born 1857 in Rathdowney, Ireland. She has been married for 33 years and has had 12 children, 10 of whom have survived. She has five children in the household, all born in Liverpool, at the time of the Census. Robert aged 26, born 1885 occupation general labourer in a tin canister works, John aged 19, born 1892 occupation provision clerk, Helena aged 17, born 1894 apprentice in dressmaking, Elizabeth aged 14, born 1897 an apprentice in Milinery and Daniel aged 12, born 1899 still at school. 

His wife, Annie, 25, is found with son Richard, aged one, at the home of her parents, John and Ann Tracey at 23 Furness Street, with brothers Richard Hollis and William Daniel.  Her father and brothers are all shipwrights.

He enlisted in Bootle and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52836 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 aged 31 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

Bob was buried close to where he fell and his grave marked with a cross (the Grave Registration form showing No. 5185 King’s Liverpool), with four other soldiers, all unknown.  

After the war when graves were concentrated he was correctly identified and reinterred in Warlencourt British Cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

His death was later officially accepted as having occurred on 12th October 1916.

His children were six and two years old when Bob was killed. His widow Annie received his Army pay and a War Gratuity of £3.  The pension card, giving her address as 68 Wilburn Street, Walton Road, Liverpool, shows that she was awarded a pension of £1-2s-11d a week for herself and two children from June 1917.  She later moved to 23 Furness Street, Kirkdale.

His family paid tribute on the first anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Echo on 12th October 1917:

“In loving memory of Robert (Bob), the beloved son of the late Thomas Tynan and Mrs. Tynan, who was killed in action October 12.

  He did his duty nobly, and never counted the cost;

    He was a true soldier, he died at his post.

  His name is written in letters of love

    In the hearts he has left at home.

(Ever remembered by his Mother, Sisters, and Brothers.)”

His brother John (Jack) served with the 1/10th K.L.R. Territorials before the war. He was released from his job with the Allan Line in December 1914 and volunteered for overseas service on 02nd January 1915. He arrived in France on 27th March and was declared Missing at the Battle of Hooge on 16th June 1915.  He was not officially reported killed until eleven months later, in May 1916. Jack is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres.

Jack’s service record survives and shows that in 1919 his mother Mary was living at 73 Makin Street. His siblings are listed: brothers Thomas 35, Joseph 32, Peter 29, and Dan 20, and sisters Mary 40, Helena 25, and Elizabeth 23.  

His brother Peter joined the Royal Navy in 1906 as a Boy and served through the war. He was wounded when his destroyer, H.M.S. Contest was sunk by a submarine in September 1917 while assisting a torpedoed steamer in the Western Approaches.  He survived the war.

A newspaper notice stated that five brothers served.

Annie remarried James Quinn in 1939.  

On the 1939 register taken in September, Annie, 55, date of birth 06th Decmener 1884, and her husband are living at 16 Newark Street, off County Road, Liverpool.

Annie died in 1962 aged 77.

His son Richard married, and died in 1968. His daughter Vera married in 1937 and had a family. She died in 1990 aged 75.

Although Jack is commemorated in Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 38 Right, Bob has not been found on any local memorial.

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