Pte 21641 Henry Irvine Voce

• Age: 20
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Henry Irvine Voce was born on 06th October 1895 in Liverpool and was the son of Thomas Voce and his wife Annie (nee Murphy). His birth was registered as Irvine (no other name), and he was baptised (Irving) in Sacred Heart R. C. Church, Liverpool, on 21st October 1895 and confirmed in the same church when he was 11, on 18th November 1906. He is listed as Irvine on the Censuses. Both born in Liverpool, his parents married on the 02nd September 1879 at Our Lady and St. Nicholas and St. Anne's C.of E. Church, Thomas was a 22 year old hairdresser of London Road, father John a mariner, whilst Annie was aged 19 also of London Road, father Arthur a warehouseman. Irvine was the youngest of eight children; his siblings were Arthur, Isabella, Elizabeth Christina, Thomas, Annie, Georgina, and John Stanley. 

In 1911 they are still at 19 Harper Street. His mother is widowed and aged 50, and is a housekeeper, Thomas, aged 25, is a restaurant cook, Stanley,  aged18, is a junior clerk for a mineral water company, and Irvine is aged 15, and a student (church). 

Prior to the outbreak of war he had been employed at Messrs Liptons of Liverpool. 

He enlisted under the name Henry Irvine on the 04th September 1914 at Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 21641. He advised that he was aged 19 years and thirty days (in fact he was 18 years and 11 months old) and gave his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet eight inches tall, weighed 131lbs, 34" chest, with a brown complexion, brown eyes, brown hair and has an appendix scar. He stated his religion as Roman Catholic and his mother was named as next of kin at 17 Harper Street..

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. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

He was killed in action whilst trying to capture an enemy machine gun on the 30^th July 1916, aged 20, 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.      

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 21st August 1916:

"Private H.I. Voce, " Pals." Was educated at the Sacred Heart Schools and the Catholic Institute. Was twenty years of age, and lived at 17 Harper-street, Liverpool. Was employed by Liptons Limited"

Also the Liverpool Courier reported on 22nd August 1916

Pte. Harry Irvine Voce (Liverpool Pals), of 17 Harper street, Kensington, killed whilst trying to capture an enemy machine gun. Formerly employed at Messrs. Lipton's Liverpool office.

Irvine Voce has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, in France.

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.”

Irvine is mentioned by Willie Wrigley's father in a tribute to his son and his two best Pals H I Voce and Charles Heath published in the Liverpool Echo on 30^th July 1917, under the heading ‘Lost At The Battle of Guillemont’ –

“July 30, 1916.  In grateful and loving memory of Privates W.J. Wrigley (Willie) H.I. Voce, and Charles Heath (Pals) killed at battle of Guillemont, Somme. (Never forgotten by Willie’s dad.  R.I.P.)”

Additionally in the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 his family paid tribute to both Irvine and Willie Wrigley:

“In loving memory of our dear son and brother Private Irvine Voce, also his chum Private William Wrigley, both 19th K.L.R. (“Pals”), who fell at Guillemont, July 30, 1916. R.I.P.” 

Further tributes were paid on the second anniversary of his death in 1918:

Irvine earned his three medals. His 1914-1915 Star, issued to Henry G Voce, was returned for amendment.

His Army effects were shared by mother Annie and sister in law Kate (widow of Arthur). The War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his mother.   

The pension card in the name of his mother at 17 Harper Street and later 50 Sutherland Street, shows that a pension of 5/- a week was awarded from March 1917:  “living soldier 36451 K.L.R. Thomas Voce”.

In 1919 Stanley, 26, was living at home with his mother at 17 Harper Street;  Annie, 31, lived in Southport; his other sisters were married: Isabel, 39, in London; Elizabeth, 35, in Birkenhead; and Georgina, 28, at 50 Sutherland Street, Liverpool.  Thomas, 32, was still on active service.

His eldest brother Arthur had served in the 1st Vol. Bn. K.L.R. and in 1900 enlisted in the R.G.A. Lancashire Artillery in 1900 and soon after joined the 21st Lancers. He was discharged in January 1913 and died at 32 in August 1914.

His brother John Stanley served in the Merchant Navy during the war and was discharged in December 1916 with a Silver War Badge.

His sister Georgina’s husband Thomas Norton died aged 32 in an accident in Germany in January 1920 serving with the Military Foot Police, and now rests in Cologne Southern Cemetery.

His married sister Elizabeth had a son in 1917 she named Henry Irving Voce Evans.  He served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 224 Squadron as a Flight Sergeant. He was killed when his Hudson light bomber failed to return from an operational flight off the coast of Brittany on 06th February 1942.  Henry, 24, is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

His mother died, aged 63, in January 1924 and was buried on the 26th January at Ford Cemetery, her address at the time of her death was 50 Sutherland Street. 

Irvine is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 35.

Catholic Institute War Memorial, now located in St Edwards College Chapel, Sandfield Park, West Derby, Liverpool.

A memorial cross stands in front of Sacred Heart Church, but unfortunately the names are now illegible: 

   PRAY FOR THE 

SOULS OF THOSE 

WHO FELL IN THE 

  WAR 1914-1919 

Grateful thanks are extended to Michael Voce for allowing permission to use the wonderful photograph of Irvine. 

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