Pte 52092 William John Walker

William John Walker was born on the 22nd January 1887 in Devonport, Devon, the son of William Walker and his wife Margaret Ann (née Scott). His parents married in 1886 in Devonport.  His father William was 33, occupation given as engine room artificer, R.N., father James, Margaret Ann was 19, she was a British subject, born in Gibraltar.   William was baptised on the 23rd July 1887 in Stoke Damerel. After William was born they had a daughter, Ethel Blanche, in December 1890.  His mother was a British subject, born in Gibraltar. 

His father, William, appears on the 1881 census at 22 Moon St, Stoke Damerel. He is a 27 year old RN seaman with his widowed mother Ann E. and 4 siblings. 

By the time of the Census of 1891 (taken on 5th April) his mother Margaret, 23 and widowed, is living at 25 Edinburgh Road, Stoke Damerel, Devonport. She is employed as a sempstress, William is 4, Ethel is 3 months old.  Also in the household is Margaret’s sister, Sarah Scott, 19, a British subject born in Singapore, employed as a domestic servant.

 

Margaret remarried in 1893 in Devonport to George Henry Peters, who was from Cornwall and also served in the Royal Navy.  It is not known when or why the family moved to the Liverpool area, but by 1901 they are living at 44 Cochrane Street, Everton. His stepfather, 47, is a watcher for H.M. Customs, his mother is 33, William is 14, employed in a printing works, Ethel is 10.

 

In 1909 William, 22, is found on crew lists on the S.S. Haverford, an American Line transatlantic liner, on the Liverpool to Philadelphia run.  He earns £3 a week as a steward and gives his address as 16 Baltic Street, Liverpool.

 

In 1911 his mother and stepfather are living at 122 Granton Road, Everton. His stepfather is a Royal Navy pensioner, and a watcher for H.M. Customs, his mother is 43, they have been married for 18 years, but had no children. His sister Ethel has married. William is not found on the census; likely he is at sea. 

William enlisted in Liverpool joining in the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52092.

He was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive. 

It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day James was killed:

It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.

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. Those German regiments 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.

Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”

Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench.

He was buried close to where he fell. After the war when graves were concentrated, William was identified from his disc, his body was exhumed and he was rebuired. He now rests at Serre Road No2 Cemetery, Beaumont Hamel, France.

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.

William earned his two medals. 

He is also remembered on the Roll of Honour at St Luke’s Church. 

William’s effects, Army Pay of £5 11s went to his mother, and a War Gratuity of £3 to his sister, Mrs. Ethel B Catling. His mother, living at 1 Redbrook Street, Anfield, Liverpool, received a pension of 10/- a week.  

 

His stepfather died in December 1918 aged 64 and was buried in a public grave. His mother appears to have returned to Devonport and died there six months later, in 1919, aged 52.  His sister Ethel had a son in 1918 she named William John.  

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