Pte 17500 Henry Antrobus Weston

• Age: 22
• 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 (Harry) Antrobus Weston was born in Liverpool on 05th March 1894, to Thomas Antrobus Weston and his wife Margaret Emily (nee Grubb). He was baptised in St. Augustine's Church, Everton, on 01st April, with his parents living at 146 Salisbury Street and his father’s occupation wheelwright. His parents married in 1882 and had eleven children;  he had older sisters Alice Emily. Nellie Antrobus, Jessie Evelyn, and Florence Ann, and younger siblings Doris Mona and Gilbert Ronald Alan.  Four sons died young:  William and Thomas in infancy, and Charles and Donald at age two.

In 1901 they are at 150 Richmond Row, Liverpool, with five daughters and Harry, 7.  His fathe,r is aged 46, a wheelwright and blacksmith, employer, his mother Margaret is 39, children Alice E. 16. Nellie A. 14, Jessie E. 11, and Florence A. 9, Henry A. 7, and Doris M. 1.

Harry attended Rathbone Council Elementary School until age 14, when he enrolled as a day scholar in Liverpool Collegiate School in January 1909 (his father’s occupation given as coach builder, proprietor). 

The 1911 Census shows the family are still living at 150 Richmond Row, Liverpool. Harry's father Thomas Antrobus is aged 55, born 1856 in Liverpool his occupation is recorded as a wheelwright and blacksmith, whilst his mother Margaret Emily is aged 48, born 1863 in Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. They have been married for twenty eight years and have had eleven children of which four had sadly died. Those listed on the Census as living at home are; Alice Emily aged 26, born 1885 is an art teacher, Henry aged 17, born 1894, Doris Mona aged 11, born 1900 and Gilbert Ronald Alan aged 5, born 1906 are all at school.

Harry passed the Oxford local junior examinations in 1912 and left the Collegiate school in December 1913 to take up a position as junior clerk with Monks Bros. (shipping).

Harry enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion  of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 17500. He gave his age as 19 years and 180 days and gave his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet nine and three quarter inches tall, weighed 119lbs, 34” chest, with fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England and next of kin his father Thomas, of 150 Richmond Row.

Formed on 7^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.

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion.

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. 

He was initially declared Missing on 30th July 1916. His parents appealed for information in the local paper on 7th September 1916.  They suffered the anguish of not knowing their son’s fate for nine months. His name appeared in the list of Previously Reported Missing now Reported Killed on 1st May 1917. 

Harry's body was either not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. 

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.”

His parents paid tribute to Harry on the first anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Echo on 30th July 1917, under the heading, “Lost At The Battle Of Guillemont”:

“In affectionate remembrance of H. A. Weston (Harry), aged 22 years, K.L.R. (3rd Pals), dearly-loved and eldest son of T. A. and M. E. Weston, 150, Richmond Row, killed in action July 30, 1916.” 

Harry earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his father. A pension card has not been found, suggesting his parents did not apply for a pension.

In 1919 his parents were in Richmond Row with Doris, 19, and Gilbert, 14. His older sisters were all married; Alice Waller, 34, Nellie Helsby, 32, and Jessie Williams, 29, lived in Liverpool. Florence Sherwin was living in Yorkshire. (Florence’s son Peter, 2nd Lt. Devonshire Regiment, was killed aged 20 on 08th May 1944 on the India/Burma border and now rests in Imphal War Cemetery, India.)

His parents moved to Leominster, Hereford, where his father died in 1926 aged 70.

In 1939 his widowed mother, 77, is living in Leominster.  She died in 1949 aged 87.

Harry is commemorated on the following memorials -

Liverpool Collegiate School

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 32 Left

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