C.S.M 17509 John Cuthbert White

• Age: 26
• 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.

John Cuthbert White was born in 1890 at Liverpool and resided at 62 Monk Street, Everton, Liverpool. He was the son of John White and his wife Elizabeth (née Hardy). Both his parents were born in Liverpool and married on the 29th May 1887 at St Michael in the Hamlet Church, Toxteth. John snr was a 26 year old sail maker of South Street, father William Martin deceased cooper, whilst Elizabeth was aged 20 of Balkan Street, father Cuthbert harbour master. John was the second of four children. His siblings were Emma, born in 1888, William 1891, and Ellen 1894.

At the time of the 1891 Census the family is living at 12 Louisa Street, Everton. His father, is aged 30, a sailmaker, his mother Elizabeth is 23;  Emma is 2 years old and John is 10 months old. 

By  the time of the 1901 Census, they have moved to 9 Joshua Street, Everton. His father, 40, is still a sailmaker, his mother is 34. They have four children; Emma is 12, John 10, William 9, and Ellen 7.

His mother died in June 1905, aged 38, when John was 14 or 15 years old, the family then living at 76 Monk Street.

He was an old boy of St Peter’s, Everton, Sunday schools, was educated at Heyworth Street Schools, Everton and was an assistant for the Cork Steamship Company.

He had previously served in the 9th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment and had enlisted in April 1908, aged 17 years and 11 months his occupation as a clerk and gave his address as 76 Monk Street, Liverpool and he signed up for one year. On turning eighteen he signed on for a further two years.

26.7.08-2.8.08: Annual training in the Isle of Man.

1.8.09-15.8.09: Traing at Caerswys.

1.4.10: Promoted to Corporal.

24.1.09: Re-engaged for a further two years. 

31.3.12: Discharged after four years service. 

The 1911 Census shows John as a boarder aged 21 living at 15A Briardale Road, Poulton cum Seacombe, Cheshire and his occupation is freight clerk.

His widowed father,  aged 50, is at 14 Orient Street with William, 19, a hairdresser’s assistant, and Ellen, 17.  Emma is married and living in Stockbridge Street.  Not long after the Census his father moved around the corner to 62 Monk Street.

John married Elsie May Devonshire at St Paul's Church, Seacombe on 09th June 1913. John was a 23 year old shipping clerk of 15a Briardale Road, Elsie was also aged 23, same address, father William Joseph a deceased police constable. Elsie, was born 15th May 1890 and was born and raised in Liverpool but by 1911 was living with her parents in the Isle of Man, working on her own account as a milliner.  No records of children born to the marriage have been found.

He re-enlisted soon after the outbreak of the war at St George's Hall, Liverpool on 02nd September 1914, joining the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 17509. He advised that he was married, aged 24 years and 110 days and gave his occupation as a clerk. He said he previously served in the 9th King's Liverpool Regiment. He was described as being five foot seven and a half inches tall, weighed 123lbs, 34" chest, being of  sallow complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair. He stated that his religion as Church of England. He had light scarring over his right shoulder and chest due to burns. He gave as next of kin, his wife Elsie at 33 Dewsbury Road, Anfield.

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 07^th November 1915.

His service papers show:

02.9.14: Promoted to Corporal.

19.9.14: Promoted to Sergeant.

In December 1914 Elsie notified Infantry Records of a change of address; she had moved back to her parents’ home in St. John’s in the Isle of Man, 4 Pretoria Terrace. 

01.6.16: Granted leave to the UK to 10.6.16.

13.6.16: Appointed acting Company Sergeant Major.

13.06.16: Promoted in the substantive rank of Company Sergeant Major.

John was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 26, 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.   

John was initially reported Wounded, to Field Ambulance, and subsequently Wounded and Missing. 

It was not until many months later that the family anguish was finally at an end when his death was finally reported in the Liverpool Evening Express on 24th April 1917:

Company-sergeant-major J.C. White who was reported missing, is now officially reported killed in action on July 30th, 1916. He was an old boy of Everton St. Peter's Sunday Schools, and resided at 62 Monk Street, Everton.  

John's body was not found or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. 

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.”

He earned his three medals;  the 1914-1915 Star shows his name as John A. White.

Elsie received his Army pay and a War Gratuity of £15-10s, and was awarded a pension of 18/9d a week from April 1917.

In 1919 his widow Elsie, living in the Isle of Man, provided information on John’s living relatives: his father’s address as of three years ago was 62 Monk Street, Liverpool, and she could provide the names of his brother William, and sisters Emma Parkinson and Ellen White, but not their ages or addresses.

Elsie remarried by 1922 and had three daughters, one of whom died at age 4.

His father died in 1932 aged 71, still living at 62 Monk Street. 

John is commemorated on the following Memorials: 

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 34

Isle of Man National War Memorial

He is also remembered on the De Ruvignys Roll of Honour