Pte 270104 Isaac Wickstead

• Age: 30
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Isaac Wickstead was born on the 28th February 1887, the eldest son of Isaac Wickstead and his wife Margaret (nee Hughes) who had been married in St Simon's Church, Liverpool on the 17th October 1886. Isaac snr was a 21 year old painter of 49 Bolton St, Margaret was aged 20 of 27 Bolton St, father William. He was baptised on the 24th April 1887 at St Peter, Liverpool, parents address Munster Street(bizarrely the document was dated 1884).

At the time of the 1891 census the family lived at 22 Kinder Street, Liverpool. Isaac senior is a printers compositor who is 26 years old, Margaret is 25 and is working as a cigar maker. Isaac is 4 and has a 1 month old baby brother called Harold. Also living with the family is Margaret’s brother David Hughes who is 19 and a labourer at a paint manufacturer. Sadly baby Harold died the following year aged just 16 months.

By the time of the 1901 census the family had moved to 66 Bismarck Street, Everton. Isaac senior aged 35 is a foreman at a paint factory. Margaret aged 34 is at home looking after her children, Isaac who is a shop boy, David aged 7, Thomas 4 and George aged 1. Little David died the following year at just 8 years old.

The 1911 census records the family living at 50 Ogwen Street, Everton. Isaac is now 24 and is working as an agent for a paper manufacturer. His father aged 43 is a warehouseman in a paint factory and Margaret is aged 42. The census records that Isaac senior and Margaret have been married for 25 years and that Margaret has borne nine children, four of which have sadly died. All the remaining five children are living at home, besides Isaac, there’s Thomas and George, and two daughters who have been born since the last census – Margaret aged 8 and Dorothy aged 5.

Isaac married Bertha Rotholz in July 1913 in Liverpool. Born in Manchester in 1888, Bertha was the daughter of German born Joseph and Esther (nee Elkeles) Rotholz who on the 1911 census were living in 88 Falkner Street. Their first son Harold was born in 1914, a second, David in 1915 and Stanley in 1916. Tragically Stanley died aged just one month.

Prior to the outbreak of war Isaac had been employed as a manager by the Daily Post and Echo in their Everton branch. 

Isaac enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 270104 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 aged 30 during the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar

Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

Isaac has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium. 

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

A paragraph in the Liverpool Echo on the 29th September 1917 pays tribute to their former employee under the headline:

“Another Echo Employee Dies”:

News is now to hand that Private Isaac Wickstead of The Kings (Liverpool) Regiment, previously reported wounded and missing, was killed in action on July 31st. Prior to joining up in February last, Private Wickstead was manager for the “Daily Post” and “Echo” at the branch office in Everton Road where he displayed assiduity and enterprise. He was an extremely popular and likeable fellow and his death is a grief to his old departmental associates. Private Wickham leaves a widow and two children, who reside at 20 Birstall Road, Kensington.

Isaac’s wife Bertha and his parents both put notices in the Echo on the 31st July 1918, the first anniversary of his death:

Wickstead – In loving memory of my dear husband Isaac Wickstead K.L.R. who was killed in action July 31st 1917. Dearly loved and never forgotten by his Wife and Children – 20 Birstall Road

Wickstead – In loving memory of our dear son Isaac Wickstead K.L.R. who was killed in action July 31st 1917 – Never forgotten by his Father, Mother and Sisters 50 Ogwen Street also by Brothers Tom and George in France.

When I call you in the darkness

With regret, and love, and pain,

Shall I never hear you answer,

Never hear you breathe my name.

If I must endure the silence,

Wait with faith till life is past,

Will you meet me at the portals

When I come to you at last?

His sorrowing Mother.

Reported wounded in the Weekly Casualty List 18th September 1917

King's (Liverpool Regiment) - Wickstead I. (Liverpool);

Probate 1917:-

WICKSTEAD Isaac of Burstall Road, Kensington Liverpool private 7th(?) Battalion K.L.R died 31 July 1917 in France Administration Liverpool 9 November to Bertha Wickstead widow. Effects £961 13s 9d.

Isaac is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Christ Church C. of E Church, Kensington, Liverpool

Liverpool Daily Post and Echo.

Mother Margaret died aged 60 in 1927 and father Isaac died aged 71 in 1937.

  

Isaac’s widow was awarded a pension for herself and her two children Harold and David. David died early in 1921 in Liverpool and later that year Bertha and Harold sailed to Philadelphia. Bertha remarried in 1922 becoming Bertha Naylor. Bertha, Harold and Henry Naylor, who was also English, were living in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania in the 1930 census. There are several records of both Bertha and Harold’s names on passenger lists returning to visit family. Harold served in WW2 from October 1940 to October 1945. He died in 1977 in Richmond, Virginia.

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