2nd Lieut Geoffrey Ellison Wilkinson

• Age: 18
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Geoffrey Ellison Wilkinson was born in Garston, Liverpool on 10th August 1897 the son of Frank Wilkinson and his wife Harriet Jemima (nee Crowe) who were married in London in 1891. He was baptised on 12th September 1897 at St Mary's Church, Grassendale, Liverpool. The family are living at Grassendale Park and his father's occupation is recorded as a Timber Merchant. Geoffrey had 2 older sisters, Stella b. 1892 and Thelma b. 1895.

The 1901 Census finds Geoffrey as a 3 year old living with his parents and two elder sisters at Rose Villa, Grassendale Park, Garston, Liverpool. His father, Frank is a timber merchant born in Liverpool in 1848, whilst his mother, Harriet, is shown as having been born in Birkenhead in 1855. His elder sisters Stella and Thelma were also born in Garston, Liverpool.    

On the 1911 Census his parents are still in Grassendale Park. His father, Frank, is aged 63, a timber merchant, mother Harriett is 56. They advised that they had been married for 19 years, and had 3 children. Only one child is present in the household; Thelma is aged 15 and at school. They also have a cook, a housemaid and two visitors. 

He was educated at Braeside School, Devonshire Road, West Kirby and is included in the 1911 Census as a boarder at the school.

In 1912 he subsequently moved to St Edwards School, Oxford.

He enlisted on 10th August 1914, when he was just 17 years old, the date being his 17th Bithday. He joined as Private 1560 in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He served in the Southern Hospital, Portsmouth for a few months. On 14 December 1914 he was commissioned and posted to the 15th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment. He arrived in France on 06th February 1916.

He joined the 20th Battalion, in France 14th February 1916. At this time it was stationed in billets at Bray sur Somme. From 10th to 21st April 1916, he attended with two NCO’s a course of instruction at the 30th Division Engineering School, at Piquigny, and on the 4th July 1916, after the start of the Somme Battle, he acted as a guide to the incoming South African Unit, when the Battalion was relieved in the trenches near Maricourt. On 23rd July, he made a four hour night time patrol of the German line, and the following night, repeated this with a patrol of the German wire.

He was killed in action six days later, on 30th July, during the Battle of Guillemont. He was aged eighteen.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 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. 

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 05th August 1916:

"Second Lieutenant Geoffrey E.Wilkinson, killed on July 30th, was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wilkinson, of Grassendale Park, Liverpool. He was educated at Braeside School, West Kirby, and St.Edward's School, Oxford. He enlisted on August 10th, 1914, on his seventeenth birthday, and obtained his commission on December 14th, 1914, in the King's Liverpool Regiment, and on going out to France in February last he was attached to one of the "Pals" battalions".

His body was not found and identified after the war and he is commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, at Thiepval.

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.”

Geoffrey is also commemorated on the Memorials at:

St Edward’s School, Oxford

Hall of Remembrance at Liverpool Town Hall. (Panel 35) 

 He is also Commemorated on the family grave of the Crowe family, his maternal Grandparents, at Flaybrick Cemetery, Birkenhead, Cheshire.

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