Pte 21649 Frank Williams

The 1901 Census finds thar the family is living at 116 Tarvin Road, Chester, with seven children. His father, 41, is railway engine driver born in Holyhead, and his mother is 37.  George, 16, is a hairdresser apprentice, Agnes 14 Elizabeth E. 12, Dorothy 10, Robert H. 7, Frank is 4, and Eva 1. Also in the household is his uncle Richard Weaver 26, a railway engine steam raiser. 

 

Frank attended St. Paul’s School, Boughton, Chester, and later Love Street School.

 

The family are still in Tarvin Road in 1911, at No. 130. His father, aged 51, is still working as a railway engine driver, and his mother is 47years old. They advised that they had been married for 27 years and have had 10 children. Nine of the children are at home;  Agnes, 24, is a milliner, Elizabeth, 22, has no occupation, Dorothy, 20, is a dressmaker, and Robert, 17, is a fitter’s apprentice, mechanical, for the railway, Frank is 14, working as a hairdresser,  Eva 11, Albert 9, Dennis 7, and Doris 5, are at school. 

 

His eldest brother George had gone into business as a hairdresser in Foregate Street and Frank joined him in the business after leaving school.

 

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 04th September 1914 as Private. His service number was originally written down as 18250 but was crossed out in favour of 21649. He joined the 3rd City (19th) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. He gave his age as 19 years and 99 days and his occupation as clerk. He was described as being 5’ 4 and three quarter inches tall, weighing 114 lbs, 34" chest with a sallow complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. He stated his religion as C. of E. He gave as next of kin, his father Henry Williams, at 126 Tarvin Road.

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.

 

The day before the four Pals Battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station on 30th April 1915, Frank was posted to the K.L.R. Depot  and remained in the U.K. until being posted to the 19th (Pals) Battalion on 19th January 1916.  

 

20/01/1916 embarked at Folkestone on S.S. Onward

22/01/1916 joined at 30th I.B.D. Etaples

04/02/1916 joined 19th Bn in the field

Frank was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 20, 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. 

Frank was initially declared Missing on 30th August, 1916.

 

In the Nantwich Guardian on 08th September 1916:

“Mr. and Mrs. Williams, of 126 Tarvin Road, Chester, have received official news that their son, Private Frank Williams, of the Liverpool Regiment, has been reported missing since 30th July.  Prior to enlistment he was in business with his brother, Mr. G. W. Williams, hairdresser, Foregate Street, Chester, who is now abroad with the R.G.A.”

 

Frank’s name appeared in the list of K.L.R. Missing published in the Liverpool Post & Mercury on 18th September 1916.  His death was later presumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

His body was not recovered 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.”

His death was announed almost a year later in the Cheshire Observer on Saturday 21 July 1917; 

His father received Frank’s Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £8-10s.  His mother, at 126 Tarvin Road, was awarded a pension of 4/- a week from June 1917.  His father signed for Frank’s medals in November 1921.

 

His older brother George, Gunner 77055, served with the 242 Siege Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery. He was killed in action on 29th September 1917, aged 32. He now rests in Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery, Flanders.

 

His family paid tribute to George in the Cheshire Observer on Saturday 21 September 1918; 

In 1919 his three surviving brothers and sisters Agnes, Eva, and Doris were living at home and his married sisters Elizabeth and Dorothy were also living in the area.

 

In 1939 his widowed mother Ellen, 75, is living with daughters Eva, 40, and Doris, 34, at 40 Chester Road, Huntington, near Chester.  It is not known when his mother died.

Both brothers are commemorated on The Chester Citizens Memorial and on the family gravestone in Overleigh Old Cemetery, Chester;