Pte 17762 Francis Wilson

Francis was baptised on 29th March 1891 in St. Oswald’s Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool.

In 1891 the family is living at 22 Church Road, Stanley, Liverpool. His father is 59, a collector of local rates, his mother is 28. His half brother Joseph Wilson, 26, is a book keeper. Mary is 8, James 6, Bernard 1, and Francis is under one month old. They still have Elizabeth Garnett with them, also a domestic servant. 

 

His father appears to have died in about 1895, leaving a widow with five children under 12.

 

The 1901 census finds his widowed mother, 38, at 170 Islington, Liverpool with five children. James is 16, a plumbers apprentice, Bernard is 11, Francis is 10 and Edith 8. They have 4 boarders and a lodger. 

 

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at 170 Islington, Liverpool. His mother Fanny is now aged 48 and her occupation is shown as a boarding house keeper. His mother states that four of her six children are still living. Those recorded as living at the property at the time of the Census are shown as; Mary Gertrude aged 28, born 1883  in Lea Green, Lancashire. Bernard aged 21, born 1890 is a nurseryman orchid grower, Francis aged 20, born 1891 occupation finance clerk and Clare aged 18, born 1893 is a shorthand typist. These three children were all born in Liverpool. Also living at the address are two boarders William Ellis Atherton aged 36, born 1875 who is a news clerk and Francis Lythgoe Leghbourne aged 66, born 1845 a baker and flour dealer who were both born in Liverpool. 

From this record it appears that his brother James has died. His sister Mary Gertrude married their boarder William Atherton in 1913.

Francis enlisted on the 11th September 1914 at Liverpool joining the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 17762 giving his age as 23 years and six months and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being 5 feet eleven and three quarter inches tall, weighed 130lbs, 36” chest had a fresh complexion with hazel coloured eyes and brown hair. He stated that his religion was Roman Catholic and next of kin his mother, Fanny, at 170 Islington. 

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 7^th November 1915.

He was killed in action, whilst serving with No.2 Company, on the 30^th July 1916, aged 25, 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. 

Francis 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 mother placed a notice in the Liverpool Echo on 16th August 1916:

“July 30, killed in action, aged 25 years, Private Frank Wilson (“Pals”), the dearly-loved youngest son of Fanny and the late James Wilson, 170, Islington.  R.I.P.”

 

Frank earned his three medals which his mother signed for.  No personal effects were forwarded.

 

His mother Fanny, at 170 Islington, was awarded a pension of 8/- a week from March 1918. His army pay and war gratuity was shared with his brother Bernard. 

 

In 1919 his mother provided information on Frank’s living relatives:  Edith, 26, was living at home;  Mary Gertrude Atherton, 36, lived in Liverpool;  his brother Bernard, 30, 622522 A.S.C., was stationed at G.H.Q. 3rd Echelon, Hotel Metropole, Alexandria, Egypt  (he had previously served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers).

 

 

She died aged 83 in 1946.