Pte 30195 William Wright

• Age: 26
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: IX.O.6

30195 Private William WRIGHT, 18^th Battalion KLR.

William Wright was born in Liverpool on 15th September 1889 the son of William Wright and his wife Alice (nee Dickinson) who were married on Christmas Day 1882 at Holy Trinity, Liverpool. William was a 23 year old master carter, father Lt. William Wright, whilst Alice was aged 21, father Thomas, both of 46 Queen Anne St. He was baptised at St. Peter's Church in Liverpool on 30th September 1889. 

The 1891 Census shows the family living at Taylor Street, Liverpool.

His father, William is a 32 year old cart owner born in Liverpool in 1859, whilst his mother was born in Liverpool in 1862. William is one year old and is living alongside five sisters: Margaret aged 8, Jane aged 5, Alice aged 4, Agnes aged 3 and Nellie who is a newborn baby. All of the children were born in Liverpool.    

The 1901 Census  finds the family living at 20 Westmoreland Place, Liverpool.

William is 11 years of age and is living with his father aged 42, mother Alice age 39, and three sisters; Margaret aged 18, Agnes aged 13 and Ada aged 3. Also present is Alice's brother Edmund Dickinson aged 31.

By 1911 William is 21 years of age and working as a labourer in a Flour Mill. He is living with his parents and two sisters at 26 William Moult Street, Liverpool.

The father is now aged 50, a master carter at a flour mill, mother Alice is aged 49 and they have been married for 29 years and have had thirteen children of whom only four are surviving. His sisters still residing in the home  are; Agnes aged 25, a pastry cook, and Ada aged 13 at school. His eldest sister Margaret Williams, aged 28 is now a married woman visiting her parents alongside her husband Oscar Albert Williams aged  28 and their five year old son Albert Oscar Williams who was born on the Isle of Man.   

He enlisted in Liverpool on or about the 23rd June 1915 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 30195 After training, he crossed to France on an unknown date after 31st December 1915, as part of a reinforcement draft for the 18^th Bn who had arrived in France earlier on the 07th Novemeber 1915. 

William was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916 and now rests at Dantzig Alley Cemetery, Mametz, in grave IX O 6. 

The village of Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley (a German trench) and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month and was used by field ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost during the great German advance in March 1918 but regained in August, and a few graves were added to the cemetery in August and September 1918. At the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of 183 graves, now in Plot I, but it was then very greatly increased by graves (almost all of 1916) brought in from the battlefields north and east of Mametz and from certain smaller burial grounds. 

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery now contains 2,053 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 518 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 17 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 71 casualties buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

The Battalion diary records the events of the day:

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks. 

Graham Maddocks provides more detail:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257. 

Liverpool Daily Post 7th Aug 1916 

Killed. 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Wright, 30195, W. (Liverpool); 

Liverpool Echo 2nd July 1917 

LOST AT THE SOMME BATTLE: 

WRIGHT - In ever loving memory of our dear son Private William Wright, 18th K.L.R. (Pals), who was killed in action, July 1, 1916. Sadly missed by Mother, Father and Sisters, 9 Dombey Street, Liverpool. 

Liverpool Daily Post 2nd July 1918 

ROLL OF HONOUR. 

In Memoriam. 

WRIGHT - In ever-loving memory of our dear son Private WILLIAM WRIGHT (Willie), K.L.R., who was killed in action, July 1, 1916. Sadly missed by Mother, Father and Sisters, 9 Dombey Street, Dingle. 

The 1917 Gore's directory of Liverpool shows the incumbent of 9 Dombey Street was William Wright a cargo man. 

A memorial notice was placed in his name and shows the following: 

"Wright - July , 1 killed in action 30195 Private William Wright (Pals) aged 26 years the beloved son of Mr  & Mrs Wright of 9 Dombey Street, Off Park Road South" 

Soldiers effects were sent to his father whilst his mother received a pension. 

William is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 34. 

Mother died aged 77 and was buried on the 2nd Nov 1938 at Allerton Cemetery. 

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