Pte 42762 William Wright

• Age: 32
• From: Southport, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

William Wright was born in the September quarter of 1885, was the son of Annie Wright. 

Annie married Peter Lloyd on the 25th June 1892 at St Luke's Church, Southport. Annie was a 30 year old spinster of 22 Laurel Grove, with no details of her father given. Peter was a 26 year old painter of 121 Higher Park Road, Churchtown, his father recorded as Wyckliffe. [22 Laurel Grove was occupied by another William Wright on electoral roll]

William married Maud Ethel Leyland on the 26th March 1904 at Duke Street Methodist Free Church, Southport.

William and Maud Ethel went on to have two more daughters - Gladys born 1911 and Ethel born 1915

Prior to enlisting William had been employed for 13 years as a porter at the Cheshire Lines, Lord Street Station and was a member of the National Union of Railwaymen. He was also a prominent member of the All Soul’s Church, Norwood

He enlisted in June 1916 at Southport and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 42762 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 32, during the Third Battle of Ypres.

Passchendaele 31st July 1917

17th Battalion

He was killed in action on 31st July 1917 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.

During the action and their time in the line the 17th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3rd -4th August.

In a letter to his wife, his Captain says:

“I very much regret to inform you of the death of your husband Private Wright, of this battalion, killed in action in the recent fighting at the beginning of this month. He was killed in an attack on the German trenches, and died as he always lived, very bravely. As his company commander, I thought very highly indeed of your husband, he was always cheerful under the worst circumstances, and I shall miss him very much. Please allow me to express my sincere sympathy with your great loss.”

William's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, at Ypres in 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.

William is also commemorated on the Southport War Memorial.

After the war his mother lived at 113 Upper Aughton Road, Birkdale, Southport and his wife lived at 160, Norwood Rd, Southport.

His wife remarried in 1918, her husband was Elias Tremayne. The couple had two sons Ronald born in 1918 and Kenneth born in 1922. 

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.