Pte 34935 Abraham Yates

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

Abraham Yates was born in 1896 in Horwich, Bolton the eldest son of William James and Betsy Yates (nee Mosscrop) who were married in 1895.

The 1901 census shows William and Betsy, both aged 27 and both born in Bolton, living at 6 Grundy Hill Horwich. As well as the 5 year old Abraham, the couple have two more children 2 year old Thomas and 6 month old William James. William senior is working as a stationery engine driver. Horwich was the site of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway’s works for construction and repairs of locomotives. The works was built in 1886 and the 1911 census shows both William senior, Abraham and a lodger doing jobs which almost certainly meant they were working there.

The 1911 Census shows the family living now at 3 Grundy Hill, Horwich. Abraham’s father William James is a Labourer on the railway. His wife Betsy Emma is at home looking after five children. Abraham who was aged 15 is now an apprentice in the railway forge, Thomas aged 12 is at school part-time and William James 10, Esther Hannah 8, and Charles, aged 7, are all at school. They also have a boarder called William Wiggins aged 45 whose occupation is a Plate Layer on the Lancs and Yorkshire Railway.

Abraham married Eleanor Longworth in early 1916 and a daughter also called Eleanor was born in June 1916.

He enlisted in Preston and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 34935 when he was killed in action on the 18th October 1916, aged 20, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive. Whether he ever saw his baby daughter we do not know.

18th Bn Diary

18th October 1916

Attacked German trenches commencing 3.40 am. Relieved by 19th Manchester Regt. Took up position in support Bn trenches W. of Goose Alley.

Graham Maddocks in his book Liverpool Pals gives an overview of the events of the day:

“At 3.40 am the whistles blew, and the Battalion left its assembly trenches, in three waves, approximately fifty yards apart, and began to cross No Man’s Land. Almost immediately, the German Barrage fell on the first wave and halted its advance, so that the second wave soon caught up with it. This was not a great problem at first, and the two combined waves were able to advance together for about 300 yards, whereupon they encountered the German Grid Trench system. On the right of the advance, it was found that the wire was largely intact, apart from a few gaps, and the Germans bombed and machine gunned these gaps, which prevented any further progress. Elsewhere along the trench, however, the wire was cut and there did not seem to be any serious opposition. Nevertheless, the men hesitated to jump down into the German trenches, and instead, began to filter back across to the safety of their own lines.

By this time the third wave had caught up, as had a fourth wave, which had been detailed to mop up any opposition once the trenches had fallen, and all four waves became intermingled which added to the confusion. No less than three attempts were made to try to get the men to go forward again, but each attempt became markedly less successful than its predecessor, and eventually the attack came to a standstill. Although the British assembly trenches had received the attention of the German guns, the attackers in No Mans Land had not come under any great intensity of fire up until this point.

However, once it became obvious to the Germans that the attack was disorganised and faltering, they began to fire into the massed men from the flanks. It was probably this that finally settled the issue and convinced the Pals that they could no longer gain the enemy trenches, and all four waves, now merged into one, began to retreat to their own lines. The whole attack had been an abysmal failure, and no ground had been gained at all”.

Abraham was reported Missing and the family had an agonising wait before any confirmation of his death was received. The Bolton Journal of 17th August 1917 carried details of the confirmation of Abraham's loss:

"Private Abraham Yates, who has been missing for 10 months, is now presumed to have died on October 10th, 1916, in the King's Liverpool Regiment, prior to which he worked for the Musgrave Spinning Co Ltd., as a maker-up in the cop packing department. Aged 21, he leaves a widow and one child at 21,Dougill-st.,Bolton,and is on the Roll of Honour at Chorley Old Road Wesleyan Church".

Abraham has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France.

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.”

He is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

Horwich Roll of Honour

Bolton Roll of Honour (printed Book)

Bolton War Memorial

The 1939 Register shows Abraham’s parents living in Blackpool, and his wife and daughter living together in Valletts Lane in Bolton. His daughter would marry the following year.

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