Pte 300520 Thomas Dudley Young

• Age: 21
• From: Birkenhead, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 28th March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

 

Thomas Dudley Young (Tom) was born in Birkenhead in the summer of 1896, the youngest son of William Young and his wife Ada Jane (née Speet). His parents, both born in Liverpool, married on the Wirral in 1885 by Registrar and also in Liverpool at at St. Bride With St. Saviour. Church in 1887.  Tom was the youngest of six children, one of whom died young. He had two brothers and two sisters, Ada, Cyril, Eva, and Vyvian, all born in Cheshire.  He was baptised in Hoylake, Cheshire, on 24th September 1896, his parents’ residence given as Great Meols, and his father’s occupation as commission agent.  His father was a tea salesman, and his grandfather a tea broker.

 

 

In 1901 the family is living at 19 Rufford Road, Fairfield, Liverpool, with five children. His father 36 is a commercial traveller, mother Ada J.  is 36 years old. They have five children in the household; Ada Forster 14 b.West Kirby, Cyril Egerton 13 b.West Kirby, Eva Gladys Woodwood 11 b.West Kirby, Vyvian Leigh 8 b.Gt Meols, and Tom Dudley 4 b.Wallasey.

 

By 1911 they have moved back across the Mersey to Wallasey and are living at 26 Danehurst Road, an 8-room house. His father, 46, is a cork traveller, his mother is 47. They advise that they have been married for 24 years and have had 6 children 5 of whom have survived. Two children are at home: Eva is 21, and Tom is 14, at school. His eldest brother Cyril is found on crew lists on transatlantic routes. His brother Vyvian has joined the Royal Engineers and is listed on the census at the R.E. barracks in Gillingham, Kent.

 

Tom enlisted in Knowsley as Trooper 250387, 1/1st Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry.  The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he served for 43 months, enlisting at the outbreak of war in August 1914, when he was just turned 18 years old.

 

At some point Tom was transferred to the 18th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 300520, most likely in September 1917, when 290 officers and men of the Lancashire Hussars were drafted to the 18th Bn K.L.R., becoming the 18th (Lancashire Hussars) Battalion., The King’s Liverpool Regiment. 

 

He was declared Missing between 21-28 March 1918.  His father contacted the International Red Cross enquiring about Tom, wounded and missing since 24th March.  A telegramme was sent in response on 30th April, “not yet reported”.

 

His death was later presumed, for official purposes, to have occurred on 28th March 1918, aged 21.

The Battalion Diary gives an insight into the chaotic events of the day

28^th March

At about 6am the enemy commenced to shell heavily the whole of the forward line and brought Trench Mortars and MACHINE Guns into action.

FOLIES was shelled and the area in the rear of the village as far back as LE QUESNEL.

Rations were received at dawn and parties were organised to carry them to the Companies on the right. Owing to the heavy fire, however, it was not possible to get them up.

Heavy fighting was in progress on the right from soon after dawn and at 8am the enemy was reported to be in possession of BOUCHOIR and progressing towards the BEETROOT FACTORY. About 10am  the 59^th Infy Brigade was notified that it was relieved by the French and the Battalions of that Brigade were at once withdrawn in the direction of LE QUESNEL.

At noon the enemy was bombarding the village and vicinity heavily and reports were received that he was in occupation of WARVILLERS on the left and ARVILLERS on the right.

The front line East of FOLIES continued to resist until about 2pm when the order was received from the 89^th Infy Brigade to the effect that the Battalions were relieved by the French and would withdraw at once to MEZIERES, where the men would be fed. Companies withdrew under some shelling and very heavy M.G. and rifle fire from the left , through K10 -K3 – North side LE QUESNEL to the main ROYE road and reorganised about D.29 c. The march from this point was conducted in good order despite the congested roads.

At MEZIERES it was decided to continue a rearward movement and the march was resumed via VILLERS-MOREUIL – MORISEL – ROUVREL, which village was reached about 7pm and the Battalion billeted. The men had marched 13 miles from the left position in good order and with practically no straggling. They were exhausted on arrival at ROUVREL, but in good heart.

Echelon ‘A’ of the Transport joined the Battalion at this village and the men were fed immediately on arrival. The night passed without incident.

Thomas has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930. 

A local newspaper reported his death:

“Pte. Thomas Dudley Young is reported killed in action on March 22.  Twenty-two years of age, he was educated at the Wallasey Grammar School, and joined up with the Lancashire Hussars, and transferred to the King’s Liverpool Regt.  He was apprenticed with Messrs. Henry Tate and Sons, sugar refiners, Liverpool, in the chemist laboratory, and was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. William Young, 26, Danehurst Road, Wallasey, who will be very grateful for any news concerning him.”

 

His pension documents were received from the paymaster on 06th November 1918, perhaps giving an indication that Tom was not officially reported killed in action until near the war’s end.

 

His father William, 26 Danehurst Road, Wallasey, received Tom’s Army effects and a War Gratuity of £20-10s.

Thomas is commemorated on the Wallasey Grammar School Memorial.

 

His brother Vyvian served in France from 22nd August 1914 with the R.E. as a Warrant Officer and survived the war.

 

His brother Cyril applied for U.S, citizenship on 10th August 1914 in Port Arthur, Texas.  His U.S. WW1 Draft Card, shows that he claimed a physical disability (tip of finger) but was drafted into the U.S. Navy in May 1918 and was demobbed in August 1919. He became a US citizen in December that year. He died in 1930, aged 43, in a naval hospital in New York and was buried in a national cemetery (for military veterans) in Brooklyn, as an Ensign, U.S. Navy.

It is not known when his father died, but we know he was still alive in 1930 on the death of Cyril:

Liverpool Echo 10th December 1930

YOUNG - November 23, at New York, aged 43 years CYRIL, beloved eldest son of William and Ada Young, 26 Danehurst Road, Wallasey.. 

His mother died in 1933 aged 71. 

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