Pte 48377 Richard Rankin

Richard Rankin was the son of Hugh Wilson Rankin.

 

He married Emma Frith Martin, 19, in St. Philip’s Church, Liverpool, on 1st December 1900, giving his age as 25, his occupation as pawnbroker, and his address as 74 Berwick Street.

 

He was the father of seven minor children: Emma, John, Frederick, Ernest, Edward, Albert, and Florence.  The family lived at 9 Mill Lane, Old Swan, Liverpool.

He initially joined the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 48377 before he was subsequently transferred to the 13th Battalion of K.L.R.

 

Richard was initially declared Missing on 03rd May 1917, later presumed killed in action. The Battalion diary gives an insight into the action that Richard was part of on the day he was killed: 

"Throughout the night of 1st /2nd May the Bosche had placed a heavy gas shell, shrapnel and high explosive barrage,on the whole area West of Monchy and the ground South of it. The Barrage threw the back area into confusion.

At 3.45 a.m. on 3 May 1917 commenced The Third Battle of The Scarpe our 3rd Barrage in spite of the Gas and lachrymatory fumes which hung about our batteries near Monachy, opened up punctually, it was followed almost immediately by the Enemy's barrage. Two Companies of the 13th moved out of the front trench. Strong Lewis Gun Fire was maintained on the Enemy's front line to prevent his escaping the barrage by leaving his trenches.

A hostile counter attack was launched at the leading Companies from the North and North  East.
It was beaten back..........A second and strong hostile Counter attack which was delivered from the Northern flank, was met very gallantly, but the line was by this time so thin, no support having come up, that a withdrawal was necessary to prevent the troops being cut off."

The Kingsmen consolidated their position, though constantly under heavy fire. 

The Battalion lost 10 Officers in that attack but the Battalion Diary does not give other Ranks Casualties. However, the Brigade HQ Diary for May 1917 records total losses of the 13th King's from 2nd to 12th May 1917 as 12 Officers and 46 Other Ranks Killed in Action with 32 Missing  and 139 Wounded.

Richard Rankin was one of those casualties referred to.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial in France at Bay 3. 

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

Richard is comemmorated in the Hall of Remembrance inside Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 44 Left.