Pte 57446 Francis James Callan

• Age: 23
• From: London
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 9th April 1917
• Commemorated at: Henin Crucifix Cem
  Panel Ref: A.30

Frank James (Frank) Callan was born in the September quarter of 1893 in Lambeth, London and resided in Drumcondra, Dublin and was the son of Michael James and Margaret Callan (nee Smith), of 5 St. Alphonsus Rd, Drumcondra, Dublin. They were married on the 31st January 1883 at the RC Chapel in Newry, Michael was a 20 year old reporter of Monaghan St, Newry, Margaret was also 20 of Kilcurry St, Newry.

The 1901 Census shows the family living 103 Wishart St, Dennistoun, Glasgow.

The father Michael James, aged 38, was a journalist, mother Margaret is also 38, children Mary M. 15, Elizabeth E. 14, Brigid 12, Patrick J. 10, Frank is 7 years of age and a scholar, and Arthur Leo 5mths.

The 1911 Census shows the family living in Grattan Parade, Drumcondra.

Frank is 17 years of age and a Draper's apprentice. He is living with his parents and two brothers. His father Michael James (48) was born in Belfast whilst his mother Margaret (48) was born in Drogheda. His elder brother Patrick Joseph is 20 years of age and was born in Belfast, whilst his younger brother Arthur Leo (10) was born in Glasgow.  

Frank enlisted in Glasgow, SDGW shows that he was formerly Private 3325, Highland Light Infantry, whilst his medal index card shows that he was serving as Private 59 in the Army Cyclist Corps (previously 1st Lowland Divisional Cyclist Corps). Following transfer he was serving with the 20^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 57446 when he was killed in action on the 09^th April 1917 aged 23 during the Battle of Arras. 

17^th,  19^th & 20th  Battalion at the  Battle of Arras 09^th April 1917

Everard Wyrall records the events of the day  in Volume 2 of his History of the King's Regiment (Liverpool).

The 89^th Brigade formed up for the attack with the 19^th King's on the right and the 20^th King’s on the left. The 17^th King’s supplied the “mopping up" parties and he 2nd Bedfords were in close support.

It was just after 3pm when the advance began “According to scheduled time the waves advanced in good style and with determination; everyone was cheerful and in the best of spirits”

That advance is described by others as magnificent. From the OP’s the observing officers saw a wonderful sight – long lines of men advancing steadily up a long and gradual slope towards the enemy’ front line. Then suddenly they disappeared. The observers quite pardonably, imagined that the German front line had fallen into the hands of the assaulting troops and that the latter were on the way to the enemy’s support line. Alas something very different had happened. When the advancing troops had reached the summit of the long slope up which they advanced the ground suddenly dipped before the German front line , and when the observing officers thought they  were already in the Bosche lines they had not, as a matter of fact, even reached the wire. What the observers took to be the front line was really the support line; the front line could not be seen  - it lay just behind the crest of that slight rise in the ground.

The attacking waves of the 19^th King’s got within 100 yards of the German wire but were then held up. They were faced by three belts of entanglements, practically untouched by our artillery, and nothing could be done but to dig in or else take shelter in the many shell- shell-with which “No Man’s Land" was pitted. By this time the battalion’s losses were very heavy, and when darkness fell “A" and “B" Companies (about 140 in all) lay in shell-holes, two or three hundred yards north east of St. Martin, but just south of the Cojeul River, and “C" and “D" Companies (140 all ranks) were along the river bank, but on the northern side about 150 yards north east of St. Martin.

The first waves of the 20^th King’ advanced at 3.7pm. At 4pm Lieut Beaumont, commanding “A" Company, reported that he had had some forty casualties in passing through the enemy’s barrage. The next message, timed 4.40pm, stated that the position of the battalion at that period was on a crest in front of the enemy’s wire and about 100 yards from it. On the right the 21^st Division was observed to have penetrated the enemy’s front line, but in the left the right Battalion of the 21^st Brigade (the Wilts) was on the St. Martin- Neuville Vitasse road; the left flank of the 20^th King's was, therefore, “ in the air”.

Urgent messages were sent up from Battalion Headquarters to “push on, keeping in touch with right” But little else could be accomplished until those formidable belts of wire had been cut sufficiently to allow the rapid passage of the attacking troops, headed by their bombers.

At 9:30 that night 89^th Brigade Headquarters ordered both the 19^th and 20^th Battalions to withdraw, the former to the two sunken roads running south east from St. Martin, the latter to north west of St. Martin; the guns had been ordered to cut the enemy’s wire during the night in preparation for another attack during the 10^th April.

Of the 17^th King’s  - the “moppers up" – there is little to relate. There was nothing to “mop up" so that they did not function. Yet they had shared all the perils of the advance, and when  after they had fallen back and at midnight held the following positions, “B", “C", and “D" Companies in and around the sunken road north of Boiry-Becquerelle and “A" Company in trenches west of Henin, they lost 2 officers and 16 other ranks killed, and 3 officers and 48 other ranks wounded. 

Frank now lies in Henin Crucifix Cemetery, France, where the inscription on his headstone reads:

“REQUIESCAT IN PACE”

Henin-sur-Cojeul was captured on 02nd April 1917, lost in March 1918 after an obstinate resistance by the 40th Division, and retaken on 24 August 1918 by the 52nd (Lowland) Division.

Henin Crucifix Cemetery is named from a calvary standing on the opposite side of the road. It was made by units of the 30th Division after the capture of the village in 1917.

Henin Crucifix Cemetery contains 61 burials and commemorations of the First World War. Two of the burials are unidentified and eight graves, destroyed in later fighting, are now represented by special memorials.

The cemetery was designed by G H Goldsmith.

Freemans Journal 16th May 1917

IRISH NAMES IN BRITISH REGIMENTS.

WOUNDED

King's Liverpools - Callan, 57446, F.J., Dublin;

Soldiers Effects and Pension were sent to his father Michael James, 5 St. Alphonsus Rd, Drumcondra.

Father died aged 65 on the 12th October 1928 at 5 St. Alphonsus Rd of carcinoma, heart failure. Son Arthur was present at his death.

Londonderry Sentinel 13th Oct 1928

Mr. Michael Callan, of the editorial staff of the "Dublin Independent", died at his residence, Drumoondra, yesterday after a brief illness. He was an Ulsterman and journalist of exceptional ability.

Mother, widow of journalist, died aged 80 on the 13th Sept 1943 at 65 Carlingford Rd, Dublin, of cerebral haemorrhage. Elizabeth McDonagh was present at her death. 

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