Pte 51965 Charles Campbell

• Age: 17
• From: Glasgow
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Charles Merrilees Campbell was born in 1898 in Shettleston, Lanark and was the son of David Campbell and his wife Mary Stevens Merrilees who were married in Liverpool in 1889. His father was born in 1859 in Lanarkshire and was a baker by trade whilst his mother was born in 1861 in Kirkdale, Liverpool.  

On the 1901 census the family are living at 8 Victoria Buildings, Shettleston, Lanark. His father, David, is aged 42, a baker born in Lanarkshire, his mother, Mary, is aged 38 born in England, and son Charles 2. 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 9 Cobb Avenue, Litherland, Liverpool. His mother, Mary, is aged 46, and has no occupation listed. She was living with her son Charles aged 12, born 1899 born in Shilliston, Lanark and her adopted daughter Lillie aged 7, born 1904 in Seaforth and of school age. They have a boarder by the name of August Figel aged 22, born 1889 in Meersburg, Germany and he is a ship’s cook. Although his father David is not found on the census, he appears on electoral rolls at 9 Cobb Avenue from 1905 to 1916.

Charles enlisted in Liverpool initially joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. After a transfer he was was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 51965 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916, aged 17, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

Going on the 1911 Census return, it would appear that Charles lied about his age on enlistment as he would appear to be only 17 when he was killed in action. 

Charles was initially declared Missing and was reported as such in the Liverpool Daily Post on the 16th November 1916: 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Campbell, 51965, C.; 

His International Red Cross record shows that Miss Campbell, c/o H. T. Blundell, Estate Agent, 219 Marsh Lane, Bootle, contacted the ICRC seeking information on Charles, missing since 16/10/1916 (sic). She received a response stating they had no information on Charles, sent on 18/05/1918.

Charles' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, 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 01^st 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.”

Soldiers Effects records that his death was presumed to have occurred on or since 12th October 1916.

War Gratuity of £3 father David.

A pension was paid to his mother, Mary, of 14 shillings a week

9 Cobb Avenue, Litherland

Charles is also commemorated on the following War Memorials:

Litherland Civic Memorial

St Andrew’s C. of E. Church, Linacre

Lander Road School, Litherland

St Philip’s C. of E. Church, Lad’s Brigade, Litherland.

His mother died, aged 60, in 1922 and his father died, aged 90, in 1947 in Wallasey. 

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