Pte 30188 Charles Edward Carbery

• Age: 18
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Charles Edward Carbery was born in Liverpool in 1897 and baptised on the 06th October 1897 at St Bridget's Church, Wavertree. He was the son of Charles Carbery and his wife Lucy (nee Jacques) who had married in 1896. At the time of his baptism his parents lived in Alfred Street, and his father worked as a warehouseman.

Charles Edward was educated at Clint Road Council School.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 9, Thorburn Street, Liverpool. His father, Charles, is aged 32, born 1869 in Liverpool, he is a general porter, whilst his mother, Lucy, is aged 24, born 1877 in Liverpool, has no occupation listed. They have two children living with them, both born in Liverpool;  William aged 4, born 1896 and Charles aged 3. They also have two boarders living with them, John Hope aged 63, born 1838 who is a joiner and his wife Annie aged 49, born 1852 and has no occupation listed. 

Shortly after the census a daughter Elizabeth was born, followed by Lucy in 1903 and John in 1906. Unlike his siblings, John was baptised Roman Catholic.

The 1911 Census shows the family boarding at 81 Wavertree Road, Liverpool. The head of the household is Sarah Elizabeth Bennett a widow aged 35, born 1876 in Mold, Denbighshire. She is living with her son William aged 11, born 1900 in Chester, her sister May Baron aged 30, born 1881 in Mold is an actress. His father, Charles, is now shown as a widower aged 46 and advised that he was married for 16 years and had 5 children. He is a labourer and he has his two sons listed as, William aged 14, a grocer’s assistant and Charles aged 13. There is a further boarder Henry Rushton aged 67, born 1844 and he is an engine fitter. 

Although his father is listed as a widower, his mother Lucy is alive and living at 43 Makin Street in Walton, with Elizabeth, 9, Lucy, 8, and John. She gives her age as 32, place of birth Prescot, Lancashire, and occupation housekeeper.  The name of the head of household, Mr. J. Dennick, is crossed out, and replaced with Mrs. Carbery. (It appears that John Dennick was a steward, and was away at sea.)

Charles enlisted in Liverpool. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, Charles enlisted in about June 1915. He arrived in France some time in 1916 and was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30188 when he was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 18, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.   

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

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.”

He was remembered by his family in the Liverpool Echo on Wednesday 31 July 1918: 

CARBERY—In sad but loving memory of CHARLES EDWARD, killed action July 30,1916. (Eternal rest give unto him). —Mother, Sisters, and Brother (in France). 

Charles' CWGC record shows him as the son of Charles and Lucy Carbery, of 1, Wyndham Street, Walton.

Charles is commemorated in Liverpool's Hall of Remembrance, Panel 9 Right (as Carberry)

His brother, Private 12279 William Carbery served in The King's Liverpool Regiment and survived the war. He arrived in France with the 11th Bn. K.L.R. on 19th May 1915, and was later transferred to 2/7th K.L.R. He became a train driver and died in a rail accident in 1942, aged 45. William was married and the father of six children. 

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on Thursday 20 August 1942: 

EXPRESS DRIVER KILLED HIT BY DOOR WHEN LOOKING AT SIGNALS  

A Liverpool driver of an express train put his head out of his cabin Hartford to watch the signals, and was killed by a blow from the open door of a van in a stationary goods train. This was the evidence at the Northwich inquest yesterday on William Carbery, aged 45, of Chesnut Street, Liverpool. The fireman and guard of the goods train said that when they examined the open door immediately after the accident they found the bolt, which should have secured it, had a worn thread, and it had been fastened with wire. Guard I. H. Eckersley, of Wigan, said he did not notice the worn bolt or the wire when he took charge of the train. He had fifteen minutes in which to examine forty-seven vans in the blackout. A verdict of Accidental death was recorded. 

Soldiers Effects went to his mother Lucy Dennick  she had remarried to John Joseph Dennick on the 14th April 1918 at St Peter's Church, Liverpool. Bachelor John Joseph was a 45 year old restaurant keeper of 1 Wyndham Street, father William deceased, whilst widow Lucy was of 3 Pall Mall, father James Jacques deceased. The effects included a War Gratuity of £4. His mother applied for a pension in May 1918 but her claim was initially refused, reason "No P.D.", (no prior dependence?).  A pension ledger shows a pension of 5 shillings a week awarded from November 1918.

His father Charles Edward had remarried to widow Mary Elizabeth Myers on the 01st May 1916 at St Mary's Church, Kirkdale, also claiming to have been widowed.   

In 1939, then a retired wharf labourer, he lived at 36 Othello Street in Kirkdale, with wife Mary. He gave his date of birth as 21st November 1863 as opposed to the correct 25th November 1862 on his baptism.

Charles died in 1940  aged 77, and was buried on the 07th February at Kirkdale Cemetery.  

In 1939, then aged 61, Lucy was living at 1 Circular Road West, and working as a hotel chambermaid. John had died in 1932, aged 58. 

She died on the 27th August 1943, aged 64. Her death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on Monday 30 August 1943: 

DEATHS  

DENNICK—Aug. 27, aged 64 years, after much suffering, LUCY, the beloved wife of the late John Dennick, and mother of Doll, Lucy, and John. Interment at Allerton Cemetery, on Wednesday next, at 4 p.m. Inquiries: North 2592.

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