Pte 51649 Harold Clay

• Age: 26
• From: Litherland, Liverpool
• 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.

Harold Clay was born in the September quarter of 1889 in Litherland and resided in Waterloo and was the son of Frederick John Clay and his wife Margaret (nee Hankin) who were married on the 29^th April 1880 at St Helen, Sefton.  Prior to the outbreak of the war he worked as an engineer's labourer. 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living with his Grandmother at Ivy Cottage, Ford Lane, Liverpool. His Grandmother is shown as Ellen Hanken, she is 70 year old widow living with her son Thomas aged 34 and daughter Ellen aged 24. Her other daughter is Margaret Clay aged 24 born in Litherland, Liverpool, her husband Frederick is a 42 year old house painter born in Liverpool, their children John aged 8 and Harold aged 1 are also recorded.

The 1901 Census shows the family are now living at 2 Chapel Street, Waterloo. His father, Frederick J. is aged 51, a house painter born in Liverpool, his mother Margaret is aged 50 born in Litherland.  Harold is 11 years of age and has two siblings John F. aged 18 a water gas maker (gas co. works) and sister Margaret E. aged 9. All children are recorded as being born in Litherland.  

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 18 Chapel Street, Waterloo.  His father, Frederick John, is aged 62, and still a house painter, his mother Margaret is aged 60, they advised that they had been married for 30 years and have had five children, three of whom have survived. Those listed on the Census are; Margaret Ethel aged 19, born 1892, John Frederick aged 28, born 1883 is a joiner and Harold aged 21 is an engineers labourer. 

He enlisted in Liverpool as Rifleman 4192 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked from Folkestone-Boulogne on 19th July 1916 reaching the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 20th July. He then proceeded to the 11th Entrenching Battalion on 02nd August and proceeded to 17th Battalion K.L.R. on  05th August and was posted from 05th September 1916 to 17th K.L.R. as Private No 51649. 

Harold was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 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.”

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

Liverpool Daily Post 30^th Oct 1916 

CLAY - October 12, killed in action, age 26 years, Private Harold clay K.L.R., youngest son of Mr and Mrs F. Clay of Waterloo. 

Soldiers Effects to father Frederick 

Harold is also commemorated on the Waterloo with Seaforth Civic Memorial.

His mother died, aged 77, in 1928 and his father died, aged 82, in 1931. 

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of George's service with the 6th Rifles.  

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