L/Cpl 17306 Alfred James Clayton

Alfred senior died on the 13th January 1911 at the age of 59, so by the 1911 census Catherine is a 52 year old widow living with her five children at 39 Radcliffe Street. Alfred is 20 and is working as a pawnbrokers assistant, Fanny (Frances) is a machine attendant in a printing works, Catherine, 16, and Alice, 14, have no occupation, James, 12, is at school.  They have a 20-year old boarder, Samuel Watton, from Walsall, Staffordshire. 

Probate for Alfred's father was not granted until January 1916, effects of £72-11s-4d to Alfred James, Lance-corporal in H.M. Army.

Probate:- 

CLAYTON Alfred of 39 Radliffe Street Liverpool cotton porter died 13 January 1911 Administration Liverpool 4 January to Alfred James Clayton lance corporal in H.M. Army. Effects £72 11s 4d. 

Alfred’s war record has been lost but he enlisted in Liverpool in the first week of September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 17306.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

He arrived in France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on 07th November 1915.

Alfred was serving in the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Lance Corporal No 17306 when he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 25, 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.   

Alfred was buried close to where he fell and after the war when the graves were concentrated he was reburied and now rests at Guillemont Road Cemetery, France. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.  

Nearly nine months later Alfred was reported Killed in Action in the Liverpool Daily Post on 19th April 1917: 

Killed in Action. 

"Lance-Corporal Clayton, K.L.R. Previously reported missing. He resided with his parents at 37(sic), Radcliffe Street, Everton." 

And formally in the Liverpool Daily Post - Tuesday 01 May 1917 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW 

REPORTED KILLED. 

Liverpool R. - Clayton, 17306, Lce. Cpl. A. J.; 

He left a will which went to probate, effects of £97-14s-3d to Frederick London, accountant (relationship unknown).

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to executor Frederick London.

His mother Catherine was awarded a pension of 9 shillings a week from April 1917.

Brother James served as Private 93578 in the K.L.R. (battalion not known), and was transferred to the 9th Cheshires as Private 51848. He survived the war.

Tragically, earlier in 1916 Alfred’s sister Catherine died aged only 21. She was buried in Anfield Cemetery on 16th March 1916. 

His sister Fanny married Ernest Baker on 05th June 1917 at St Francis Xavier's Church. Fanny died in 1935.

His mother Catherine died in 1933 aged 72. 

Liverpool Daily Post - Tuesday 28 February 1933 

CLAYTON February 27, peacefully at 39 Radcliffe Street in her 73rd year, CATHERINE, widow of the late James Clayton. R.I.P. Funeral arrangements later 

In the 1939 Register Alfred’s unmarried brother James and sister Alice are still living in the family house at 39 Radcliffe Street. James and Alice are found on electoral rolls at 39 Radcliffe Street  until 1966. James died in 1967, aged 67, living in Woolfall Heights, a new tower block in Huyton. Alice died in 1973.