Pte 24201 William Spellman Cole

By the 1891 census the couple had two more children, Margaret Louise and Eleanor Lynch. One year old Eleanor is living with her aunt and uncle at 75 Low Hill. Emily, 10, is an inmate in the Seamen’s Orphanage in Newsham Park. Margaret Cole, age 5, born in Liverpool, is found as the “adopted daughter” of John and Mary Ann Riley in Oakamoor, Staffordshire.

His mother died in April 1899, when William was 4 years old, their address at the time was 9 Lytton Street. There’s no trace of a death record for his father but as he’s a ships steward it’s possible he died abroad or at sea.

There is no trace of William Spellman Cole, or his sisters (except Eleanor) in the 1901 census. Eleanor, 11, is living with her uncle and aunt James and Margaret Lynch, and Mary Lonsdale, 26, a niece, at 75 Low Hill.

The 1911 census shows Eleanor, who has lived with her aunt since she was a baby, is married and living with her new husband in her aunts house at 15 Moira Street, along with William Spellman who is a plumbers apprentice aged 16. Emily Clara, 30, is boarding in Southport, working as a confectioner.  

William enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion (No 3 Company) of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 24201. The amount of the War Gratuity, as well as his regimental number, suggest that he enlisted in December 1914.

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. 

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

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 21, 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. 

William was originally posted as Missing. His sister Eleanor put a notice in the Liverpool Echo on 02nd September 1916 asking for information on her missing brother.

His status as Missing was again reported in the Liverpool Express on 28th October 1916:

Information concerning the following soldiers who are reported missing at the front will be welcomed at the addresses given: - (1) Rifleman R. Len. Maybury, K.L.R. 34 Woodcroft-road, Smithdown-road, Liverpool: (2) Private Wiiliam Cole K.L.R. 50 St. Albans, Liverpool.     

His death was later presumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

William was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

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.

His CWGC headstone gives his age as 21, but based on his birthdate, he was 22 years old. Also Eleanor's notice in the Liverpool Echo gives his age as 22.

CWGC corresponded with his sister Mrs. Emily Clara Shewell, 12 Orwell Street, West Derby Road, regarding his headstone.

His Army effects and a War Gratuity of £7 went to his sister Eleanor L. Harrison.

The pension card in the name of his cousin Mary Elizabeth Shewell (daughter of Emily), 15 Arnside Road, Edge Hill, shows that she received a gratuity in lieu of a pension in May 1917.

William is commemorated in St. Cyprian with Christ Church, Edge Hill.