Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Pte 241890 Richard Conlon

Age: 33
From: Manchester
Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
Panel Ref: P21-23

Richard Conlon was born on 20th May 1884 in Manchester and was baptised on 05th July 1884 at St Joseph's Church, Ancoats, Manchester. He was the only son of James Conlon and his wife Mary (nee Doherty) who were married in 1875.

The 1881 Census shows that the family are living at 3 Smarts Court, St George, Manchester. His father, James is aged 26 a pork butcher, his mother, Mary, is aged 25 and is a hawker. They have a daughter Mary A. aged 1. All of those listed were born in Manchester.

By the time of the 1891 Census the family have moved to 2 One Court, St George, Manchester. Father James is missing, mother Mary 34 is now shown as having been born in Ireland. They have four children in the household; Kate 15, Mary A. 12, Richard 7 and Jane 2.

His mother, Mary, died in the March quarter of 1897, aged 42.

The 1901 Census finds the family have moved to 1 Bowker Court, St George, Manchester. Richard's widowed father James is 45 working in a market, he has four children living with him; Mary A. aged 21 a shirt machinist, Richard is 16 a railway porter, Jane 11, and Ellen 9.

His father died in the September quarter of 1906, aged 51.

The 1911 Census shows Richard living with his two sisters at 107 Teignmouth Street, Manchester. Richard is aged 26, born 1884 occupation stoker for a steam boiler, Jane is aged 22, born 1889 and Ellen is aged 19, born 1892.

Richard married Margaret Byrne in September 1912. They went on to have two children Margaret Mary born 16th November 1913 in Prestwich and Winifred born 07th June 1916 in Salford.

He enlisted in Liverpool as Rifleman 4229 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles). He embarked from Southampton on 16th June 1916, joining the 55th Division Base Depot on 17th June 1916, subsequenbtly attached to the 1/9th K.L.R. on 02nd July 1916, he rejoined the 6th Bn K.L.R. on 04th August 1916. He was wounded in action on 25th September 1916 with a GSW to thigh. He was admitted to the 38 CCS on 30th September 1916 and onto 26 General Hospital on 01st October 1916. He returned to England on a Hospital Ship at Dieppe on 05th October 1916.

Upon recovering from his wounds he returned to France, embarking from Folkestone - Boulogne on 23rd March 1917. He joined the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 27th March 1917.

He was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 241890 when he was killed in action on the 22^nd March 1918, aged 33, during the German Spring Offensive.

The Battalion diary gives an overview of the events of the 22nd March 1918 as follows:

22^nd GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

Richard has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial in France.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

Soldiers Effects(incorrectly indexed 247890) and Pension to widow Margaret, and children Margaret Mary and Winifred, address Hightown, Manchester.

Richard is commemorated on the Wm North & Co Ltd Memorial Board.

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

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

Killed On This Day.

(108 Years this day)
Sunday 22nd April 1917.
Pte 52865 Hyman Barnett Gadansky
28 years old

(107 Years this day)
Monday 22nd April 1918.
Pte 136181 Edwin Williams
19 years old