Pte 22655 Bernard Cosgriff

Bernard Cosgriff was born on 18th November 1893 and baptised in SFX Church on 25th November 1893, Bernard was the third eldest of three sons and a daughter born to Bernard John and Catherine Cosgriff (nee Murphy) who had married in May 1881 at St Peter’s Priory, Liverpool.

In 1901 the family lived at 127 Gregson Street, Everton, when his father is shown as a 52 year old born in Liverpool, his occupation listed as foreman stevedore. His mother is 45 years of age and is a tailoress. His siblings are shown as; John James aged 15 and a parcel delivery van lad, Richard aged 10 and Margaret aged 3. 

Catherine died in 1906 and in 1908 John Bernard, of 13 Cockburn Street, married Lucy Smith, of 22 Jacob Street in Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Toxteth.

In 1911 Bernard John a foreman stevedore with the Harrison Line, is shown at 129 Beresford Road with Lucy, his wife, his son Bernard, 17 years old and a hairdresser’s apprentice, his daughter, Margaret aged 13 years, and Lucy’s daughter from a previous marriage, Sarah Smith aged 26 years. 

Bernard enlisted in Liverpool on the 09th November 1914, joining the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22655, his occupation was listed as a barber. He is described as being 5' 9" tall, weighing 149lbs with a fresh complexion,  grey eyes and light brown hair. His religion is stated as Roman Catholic. 

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th 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 on 7^th November 1915.

Whilst in training at Knowsley in February 1915 he was caught gambling in barracks and was confined to the barracks for eight days. On 19th April 1915 he was appointed Lance-Corporal. Bernard was reduced to the rank of Private by the Commanding Officer on 22nd February 1916 for neglect of duty in the trenches.

During the advance at Montauban on the 01st July 1916, he was wounded in the back and initially admitted to 96 Field Ambulance before being transferred to 38 Casualty Clearing Station (Heilly) where he died on 3rd July 1916.

The 18^th Battalion Diary gives an insight into the Battle during which Bernard was wounded.

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257. 

Bernard now rests at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt L'Abbe, France, Plot I, Row E, Grave 10

The 36th Casualty Clearing Station was at Heilly from April 1916. It was joined in May by the 38th, and in July by the 2/2nd London, but these hospitals had all moved on by early June 1917. The cemetery was begun in May 1916 and was used by the three medical units until April 1917. From March to May 1918, it was used by Australian units, and in the early autumn for further hospital burials when the 20th Casualty Clearing Station was there briefly in August and September 1918. The last burial was made in May 1919. There are now 2,890 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. Only 12 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 21 casualties whose graves in the cemetery could not be exactly located. The cemetery also contains 83 German graves. The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials. Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted. Instead, these badges, 117 in all, have been carved on a cloister wall on the north side of the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

He was reported as Died of Wounds in the Liverpool Daily Post on 24th July 1916:

King's(Liverpool Regt) - Cosgriff, 22655, B.(Liverpool).

Soldiers Effects and Pension to father Bernard who was at this time living at 62 Belgrave Road, St Michaels, Aigburth and who also received Bernard’s 3 medals (BWM, VM and 1915 Star).

In April 1919, Bernard senior submitted a sworn declaration naming Bernard’s family as Bernard, Lucy, Richard Cosgriff (brother) 27 years and serving as 130213 with his address shown as Middle Medical Ward, 42 Casualty Clearing Station, B.E.F.; and Lucy’s daughters Sarah Smith, 32 years, and her sister Lucy Rafferty, living at 30 Exmouth Street, Everton.

Joe Devereux in his book “A Singular Day on the Somme”, assumes that Richard Cosgriff was serving in 42 CCS . He had enlisted in RFA on 7th September 1914 in Liverpool but on 17th September 1914 was discharged as suffering from “deformed toes” which was considered to render him “unfit for infantry, fit for cavalry” and was then transferred to Army Service Corps, serving in France from 22nd December 1915 and earning his 3 medals before being demobilised in 1919.

Bernard is commemorated on the war memorial in St Charles' Roman Catholic Church, Aigburth Road, Aigburth, Liverpool.

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