L/Cpl 15523 John Stanley Crellin

At the time of the 1891 census the family were living at 8 Windsor Street, New Brighton, where the household was George, aged 46, who is a bookkeeper, and Sarah aged 37, their children are at school, Herbert aged 9, Winifred 8, Arthur 6, and John aged 4. 

In the 1901 census the family had moved to 6 Windsor Street, New Brighton.

His father is aged 56, a commercial clerk (shipping), Sarah is aged 47. Herbert, 19, is also a commercial clerk. Winifred, 18, and John, 14, are pupils. Also living with them is George’s widowed mother, 83-year old Ellen, and his 45-year old sister Mary. 

In the 1901 census the family had moved to 6 Windsor Street, New Brighton.

His father is aged 56 and a commercial clerk (shipping), his mother, Sarah, is aged 47. Herbert, 19, is also a commercial clerk. Winifred, 18, and John, 14, are pupils. Also living with them is George’s widowed mother, 83-year old Ellen, and his 45-year old sister Mary.

Arthur, 16, had joined the Royal Navy the previous year, and is found as a Boy, 2nd Class, on the Training Ship H.M.S. Caledonia near Edinburgh, Scotland. At the age of 18 he signed on for 12 years.

By 1911 the family had moved to 15 Queensway, Wallasey, only Winifred and John are living at home with their parents. His father is 66 and his mother 57. Winifred, aged 28, is an insurance clerk and John aged 24, is a bookkeeper in shipping, the same profession as his father.

Arthur, 27, is a Leading Seaman in the R.N. Barracks in Sheerness, Kent. He completed his service and was discharged in 1914.

Herbert, 29, is married and living in East Finchley, Middlesex, with his wife and daughter, and working as a freight clerk for a steamship line.

His father died on 16th October 1911, aged 67, and was buried at Rake Lane Cemetery, Wallasey. 

John Stanley enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool, giving his residence as Liverpool. He originally joined the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 15523. 

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th 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 07th November 1915, and was at some point posted to the 19th Bn.

He was serving with the 19th Battalion, K.L.R. and had risen to the rank of Lance-Corporal when he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 30, 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.   

John was originally posted as Missing.

The family must have gone through agonies for nearly a year before his mother put a notice in the Liverpool Echo on the 09th July 1917 stating:

"Missing since July 30th 1916 now officially reported killed in action in France. Lance Corporal John Stanley Crellin K.L.R. aged 30 years the beloved youngest son of the late George Crellin and of Mrs Crellin 15 Queensway Wallasey".

The Wallasey News subsequently reported his death: 

"Lance-Corporal John Stanley Crellin, of, the King’s Liverpool Regt., who was reported  “missing” in our issue [Wallasey News] of September 2, 1916, is now officially reported killed in action on July 30, 1916. The brave soldier, who was 29 years of age, was the youngest son of Mrs. S.A. Crellin, and of the late Mr. George Crellin, “Greeba,” Queensway, Wallasey. He was formerly employed with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, a member of the old New Brighton Boating Club, and attended New Brighton Wesleyan Church".  

John's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, 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.” 

John earned his three medals.

His outstanding Army pay went to his mother, with a portion to brother Arthur, and the War Gratuity of £8-10s to his mother. She was awarded a pension of 8/- a week from May 1917.

John is also commemorated on the following memorials -

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board

Parish of Wallasey  
 
St. Hilary's Church, Wallasey

Victoria Central Community Hospital

And on the family gravestone in Rake Lane Cemetery, Wallasey -

                                     ALSO
             LCE-CPL. JOHN STANLEY CRELLIN
                           19TH BATT. K.L.R.
             YOUNGEST SON OF THE ABOVE
WHO FELL IN ACTION AT GUILLEMONT, FRANCE
            30TH JULY 1916, AGED 30 YEARS

His mother died on the 05th February 1937 at the age of 82,  and was buried at Rake Lane Cemetery, Wallasey, alongside her husband.

 

Family photo of John Stanley Crellin was sourced from Ancestry member Meg Crellin in Lexington, Kentucky.