Pte 17561 Joseph Cunningham

• Age: 24
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: XIII.E.4

Joseph was born in Liverpool in the June Qtr of 1892, the only child of Patrick (Thomas) Cunningham (just Thomas on marriage record, but Patrick on CWGC) and his wife Catherine (nee Connor) who were married in July 1890 in St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Liverpool on 24th July 1890. Thomas, son of Patrick, gives his address as House 3 in 2 Court in St. Anne Street, and Catherine, daughter of William, was living in 20 Gt. Richmond Street. However, the following year, on the April 5th 1891 census, Catherine Connor, 19, is listed as single, and working as a milliner, living in the family home at 20 Gt. Richmond Street with her parents William and Bridget Connor, and six siblings. 

[Note: 3 in 2 Court was occupied by a William(a general porter) and Mary Walsh, so Thomas must have been a lodger. Also a Patrick Cunningham and family lived at 40 Gt. Richmond Street.] 

Based on his stated age on enlistment, Joseph was born in early May 1892. No baptism has been found, and when he joined up he stated his religion as "Other Protestant, unattached".

At the time of the 1901 census, Joseph is 8 years old and living with his mother Catherine who is 30 and working on her own account as a dealer in tailor's clippings, in Cazneau Street, Everton, next door to Catherine’s parents William and Bridget Connor and their children William aged 21, Alice 18 and Edward 15. His father is not present, but Catherine is recorded as married, not widowed. A Thomas Cunningham, 30, married, born in Liverpool, is found boarding in court housing in Tatlock Street, employed as a cotton porter. 

Catherine is living with her parents and brother Edward at 16 Juvenal Street, her age is given as 38, and her occupation as  servant. Joseph was working as a waiter on the ocean liner Franconia (Cunard), he also worked on the S.S. Canada, and the S.S. Cestrian and other ships of the Leyland Line.

Joseph enlisted on the 04th September 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, joining the 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 17561. He gave his age as 22 years and 150 days and his ocupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet five and a half inches tall, weighed 121lbs, 35” chest, brown complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He gave as next of kin, his mother Catherine, 66 Eldon Place.

Formed on 7^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. 

Joseph did not ship out to France with his battalion on 07th November 1915, but instead returned to Knowsley the next day and was posted to the 22nd (Reserve) Bn K.L.R.

His service records show:

22.5.15: At Knowsley: Absent without leave, confined to barracks for three days.

02.10.15: At Larkhill Camp; Overstayed his leave 2/10/15 till 9.10pm, 5/10/15 Confined to barracks for eight days and forfeits 4 days pay.

18.12.15: At Knowsley: Quitting camp contrary to orders when warned for draft and remaining absent without leave from 10.15pm until 3.45pm 19/12/15. Confined to barracks for one dayand forfeit two days pay.  

20.12.15: Arrived in France with his battalion.

20.12.15 posted to 20th arrived in France

22.12.15: Syphillis admitted to Boulogne.

23.12.15 admitted to 11 General Hospital, Rouen

24.12.15 transferred to Havre for further treatment

25.12.15 admitted to 9 S.H. Havre

07.2.16: Rejoined 30 Inf. Base Depot at Etaples 

08.2.16 posted to Front, with 19th K.L.R.

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 24, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

19th Battalion Diary 30th 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 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July.

Casualties in the 19th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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.

Joseph 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.

A newspaper report in the Liverpool Daily Post, 24th August 1916, of Joseph's death advised that he worked for the Cunard Line and had served on the Lusitania. 

In the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 under the heading Lost At The Battle of Guillemont his mother paid a heartfelt tribute to Joseph:

“In loving memory of my dear and only son Pte. Joseph Cunningham, killed in action July 30, 1916, K.L.R. (“Pals”). – Sadly missed by his loving Mother; also Grandmother and Grandfather, 66 Eldon Place. Sleep on dear son in a far off grave, Your life for your country you nobly gave;

One year has passed, my heart’s still sore, As time goes on I miss you more, When days are dark and friends are few, My dear son, I long for you. - His widowed Mother”

He was also remembered by his family on the second anniversary of his death in 1918:

"In sad but loving memory of my dear and only son, Private Joseph Cunningham, 19th K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action, July 30, 1916, in the Battle of the Somme.

For many years the family chain was closely linked together,

  But O, that chain has broken now; one link has gone for ever.

When peace dawns o'er the countryside

  Our thanks shall be to the lad who died.

O, great hearts, will you hear us tell

  How victory was won by the lads who fell?

(Rest in peace.) - Sadly missed by his loving Mother, also Grandma and Grandad. - 56, Eldon Place."

Soldiers Effects a War Gratuity of £8-10s, and a pension of 10/- a week from February 1917 to his mother, Catherine. 

Joseph is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 11 Right (19th Bn.), and 8 Right (20th Bn.) 

Our Lady of Reconciliation, Eldon Street, Liverpool.

In 1919 Catherine, 50, still lived at 66 Eldon Place with her parents and brother Edward.

His mother received his 1914-15 Star in 1920

Sadly his mother Catherine died in 1921, aged 52, and was buried in Ford Cemetery. His grandfather wrote to the War Office to inform them that he was now Joseph’s next of kin and asking them to send Joseph’s service medals to him. He received Joseph's British War Medal and Victory Medal.  

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