Pte 16897 Edgell Davenport

• Age: 19
• From: Abergavenny
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Peronne Rd Cem Maricourt
  Panel Ref: IV.I.29

16897 Private Edgell DAVENPORT, 18^th Battalion KLR.

Edgell was born in Abergavenney, Monmouthshire on 16th August 1895 the younger son born to Arthur, a bank manager born in Bromsgrove, and his wife Elizabeth Mary (nee Daggs) who were married in 1891, registered in Tenbury, Worcestershire. He was baptised on the 07^th May 1896 at Holy Trinity Church, Abergavenny, father a bank manager of Inglewood Chapel Rd. 

The 1901 Census finds five year old Edgell living with his parents and two siblings at 55 Crose Street, Abergavenny. His father is shown as a 41 year old bank manager, whilst his mother is 38 years of age and born in Leominster. Both siblings were born in Abergavenny and are listed as; Claud aged 9 and Emma V. aged 7. There is also a governess, a cook and a housemaid in the property. 

The 1911 Census shows that Edgell was a pupil in the Royal Asylum of St Ann’s Society Home for Children in Reigate, Surrey. This establishment was intended for “the children of those who had seen better days” and had the support of several benefactors, including the Governors of the Bank of England. Edgell’s father had obviously seen better days - after being a bank manager he became a cold storage clerk and this no doubt explains why Edgell was a pupil at the school.

The family are resident at 44 Fern Grove, Liverpool. His father, Arthur, is aged 51, mother Elizabeth Mary is also 51 and brother Claud aged 18 at school, they are living in the property alongside two boarders. His parents advised that they have been married for 19 years and all three of their children had survived. 

On 02^nd September 1914 Edgell enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool giving his age as 19 years 170 days, his occupation as clerk at Lloyds Bank in Bold Street, Liverpool and his next of kin as his father, 44 Fern Grove, Liverpool. He is described as being 5' 8" tall, weighing 139lbs with good physical development. He has a fair complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair. His religion is stated as Church of England. 

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th 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 sailed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on 7^th November 1915.

He received dental treatment at 19^th Casualty Clearing Station on the 29^th December 1915. He was trained as a bomber which continued in France as he was attached to the 30th Division Grenade School between 18th and 19th April 1916. He was appointed Lance Corporal (unpaid) on 19th June 1916. 

Two weeks later, on 01^st July 1916, he died of wounds sustained in action on the same day at Montauban.

18^th Battalion Diary

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. 

His Service record shows that he was originally buried in Talus Boise Cemetery, 1000 yards east of Carnoy. Edgell’s father harboured hopes that his son had been mistakenly declared dead and on 06^th September 1916 wrote to the Infantry Record Office saying:

“I acknowledge receipt of your letter informing me that my younger son has died of wounds received on July 1^st. By the same post I received one from France enclosing a copy of a letter the sender had received from the Director of Records at Base who said it has been established that (Edgell) was wounded by a bullet in the right shoulder and was seen mounting a motor vehicle on that day. He adds that no further information has been received about him. I should be obliged if you will now inform me who buried my son and where was he buried.  My reason for asking is that on July 11^th I received a letter from a Private in the 2^nd Yorkshires who told me he had found my son wounded, that he bandaged him and carried him into a trench. He told me “I took these photos, which I enclose, out of his pocket, also his paybook which I will send to his Regiment”. The photos were those of the boy’s mother, brother and sister.  Now the man who wrote that letter, by name Wright, is wounded and missing.  Whilst it is an undisputed fact that when the bearers found my son, whom they knew intimately, he had no tunic and his disc was gone. If Wright went down therefore with our son’s paybook on him, the latter’s name might be over the grave - otherwise who identified my son and buried him and caused the War Office to notify you of his death? .... May I add (1) I informed the War Office that my son was wounded - a fortnight later I got official intimation it was so; (2) subsequently I informed them I could get no news of him - in another fortnight comes official notice of his being missing; (3) later I tell them that I had news of his grave being seen 12 days after your notification of death. In each case no mention was made of my letters” 

The military obviously then caused further enquiries to be made which resulted in a report from the Reverend W. A. Warner, Chaplain, who says:

“In reply to yours of 14^th which has reached me on my return from England, I have to say I am afraid I cannot give you any further information than has already been given, except that as far as my memory serves me (Edgell) was placed outside the advanced dressing station for burial instead of being brought in as he had died before reaching the dressing station. All the men that I buried were identified by their discs and if there were any possessions they were placed in a bag with the others and labelled and handed over to the doctor in charge of the station. There was such a terrible rush after the 01^st July and I had to work night and day with the wounded that it is impossible for me to remember in detail particulars respecting all who were buried. I do not however consider it in the slightest degree probable that there has been any mistake as to his identification. I only wish that I could find any more details regarding him for his relatives”. 

A minute on his file from Base to Records says “Re your minute I enclose herewith a letter from Rev. W. A. Warner who buried L/Corporal Davenport from which you will see that there has been no mistake in identification”. This is endorsed - “October 1916 - father informed re above”.

Although as mentioned above Edgell was initially buried in Talus Boise Cemetery, as part of the concentration of graves after the end of the war his remains were moved to Peronne Road, Cemetery, Maricourt, France where he now rests.

Maricourt was, at the beginning of the Battles of the Somme 1916, the point of junction of the British and French forces, and within a very short distance of the front line; it was lost in the German advance of March 1918, and recaptured at the end of the following August.

The Cemetery, originally known as Maricourt Military Cemetery No.3, was begun by fighting units and Field Ambulances in the Battles of the Somme 1916, and used until August 1917; a few graves were added later in the War, and at the Armistice it consisted of 175 graves which now form almost the whole of Plot I. It was completed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields in the immediate neighbourhood and from certain smaller burial grounds, including:-

TALUS BOISE BRITISH CEMETERY, CARNOY, between Carnoy and Maricourt, at the South end of a long copse. It was used in the latter half of 1916 and (chiefly by the 5th Royal Berks) in August 1918, and it contained the graves of 175 soldiers from the United Kingdom and five from South Africa.

There are now 1348, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, 366 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 26 soldiers from the United Kingdom known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves could not be found.

The cemetery covers an area of 3,787 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low red brick wall.

Soldiers Effects to father Arthur, no Pension record found. 

His family paid tribute to Edgell on both the first and second anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Echo on 30th June 1917: