Pte 29606 Samuel Albert Dawe

• Age: 21
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Samuel Albert Dawe was born in Liverpool in July 1895 to William Richard Dawe, a corkcutter by trade, and his wife Mary Jane (nee Hunter). William, from Southampton, and Mary Jane, born in Manchester, married on the 3rd Dec  1877 at St Simon, Liverpool. William was of full age, a corkcutter, father Samuel a draper, whilst Mary was aged 21, both of St Simon, father William a provision dealer. Their first two children were born in Salford: Edith Jane, and Lilian (who died at age 3). By 1882 the family had moved to Liverpool, where seven more children were born: William Charles (who died at six months), Janet, Charles Henry, Henry Esterling, Mary Jane, William James (died in infancy), and Samuel. He was baptised at St Jude's Church on 09th August 1895, the family address at the time is given as 8a Winter Street, Liverpool.  

His mother, Mary Jane died in 1900 at age 43, leaving William a widower with six children between the age of 22 and 5 years old.

In the 1901 Census the family were living at 28 Rendal Street in Everton.

Father William is aged 43, a cork cutter born Southampton (the census is incorrectly filled in father and daughter married), the eldest child, Edith was working as a cork sorter, Janet, 16 was a domestic servant, Charles aged 15 was a grocers shop boy and Henry, 13 was a pawnbrokers assistant. Mary was aged 9 and Samuel was 5. Also living with them was William’s mother in law Jane and a lodger called Tom Muirhead. Edith and Tom were to be married the next year.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 52 Hughes Street Everton Liverpool.

His father, William, is a widower aged 54, born 1857 and employed as a cork cutter and was born in Southampton. At the time of the Census he has three of his children living with him Mary Jane aged 19, a domestic servant, Samuel Albert aged 15 is a timber worker in a tobacco factory and his married daughter Edith Muirhead who is aged 32 and she has her four children Lily aged 7, born 1904 is at school, Edith aged 5, born 1906, Emily aged 3, born 1908 and William aged 1, born 1900 living at the address. 

Samuel enlisted in Liverpool in about May 1915 joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 29606.
in about May 1915.

Formed on 07^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.

No 1914-1915 medal roll has been found, suggesting that he arrived in France some time in 1916.

Samuel was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 21, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 

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.   

He was initially declared Missing, his name published in the list of K.L.R. casualties on 18th September 1916.

King’s(Liverpool Regiment) - Dawe, 29606, S. R.; 

He was reported as presumed killed in the local press on 28th September 1916: 

DAWE - In loving remembrance of Sam, aged 21 years, presumed killed in action, July 30 1916. Fondly remembered by all.  

He was determined to have been Killed in Action on 30th July 1916.

Sam's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in 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.”

Sam is also commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panels 6 & 7.

Soldiers Effects including a War Gratuity of £4 to father William R and pension to Mary Jane Dawe/Muirhead.

The pension card shows, confusingly, mother Mary Jane Muirhead formerly Dawe, of 52 Hughes Street age 45. She was awarded a pension of 5/- a week from April 1917, increased to 10/- three months later.

Sam was remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918: 

"In loving remembrance of Sam, aged 21 years, presumed killed in action, July 30, 1916. - Fondly remembered by all."

His brother Charles enlisted in Liverpool in the Militia in 1902 giving his age as 17, when he was in fact only 16. In 1903 he again enlisted, in Manchester, and served in the Army Service Corps. He was transferred to the Army Reserve and settled in Canada. He was accidentally killed in Duluth, Minnesota, on 07th December 1917, aged 31.

That same month on 30th December 1917, Edith's husband Thomas Muirhead, serving as a Driver with the Army Service Corps, died of disease in the Ypres Salient. He was 39, and left a widow and five children, and now rests in Mendinghem Cemetery, Flanders.

His father William died in 1925 aged 72.

Henry, the last surviving brother, served in the Merchant Marine during the war, and died at sea in 1927, aged 39. 

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