Sgt 22671 Gordon Dempsey

• Age: 31
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: V.L.6

Gordon Dempsey was born in Bootle on 27th February 1885, the son of James Dempsey and his wife Elizabeth (nee Shepherd). The couple, both born in Liverpool, were married on Christmas Day 1870 at Christ Church, Everton. James was a 26 year old slater of 20 Thorncliffe Street, father Hanbury a shoemaker, whilst Elizabeth was aged 20 of Portland Place, father Thomas a cooper. Gordon was baptised in St. Mary's Church, Bootle, on 03rd May 1885, at the time of Gordon’s baptism the family were living at 27 Vermont Street in Bootle. James is recorded as being a slater.

They had at least 11 children. Gordon had older siblings Margaret Amelia (who died in infancy), Elizabeth, Sarah Alice (died at age 5), James, William Henry, and George, and younger siblings Hugh, Thomas Edward, Sarah, and Alfred. 

At the time of the 1891 Census James and Elizabeth are living at 27 Vermont Street with seven children – Elizabeth aged 16, James 13, William 11, George 8, Gordon 6, Hugh 4 and 8 month old Thomas.

By the 1901 Census the family are living at 103 Hornby Road, Bootle. The family have two more children – Sarah aged 8 and Alfred aged 7, a total of nine in the household. Their father, aged 56, is a slater and an employer, his mother is aged 50. Their sons James and William are recorded as slaters too, so probably they work in the family firm. Gordon, aged 16 is an apprentice slater and George is an apprentice bricklayer.

Before the outbreak of war Gordon was a member of St Matthew’s Church Bible Class.

He enlisted on the 14th November 1914 at Liverpool joining the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment 22671. He gave his age as 29 years and 248 days and occupation as a slater. He was described as being five feet four and half inches tall, weighed 136lbs, 38” chest, with a fresh complexion, hazel coloured eyes and brown/grey hair. He stated his religion as Church of England and gave his father as next of kin at 278 Marsh Lane, Bootle.

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 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. 

His service records show:

19.4.15: Appointed paid Lance Corporal on probation.

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion.

22.4.16: Promoted to Corporal.

Granted leave to the U.K. 12-18 June(?) 1916.

01.7.16: Appointed acting Sergeant. 

Gordon was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 31, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 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. 

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.   

His Casualty Form shows an entry dated 05th August 1916 Wounded in action, (he was listed among the K.L.R. Wounded in the local paper on 12th September 1916). The entry was replaced by a report received on 03rd September 1916 stating Killed in action.

A local newspaper reported in further detail:

BOOTLE SERGEANT KILLED

A FORMER MEMBER OF ST MATTHEW'S CHURCH

Intimation has now been received that Sergt. Gordon Dempsey, K.L.R. fourth son of a well known and respected Bootle resident, Mr. James Dempsey, 278, Marsh Lane, was killed in action on July 30th. He had previously been reported missing.

The sad news was first received from the Rev. Harry Roberts, Vicar of St Matthew's, Bootle, who is serving at the front as a chaplain to the troops, in the course of a letter breaking the news that Sergeant Dempsey was missing, Mr. Roberts said :--

"Gordon was a good fellow, and was highly valued in the battalion. At the last Brigade Communion he was present". Later, after the body had been found, Mr. Roberts wrote:--"It is a consolation to us to know that he was a good lad, and I shall always be thankful that I was allowed to administer the Holy Communion to him shortly before the end. The officers who knew him have spoken to me in high terms about him".

Sergeant Dempsey who was 31 years of age and was engaged to be married on his return to England, joined the Army soon after the outbreak of war, and went out to France last year. He was a member of St Matthew's Bible Class, and was respected as an upright and promising young man. By trade he was a slater. Mr. Dempsey has two other sons at the front, and another who has been wounded is now doing duty in England.           

Gordon 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.

Gordon's was not the only grievous loss that the family suffered during the war as his younger brother Private 39407 Hugh was killed in action, just months after Gordon on 07th October 1916 whilst serving with the 12th Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment.  He was reported wounded and missing in October 1916, and declared killed in action ten months later in August 1917. He left a 2-year old daughter and a son who was born after his death. Sadly, Hugh's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.  CWGC records show that Hugh was the husband of Bertha Helen Powers (formerly Dempsey), of 129, Worcester Road, Bootle, Liverpool. 

Gordon earned his three medals.

In February 1918 his identity disc was sent to his sister Elizabeth.

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £10-10s were shared between siblings Elizabeth, Sarah, and Alfred. No pension card has been found, suggesting that Gordon had no dependents, or that his father did not apply for a pension.

In 1919 his father provided information on Gordon's living relatives: James, 41, and William, 39, were living not far away in Bootle; Elizabeth 44, George 36, Thomas 28, Sarah 26, and Alfred 25, lived at home with their father in Marsh Lane.

His brother, Thomas, enlisted on 11th November 1914 in the 6th Battalion,  K.L.R. He went to France in May 1916 and was transferred to the Ox and Bucks Regiment. He was captured during the Spring Offensive on 21st March 1918 and held at Cassel prisoner of war camp. He was repatriated in December 1918.

Gordon and Hugh are remembered on the family headstone in Kirkdale Cemetery, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool and on the following Memorials:

Bootle Civic Memorial, Stanley Road, Bootle

St Matthew’s Church

Thomas Gray County Primary School, Bootle

Gordon is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 4.

His father deid on the 03rd August 1923 aged 78, leaving over £4,700 to sons James and George. He was buried on the 07th August at Kirkdale Cemetery. 

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