Pte 52802 Joseph Asbury

• Age: 25
• From: Bootle, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: VII.A.14

Joseph Asbury was born in Bootle on the 24th October, 1890 and baptised on the 12^th November, 1890 at St Paul's Church Of England, Church, the son of Richard and Margaret Asbury of 7 Store Street, Marsh Street, Kirkdale. He was a member of the St Mary’s Men’s Bible Class. (A local newspaper reported he was the first member of the bible class to make the supreme sacrifice when they reported his death).

The 1901 census shows Joseph’s family living at 154 Braemar St, Kirkdale, Liverpool. Joseph's father Richard is aged 49, born in Liverpool  in 1862, his occupation is shown as a rigger, whilst his mother, Margaret is aged 47, born in Liverpool in 1864. They have three children at the address Edith aged 13, born 1898, Elizabeth aged 11, born 1900 and still at school and John aged 8, born 1903. The children were all born in Bootle.

The 1911 Census shows Joseph living with relatives at 70 St Johns Road Bootle. The head of the household was John Asbury aged 38, born in Liverpool in 1873 and a carpenters labourer. His wife Annie is aged 38, born 1873 in Wollaston, Shropshire. They have three children, all born in Bootle, William J aged 11, born 1900, Bertha aged 9, born 1902 and Ernest aged 6, born 1905. Also living at the address are Joseph, nephew aged 20, born 1891 and occupation a masons labourer. Joseph White brother-in-law aged 38, born 1873, his occupation is a steam crane driver and his wife Sarah aged 41, born 1870.  Also nephew Albert White aged 6, born 1905. There are two boarders living at the property Mildred Beckley aged 18, born 1893 and occupation printing machinist and Albert Allcock also aged 18, and occupation miller. They have a further two visitors at the address Annie Weston aged 22, born 1889 and her daughter Selina aged 1, born 1910. 

On the 1911 Census his parents were still living at 154 Braemar Rd, Bootle. Father Richard aged 49, a rigger, mother Margaret (married 23 years 7 children 4 still alive), children Edith 13 at school, Elizabeth E. 11 at school and John 8. 

Joseph enlisted in Bootle, Liverpool and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52802 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 aged 25 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds:

“As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

Joseph now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

He was reported as killed in the Liverpool Daily Post 20^th November 1916: 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Asbury, 52802, J. ; 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to Aunt Annie Asbury, 70 St John’s Road, Bootle. 

His aunts and uncles paid tribute to Joseph in the Liverpool Evening Express on 13th October 1919:

ASBURY - in loving memory of Pte. Joseph Asbury, 7th (sic) King's Liverpools, who was killed in action Oct. 12, 1916

No morning dawns, no night returns

But what we think of him.

- His aunts and uncles, 70 St. John's Road, Bootle.  

Joseph is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Bootle Civic Memorial

St John’s C. of E. Church.

His father died, aged 70, in 1932 and was buried in St Mary's Churchyard, Bootle on the 03^rd June, his address 107 Rice Lane, Walton.

His mother died, aged 69, in 1935.

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