Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Cpl 22066 John Ellison

Age: 24
From: Bootle, Liverpool
Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
K.I.A Thursday 28th March 1918
Commemorated at: Ham British Cem
Panel Ref: II.B.31

John Ellison was born on 24th June 1893 in Bootle, the son of William Ellison and his wife Margaret Helen (nee Jack). He was baptised at St Paul's Church, Kirkdale on the 09th July 1893, his father was a carter of 18 Bedford Place. His parents were married in 1890 at St.Mary’s C.of E. Church, Walton.

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 22 Bedford Place, Bootle. His father, William, is aged 36, a labourer born in Liverpool, his mother, Margaret Helen, is aged 30 and was born in Crewe. They have three children int eh household, all of whom were born Bootle; James J. 10 , John 7, and Minnie 4.

By the time of the 1911 Census the family have moved to 462 Hawthorne Road, Bootle. Both parents are in the home; William is now aged 46 and is a carpenters labourer, his mother, Margaret Helen, is 40. His parents had been married for 21 years and had 4 children born all of whom have survived and are in the household; James Jack aged 20, a general labourer, John 17 a chemical clerk, Minnie is 14 and Lily is 7.

His service record survives and shows that John enlisted in Liverpool on 06th November 1914, as Private 22066, joining the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. He gave his age as 21 years and 149 days and his occupation as clerk. He is described as being 5' 3" tall, weighing 115lbs, with a 34" chest, is of a fresh complexion, with blue eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England.

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 20th 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 arrived in France on 07^th November 1915.

22.2.17 - appointed unpaid L/Cpl

25.7.17 - granted leave to the UK until 4.8.17

15.1.18 - appointed paid Cpl

6.2.18 - joined 'A' Coy

21-28.3.18 - missing

He was appointed unpaid Lance Corporal on 20th February 1917 and confirmed in rank as paid Lance Corporal on 15th January 1918. He was granted leave to the U.K. from 25th July to 4th August 1917.

He was transferred to the 17th Bn K.L.R. in February 1918 when the 20th Battalion was disbanded, serving in ‘A’ Company, 4th Platoon.

He was serving as Corporal 22066 with the 17th Battalion KLR when he was killed in action on the 28^th March 1918, aged 24, during the German Spring Offensive.

The Battalion diary gives an insight into the events of the day:

28^th March 1918

FOLIES – MEZIERES – ROUVREL

10.00am Enemy attacked our immediate front but was driven off – Half an hour later enemy was seen in large numbers through ROUVROY to WARVILLERS. About 11 am orders were received that the Battalion would be relieved by 133^rd French Division. The relief was carried out shortly after noon, after a message had been received by telephone that the French were satisfied with the position and that we were to withdraw at once.

4pm The enemy were then in BEAUFORT. The Battalion assembled at MEZIERES and marched to ROUVREL to billets arriving about 6.30pm.

John was initially declared Wounded and Missing between 21-28 March 1918. His mother contacted the International Red Cross but received a response on 13th June 1918 that they held no information about John.

His death was later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on 28th March 1918.

He was buried in Ham British Cemetery, which was begun in January-March 1918 as an extension of Muille-Villette German Cemetery. In 1919 these graves were regrouped and others were added from the German cemetery and others. John was identified by his disc, which still showed 20th Bn, recorded as a Cpl. 22068.

The Inscription on his headstone reads:

“MEMORY IS A GOLDEN CHAIN THAT BINDS US TILL WE MEET AGAIN”

In January, February and March 1918, the 61st (South Midland) Casualty Clearing Station was posted at Ham, but on the 23rd March the Germans, in their advance towards Amiens, crossed the Somme at Ham, and the town remained in German hands until the French First Army re-entered it on the following 6th September.

Ham British Cemetery was begun in January 1918 by the 61st Casualty Clearing Station as an extension of Muille-Villette German Cemetery.

In 1919 the graves in the British Cemetery were regrouped and others were added from the following sites:-

HAM COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION (the "Neuer Friedhof Chaunystrasse"); CROIX-MOLIGNAUX GERMAN CEMETERY (March and April 1918); ESMERY HALLON CHURCHYARD; VILLERS ST. CHRISTOPHE CHURCHYARD (March 1918); EPPEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION (March 1918); and ST. SULPICE COMMUNAL CEMETERY.

Ham British Cemetery contains 485 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 218 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 14 soldiers, believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 39 casualties known to have been buried in other cemeteries whose graves were not found.

Other German Cemeteries in the area were HAM CHURCHYARD GERMAN EXTENSION; MUILLE-VILLETTE GERMAN CEMETERY and MUILLE-VILLETTE COMMUNAL CEMETERY GERMAN EXTENSION. The British Graves from these three were moved to either HAM BRITISH CEMETERY or ROYE NEW BRITISH CEMETERY.

MUILLE-VILLETTE GERMAN CEMETERY adjoins the West side of the British Cemetery. It now contains the graves of 1,113 identified and 420 unidentified German soldiers.

A report on his death appeared in the Bootle Times on the 27th June 1919:

DIED FOR HIS COUNTRY

AN OLD ST. JOHN'S BOY

Yet another name has to be added to St.John's School roll of Honour. It is that of Corporal John Ellison, 17th (late 20th) King's Liverpool Regiment, whose age at the time of his decrease was 25 - this week he would have been 26. The youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Ellison, 462, Hawthorne-road, he attended St.John's School, and was afterwards employed by the Washington Chemical Company at Bootle. During this latter period he had been associated with Balliol-road P.S.A. In November, 1914, at the time of his country's greatest need, Ellison joined the 20th King's, and after a brief training at home was sent out to France in February the following year. He passed through pretty nearly the whole campaign, including the hottest parts without injury. During the later portion of the time Corporal Ellison held a responsible post in charge of the stores. In the last year of the war - on March 21, 1918 - he sustained a serious wound in the vicinity of St.Quentin. A chum who has recently returned to Bootle saw Corporal Ellison, as he then was, on his way to a dressing station. They were afterwards driven back, and that was the last seen of him. A communication received by the young non-com's parents on March 22nd intimated that he hoped to be home on leave by the week-end. But unhappily he never came. A short time later the parents received a notification that their son was reported missing, but the official intimation of the presumed death only came to hand the other day.

John earned his three medals.

His father William received his Army effects and a War Gratuity of £20-10s. The pension card in the name of his mother (written Missing 21-28/3/1917) shows that a pension of 12/- a week was awarded from June 1918.

John is commemorated on the following local memorials

Bootle Civic Memorials

St. Matthew's C.of E. Church, Bootle

St. John's C.of E. School, Bootle

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

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