Pte 24716 James Lanketer Fergus

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

24716 Private James FERGUS 18^th Battalion KLR.

James Lanketer Fergus was born in Liverpool, his birth being registered in the fourth quarter of 1893, the son of James Linklater/Lanketer Fergus and his wife Annie Elizabeth (nee Lewis), who had married in St. Aidan's Church in Kirkdale in 1888. 

On the 1891 Census the family are living at 39B Reading St, Kirkdale. His father, James L., is aged 23, a mariner at sea, whilst his mother Annie E. is aged 20, daughter Isabella is aged 2. Also staying is James’ sister Louisa Fergus aged 17 where all born in Liverpool. 

His father died on the 26th April 1898 in Alexandria, Egypt, presumably whilst on duty at sea. (From family tree).  

On the 1901 Census his widow, Annie, is aged 30 living at 68 Tillard Street, Kirkdale. She has three children; James Lanketer aged 7, Mary Jane aged 5 and Annie S. aged 3. She shares the house with Richard Lewis 82 (Grandfather), Mary Lewis 68 (Grandmother) and Robert Fergus 61 (Uncle).     

His mother remarried to widow Edward White on the 12th June 1901 at St Peter's Church, Everton.

By the time of the 1911 Census she had married Edward White and lived with him and their respective families, Edward having been previously married, and their own four children at 15 Beckett Street, Kirkdale. James is now 17 and is described as a labourer in an oil cake mill. His mother is shown as 40 years of age and her husband Edward is a 50 year old stage carpenter born in Liverpool. The make up of the resident family shows: Edward Alfred White aged 20 a dock labourer, Robert Fergus aged 19 a labourer, Mary Fergus aged 15, Gladys White 14, Jane White 9, Ada White 5, Josephine White 2 and Lillian White aged 8 months. His mother advised that she had been remarried for 10 years and four of her four children from this marriage had survived.

James was educated at Daisy Street School in Kirkdale and at the outbreak of war was employed at Bibby's Oil and Cake Mills in Liverpool. 

James enlisted in Liverpool on 12th January 1915 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 24716. 

He was immediately based in 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 crossed to France on the 07th November 1915 with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta.

James was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916, aged 23.

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. 

News of his death was reported in the Liverpool Evening Express of 04th August 1916:

Private James Fergus of the Pals, killed on July 1st. He lived at 27, Beckett-street, Kirkdale. 

His death was also reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on the 21st September 1916: 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED WOUNDED, NOW REPORTED KILLED. 

King’s(Liverpool Regt.) - Fergus, 24716, J. ; 

James' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave being commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. 

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 01st 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.”

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Annie E. White. 

He is also remembered on the war memorial in St Anathasius’ Church, Kirkdale which was destroyed by German bombs in WW2 and is currently remembered on the Daisy Street School Memorial (now in Kirkdale County Primary School, Fonthill Road) and on the war memorial of Beoco Ltd. (British Edible Oils Co) Regent Road, Bootle.

His mother, died, aged 49, in 1921. 

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