L/Cpl 17828 Arthur Finn (MM)

• Age: 26
• 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.

Arthur Finn was born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, in late November 1889, the son of Arthur Edward Finn, born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, and Emily (nee Littlewood), born in Stockport, Cheshire.  Arthur and Emily married on the 17th June 1883 at the Zion Chapel, Greek Street, Stockport, and they had eleven children, five of whom died young.  Arthur was the third of the surviving six children.  His siblings were Harry, Thomas, Emily, Alice May and John. 

In 1891 the family is living at 63 Elstow Street, Kirkdale, with four children.  The address is a milk shop; their father is aged 26, listed as a milk purveyor, mother is aged 30, a milk saleswoman. The children are: Harry aged 7 b.Stockport, Thomas H. aged 3 b.Stockport, Arthur is 1 year old, and Emily aged 2mths b.Liverpool. The electoral roll shows that they live in Elstow Street until at least 1895. The family cannot be found on the 1901 census. 

On the 1901 Census the family are still living at 63 Elstow Street, Kirkdale. Father Arthur E. is aged 36, a Fellmongers labourer(hides), mother Emily is aged 40, a sweet shop and dairy keeper, children Harry aged 17, a gas pipe labourer, Thomas H. aged 13, a wholesale ?, Arthur aged 11, a casual laundry errand boy, Emily aged 10, Alice M. aged 8, and John 4. 

His older brother Harry enlisted in the Royal Lancs Regiment in 1903, and died from disease in India in 1910.

In 1911 they are at 72 Melrose Road.  His father is aged 46, a retail dairyman/ice cream purveyor, mother Emily is aged 50(married 27 years, 11 children, 6 still alive), Arthur is 21, employed as a marine engineer’s time keeper.   Sister Emily, 20,  is a costume maker, Alice May, 18, is working in the dairy business, and John, 14, is a Western Union telegraphic messenger. 

Arthur enlisted in Liverpool on  4^th September 1914, as Private 17828, 19^th (Pals) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment, giving his age as 24 years and 278 days and his occupation as clerk. He is described as being 5 feet inches and 7/8ths inches tall, weighing 114 lbs, 35” chest, with brown eyes, brown hair and gave his religion as Church of England, and next of kin as his mother, Emily Finn, of 72 Melrose Road, Kirkdale.  After his marriage, this is crossed out and replaced with the name of his wife, at 28 Waverley Road, Lark Lane, Liverpool, and later changed to “Ballakeil”, Andreas, Isle of Man.

His father also enlisted as Pte 14131, on 30^th September 1914, in 13^th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, was later transferred to 3^rd Bn, served in the UK, and was discharged on 12^th February 1916 as ‘no longer physically fit for war service.’

Arthur married 23 year old Mary Alice Sayle in St. Lawrence, Kirkdale, on 10th June 1915, when he was 25, giving his occupation as soldier, and his address as 72 Melrose Road. Mary lived at No.71 Melrose Rd and was born in Andreas, IOM in 1891, the daughter of William Henry and Jane(nee Ratcliffe) Sayle. There were no children to the marriage. 

Arthur trained locally, then in Grantham in Lincolnshire, and for final infantry training at Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

7.1.15 - Absent from tattoo, 10 days C.B. 

??.15 - Absent without leave, 4 days C.B. 

12-16 .4.15 - Absent without leave, 8 days C.B. 

14.6.15 - Absent without leave, 10 days C.B. 

26.9.15 - Absent without leave, 168hrs detention. 

He shipped to France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on 7^th November 1915, and in the new year the battalion takes up position in the south of the Somme line near Carnoy.  On the 19th March 1916 he was appointed unpaid L/Cpl (to fully paid on the 27th July). He was hospitalised admitted to 97 and 96 F.A. with influenza from 3-10 June 1916.  After specialist training the for ‘Big Push’ the battalion moves to the front lines at Maricourt.  Arthur survives the deadly days of July 1916 on the Somme, until the 30^th, when three Pals battalions are involved in the failed attack on Guillemont.  This proves the costliest day of the war for the Pals and the City of Liverpool, with 500 casualties killed, missing or died of wounds.  Arthur was declared Missing on 30^th July 1916;  like most, Arthur’s body was never recovered from the battlefield, and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. He was aged 26.

His mother Emily died aged 55, just a few weeks before her son, on 10th July 1916. 

Arthur was initially reported as Missing in the Liverpool Daily Post on 18th September 1916. 

King’s(Liverpool Regiment) - Finn, 17828, Lce.-Cpl A.; 

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.”

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

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.

Isle of Man Examiner, Saturday, February 17, 1917 

LANCE.-CORPORAL A. FINN NOW REPORTED KILLED.  

Mrs Finn, of Ballakeil, Andreas, has been officially informed that her husband, Lance-Corporal A. Finn, of the King's Liverpool Regt., posted as missing after an engagement in France on 30th July, 1916, is now reported killed in action. 

Arthur was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for bravery in field, announced in the London Gazette and the Liverpool Daily Post & Mercury on 30^th July 1917.

His widow placed an In Memoriam notice in the Liverpool Echo on 31^st July 1917, under the heading, Lost at the Battle of Guillemont:

“In loving memory of Lance-Corpl. Arthur Finn (19^th K.L.R.), killed in action on the Somme, July 31, 1916, the dearly-beloved husband of Millie Finn (nee Sayle) and second son of the late Mrs. Finn, of Kirkdale.

                  One year has passed, our hearts still sore,

                  As time rolls on we miss him more.

His loving Wife and all at “Ballakeil”, I.O.M.”

In 1919 his widow provided information about Arthur’s living relatives: 

He had two brothers, aged 32 and 21 living in Birkenhead, and two sisters, aged 28 and 26, living in Stockport.

His father was actually alive and appears on the 1921 census in Birkenhead, no positive death record found. 

Arthur earned his three medals.  His widow, living in Ramsey, Isle of Man, received his Military Medal in January 1918, and his service medals, effects, and pension.

Arthur is also commemorated on St. Athanasius C of E Church, Kirkdale, and Daisy Street Council School, Kirkdale.

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