Pte 21507 Frederick John Garside

• Age: 24
• From: Bootle, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Serre Rd No 2 Cem, B-hamel
  Panel Ref: IX.L5

Frederick John Garside was born at 6 Orlando Street, Bootle on the 28th April 1892 and was baptised on the 04th May 1892 at St.Paul’s C.of E. Church, Kirkdale. He was the son of Frederick Garside and his wife Miriam (nee Higgins) who were married on the 7th December 1890 at St.Matthew's C.of E. Church, Liverpool. Frederick was a 20 year old porter of Liverpool, father William a fitter, whilst Miriam was aged 20 of Liverpool, father John a fireman. His father was born at Manchester whilst his mother was born at Glasgow, Scotland. Fred was the eldest of their three children. He had younger sisters Miriam Margaret and Annie Elizabeth, who died in infancy.

He briefly attended St. Paul's School, and on 07th March 1898, still only 5, enrolled in Arnot Street School, Walton. The family address at the time was 167 Delamere Road, and his father's occupation was striker. He withdrew on 17th August 1898 to Daisy Street School but returned to Arnot Street School in July 1899, the family then living in Arnot Street, at number 20. He later attended Bedford Road Council School in Bootle.

The 1901 census finds the family at 12 Index Street, Walton on Hill, around the corner from Arnot Street. His father, Frederick, is a 29 year old iron foundry labourer born in Manchester, his mother, Miriam, is also 29 years old and was born in Liverpool. with son Frederick J. (age listed as 3) but he would have been 7 years old. Also in the household is Arthur Emmett, 15, a bread van driver, described as stepbrother who was born in Liverpool.

On the 1911 the family are living at 88 Benedict Street, Bootle.  - Parents Frederick and Miriam are both 39, his father is a dock labourer. They have been married for 20 years and have had with 3 children, two of whom have survived; Frederick John and Miriam Margaret (b 1902). Frederick John is 18 years old and his occupation is shown as a French cleaner (dry cleaner) Miriam, 8, is at school.

His father died in September 1912, in Crewe aged 41, and was buried in Crewe Cemetery with his Colclough grandparents. 

His mother died, aged 42, in 1914 and was buried on the 27th July 1914 in Kirkdale Cemetery in Liverpool. 

Miriam would have been 10 years old when her father died and 12 when she lost her mother; she, and possibly Fred, went to live with relatives, as her address was later 177 Market Street in Monks Coppenhall, Crewe. At this address in 1911 was Annie Emmett, 58, a widowed lodging-house keeper, with son Charles Garside, 39, Charles Garside Jr., and her half brother Thomas Colcough, 58.

Frederick enlisted on 03rd September 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool joining the 19^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 21507. He gave his age as 22 years and 5 months and his occupation as a clerk. He had previously served in the Territorials in the 1st West Lancs Royal Field Artillery and his time expired.  He was described as being five feet six and a quarter inches tall, weighed 114lbs, 36" chest, with a fresh complexion, hazel coloured eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England, and he had a horseshoe tattoo on his left forearm. He gave, as next of kin, his sister Miriam at 177 Market Street; and according to SDGW, he gave his residence as Crewe.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation 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. 

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion. 

04.02.16: Sick to 98th Field Ambulance.

08.02.16: Influenza Admitted to 3 Ambulance. Flotilla (barges located along the Somme at Chipilly).

16.2.16: Discharged to unit. 

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916 aged 24 at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

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.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.   

Fred was initially declared Missing and his death later assumed by the Army Council as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

His photo appeared in the Evening Express on the 18th September 1916. The caption accompanying the report read:

"Private Fred Garside, K.L.R., 106, Kirkdale Road, Liverpool."

The CWGC Graves Registration report shows that he was originally buried as one of five Unknown British Soldiers of the King's Liverpool Regiment.  After the war, when graves were concentrated, their bodies were exhumed, and four were identified by their uniforms and titles (Pte. H. Sampson;  2nd Lt. E.R. Porritt, 17th Bn;  Pte. F.J. Garside, 19th Bn; and Pte. A. Lohrenz, 17th Bn, all killed on the same date), and reinterred in Serre Road No.2 Cemetery, Beaumont Hamel, Somme, where all five rest side by side. 

Fred's headstone bears the epitaph:

"GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN" 

In June 1916, the road out of Mailly-Maillet to Serre and Puisieux entered No Man's Land about 1,300 metres south-west of Serre. On 1 July 1916, the 31st and 4th Divisions attacked north and south of this road and although parties of the 31st Division reached Serre, the attack failed. The 3rd and 31st Divisions attacked once more on the 13 November, but again without success.

Early in 1917, the Germans fell back to the Hindenburg Line and on 25 February, Serre was occupied by the 22nd Manchesters. The village changed hands once more in March 1918 and remained under German occupation, until they withdrew in August.

In the spring of 1917, the battlefields of the Somme and Ancre were cleared by V Corps and a number of new cemeteries were made, three of which are now named from the Serre Road. Serre Road Cemetery No.2 was begun in May 1917 and by the end of the war it contained approximately 475 graves (Plots I and II, except for Row E, Plot II which was added in 1922 and Row AA, Plot I which was added in 1927), but it was greatly enlarged after the Armistice by the addition of further graves from the surrounding area.

There are now 7,127 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the cemetery, mostly dating from 1916. Of these, 4,944 are unidentified.

The cemetery, which was not completed until 1934, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Frederick John Garside is commemorated on the following local memorials;

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 47 Left 

Bedford Road Council School, Bootle

Johnson Bros Dyers, Bootle.

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