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
L/Cpl 17998 Harold George Bagnall
- Age: 24
- 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.
Formed on 07th September 1914 the 19th 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. He arrived in France on 7th November 1915.
His service papers record the following information:
19th Battalion Diary 30th 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 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July.
Casualties in the 19th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks
The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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.17988, L - Cpl. HAROLD G. BAGNALL, 10 Plat., Liverpool Regt. (missing July 30) News to Mrs Bagnall, 3 Onslow Road, Fairfield, Liverpool.
His father contacted the International Red Cross in hopes that his son had been taken prisoner, but in a reply dated 21st September 1916 he was notified that they held no information on Harold.
An entry on his service record dated 08th August 1917 notes, death officially accepted as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.
Harold is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. He was 24 years of age when he was killed in action.
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.”
His Army pay and War Gratuity of £8-10 was sent to an Annie Lloyd (relationship unknown) one of the beneficiaries of his Estate in his Will.
Probate was granted in 1918, effects of £330-17s-4d to his father.
His sister Dora, died in 1919, at the age of 33.
His father died in 1932 aged 74, and left over £4,500 to son Albert, a cotton merchant.
His mother died in 1938, her effects of over £18,000 (worth £1 million today) were shared between the four surviving children: Sir John, Albert, Frances, and Winifred.
His elder brother Albert Edward Bagnall survived the war, whilst his eldest brother John Bagnall went on to become Director of the Straits Company and was Knighted in 1936. In February 1942 at the Fall of Singapore, John and a few others avoided capture by the Japanese and escaped in a boat living wild for a month on uninhabited islands on route to Sumatra. (The private papers of Sir John Bagnall are held by the Imperial War Museum.)
Harold's younger sister, Winifred, became Lady Fergusson in 1931 after marrying Sir Ewen MacGregor Field Fergusson they had 2 sons and a daughter. Their eldest and first born was a 2nd Lt in the King's Rifles and became Chairman of Coutts Bank. He was capped 5 times for Scotland in International Rugby Union and he was also Chairman of Rugby School. He became a British Ambassador and was also Knighted in 1987.
Harold is commemorated on the following Memorials:
Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall Panel 14 Left
Liverpool Institute (held in the Liverpool Insitutue for Performing Arts)
Killed On This Day.
(106 Years this day)Tuesday 30th April 1918.
L/Cpl 29203 Valentine Alexander
26 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 27948 Joseph Atherton
26 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 51896 Richard Edward Banks
34 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 46630 Watson Bell
38 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Lieut Roland Henry Brewerton
27 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 51708 Charles Norman Dod
21 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
L/Cpl 94246 Frank Emison
24 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 23056 John William Jones
27 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 49572 John Henry Leadbeater (MM)
27 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Sgt 22462 James Lowe (MID)
25 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 51712 Edgar Domenico Murray
21 years old
(106 Years this day)
Tuesday 30th April 1918.
Pte 269899 Harry Pitts
21 years old
A total of 14 Pals were killed on this day. View All