Pte 14636 Samuel Green

• Age: 23
• From: St Helens, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Samuel (Sam) Green was born in St Helens in 1893, the son of Richard Green and his wife Elizabeth Alice Green (nee Cook) who were married on the 12th August 1883 at St Peter's Church, Parr. Sam had older brothers Joseph, Richard, and Walter, and an older sister Alice, and younger siblings Edna, George, and Edith. Four other children died in infancy; three sons (James, another James, and James Edward), and a daughter Lilian. 

At the time of the 1901 Census the family were living at 14 Alma Street, St Helens. His father, Richard, aged 43, born St Helens, is working as a general labourer, mother Alice is aged 38, born Widnes. At the time the couple had six children: Joseph aged 15 who is a painter, Richard 13 a bottle sorter, Walter 11, Alice 9, Samuel aged 8 and Edna aged 1. 

The 1911 Census finds the family living at 42 Hamer Street, St. Helens. It lists Alice, aged 47, as married but Richard isn’t present in the household as he was in hospital. Eight children are living at home with their mother, who advises that she had borne 12 children, but 4 had not survived childhood. All the sons occupations reflect the manufacturing predominate in the area – Sam aged 17, is a worker in a glass manufacturer. His brother Joseph, 25, was a colliers tool sharpener, Walter 21 a boiler stoker at a chemical works and Richard 23 a labourer at a chemical works. Alice, aged 19 has no occupation listed, Edna is 11, George 7 and Edith 4.

Sam’s father Richard, aged 53, died in 1911 just after the 1911 census was taken. The census shows him as a patient in St. Helens Hospital, a labourer in a colliery pumping station.

Sam enlisted at St Helens on 03rd September 1914, joining the 4th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private No 14636. He was posted to France on 04th March 1915. The battalion landed at Le Havre, and first saw action at the Second Battle of Ypres in April, suffering over 400 casualties.

Sam was subsequently transferred and was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment when he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 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. 

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.

Sam was initially reported as Missing in Action.

His family appealed for information in the local paper on 29th December 1916: 

"News will be welcome at 88, Raglan Street."

It is not known when she was informed of her son's presumed death, but fifteen months after he was reported Missing his mother contacted the International Red Cross. She was notified on 02nd November 1917 that they held no information on Sam.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France.

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.”

Sam is also commemorated in St. Peter's Church, Parr, St. Helens.

His brother, Walter, was called into the Army Reserve in 1918 and trained as an HGV driver, he served in Germany.

His outstanding Army pay of £10-9s-7d was shared between his mother and his siblings Richard, Edna, and Walter, and sister-in-law Margaret at the request of his brother Joseph. The War Gratuity of £8-10 went to his mother.

From the pension card in the name of his mother Alice it is not clear whether a pension was awarded. Her surname is later shown as Mercer, but no remarriage record has been found.

On the 1939 register, his mother Alice Mercer, 77 (date of birth 29th April 1862), is again widowed, living at 89 Eccleston Street, St. Helens, with son Richard Green, 52. 

She died as Elizabeth Alice Mercer in 1950 at the age of 88. 

Grateful thanks are extended to the St Helens Roll of Honour website for their kind permission for use of the photograph of Sam.

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