L/Cpl 51744 Ernest Greenwood

Ernest attended Borough Road College for two years and went straight into teaching in Burnley. He became a member of the teaching staff at Red Lion Street School and was passionate about music and drama, being an accomplished pianist and a member of the Dramatic Class at the Mechanics’ Institute.

He enlisted in February 1916 as Rifleman 4945 joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Rifles) He embarked from Folkestone-Boulogne on 27th July 1916 reaching the 24th Infantry Base Depot on 29th July and proceeded to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. on 06th August, and posted from 05th September 1916 to the 19th Battalion K.L.R.

He had returned home only a fortnight before his death on 04th November 1917.

Ernest's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station. 

GREENWOOD. – Killed in action on Nov. 3rd, Lance-Crpl. Ernest Greenwood (51744), Liverpool Regt., third son of Mr. And Mrs. Greenwood, 23, Reynolds-st., Burnley, aged 27 years.

Teachers and amateur theatricals in Burnley will learn with regret of the death in action last Saturday of Lce-Corpl. Ernest Greenwood (27), 51744, Liverpool Regiment, third son of Mr. And Mrs.Greenwood, 23, Reynolds-street, Burnley. He joined up in February, 1916, and in the following July he was sent on active service. He was home a fortnight ago. In civil life he was a teacher. When at school he won a scholarship from Coal Clough, and was subsequently for three years at the Grammar School before becoming a pupil teacher at Abel-street. Thence he passed to Borough-road College, Isleworth, London, and afterwards became a member of the red Lion-street School staff. He was connected with St. Matthew’s Church. He had musical and dramatic tastes, being an accomplished pianist, and a member of the Dramatic Class at the Mechanics' Institute.   He took part in the production of  “The School for Scandal.”
J. Atkin, a friend of the lance-corporal’s, writing on Monday to Mrs. Greenwood, stated: “Ernie was almost a brother to me. Ever since joining up we have been together. Ernie, a sergeant, and some more men were out doing their duty, when a German machine-gun opened lire, and Ernie was hit, and fell into the sergeant's arms. The sergeant saw immediately that the wound was fatal. Ernie was very popular with the company, and it was a great help to me to receive words expressing sorrow that he was gone from us, and also of sympathy with myself as his chum.”

A chaplain, E. N. Moore, in a letter on the same day; wrote : “All those who knew him feel the loss very much, especially the men and officers in his company. The officer in charge told me that if he had tried to rush the post they set out to raid he was sure of three or four men following him at all costs. One of them, he was sure, would have been your boy, who would not have wavered from his duty for a moment. The day before he was killed he was at battalion headquarters, and the C.O. remarked what a splendid boy he was, intelligent, bright, and keen. I did not see him after his return from leave before going in the line, and so it is some time since I last saw him, but I shall always treasure the short friendship I had with him. I think it an honour to serve such men as a priest.” Lce.-Corpl. Greenwood was a Lewis gunner. 

The author of the letter Rev Edgar Noel Moore M.C. was himself killed in action shortly after Ernest's death on 05th January 1918. He now rests at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground.  Ernest's brother Albert was also killed in the war. He was serving in the 4th Dragoon Guards (Royal Irish) when he was declared missing on 03rd November 1914, his body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. Albert was 22 years of age when he was killed.  His CWGC records also notes that Ernest also fell. 

Ernest is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Borough Road College (Brunel University compiled the Roll) 

Brunel University

Grateful thanks are extended to Kevin Shannon the author of the book The Liverpool Rifles for providing details of Ernest's service with the 6th Rifles. 

Grateful thanks are also extended to Burnley in the Great War whose website: burnleyinthegreatwar.info is well worth a visit.