Pte 19639 John Gregory

• Age: 23
• From: Pendlebury, Manchester
• 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.

John was born in 1892 at Swinton, Manchester and was the son of John Gregory and his wife Martha (née Jones). He was baptised on 04th September 1892 in Christ Church, Pendlebury, his parents’ residence at the time 55 Eaton Street, and his father’s occupation collier. His father’s first marriage was to Hannah Davenport in 1886 at St George's Church, Salford and they had a daughter Barbara Hannah born on the 11th August 1888, their address 16 Worsley Street on her baptism. Hannah sadly died aged 26 a few months later.

John's parents married in 1890 at St Augustine's Church, Salford and had five children; John had an older sister Polly, and a younger sister Beatrice.  Sadly, their two youngest children died young:  Janet, born in 1899 died in infancy, and Thomas 1903, died at one year old.  All the children were born in Pendlebury.

Before John’s birth, at the time of the 1891 census, his parents lived at 55 Eaton Street, Worsley, and his father was a coal miner, aged 26, Martha was 27, they had two children in the household; Barbara H. 4, and Polly 2mths.   

By 1901 they have moved to 42 Carrington Street, Pendlebury, and have four children.  His father’s occupation is coal hewer and he is aged 36, Martha is 37.  They now have four children in the household; Barbara is 12, Polly 10, John 8, and Beatrice 7.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 89 Park Street, Swinton, Manchester. His father, John, is aged 46, born in Swinton in 1865 his occupation is shown as a coal pit brow labourer above ground. His mother Martha is aged 47, born 1864 in Pendlebury. They have been married for twenty years and have had five children of which two had died. Those children listed at home at the time of the Census are; Polly aged 20, born 1890 occupation weaver, John aged 18, born 1893 is a domestic gardener for J Edge Esq, Beatrice aged 17, born 1894 is a laundress, at Swinton Steam Laundry, Ida an adopted daughter aged 16, born 1895 is a winder in a cotton mill. They have a boarder Harry Holden aged 22, born 1889 in Cheetham Hill who is a shop assistant for a fishmonger.   

He enlisted on 07th September 1914 at Manchester and gave his age as 22 years and one month and his occupation as a labourer. He was described as being five feet four and half inches tall, weighed 117 and 1/2 lbs,  34” chest, with a pale complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England. He gave his father as next of kin at 2 Raymond Street, Pendlebury. 

Attested and posted Liverpool Regiment (Depot) and the same day transferred to the Army Reserve, rejoining the Colours on the 18th.    

02.10.14 Posted to the 13th Battalion K.L.R.  

26.9.15; Embarked for France. 

06.2.16: Appendicitis to 20 Casualty Clearing Station. 

27.2.16: Admitted to 8 Stationary Hospital at Wimereux. 

10.3.16: Transferred to 5 Convalescent Depot at Wimereux. 

14.3.16: Etaples.4.5.16: To 3 Entreching battalion. 

24.5.16: Transferred to 19th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment  

He was serving in the 19^th Battalion (No1 Company, 1st Platoon) of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 19639 when he was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916 aged 23 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.   

He was originally posted as Missing.

John's body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

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.”

John earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his father.  His mother was awarded a pension of 12/6d a week from May 1917.  At that time she lived at 2 Raymond Street, Pendlebury, and later moved to 223 Chorley Road, Swinton.

His personal effects were sent to his father and consisted one bundle of correspondence cards and photos, one waist belt containing one cap badge and five souvenirs.

John was engaged to be married. Two years after he went missing, his fiancée Miss M. Beardon, Paxton, Stirling Road, Bournemouth, contacted the International Red Cross in hopes that John had been taken prisoner, but received a reply in the negative dated 19th July 1918.

In 1919 Polly, 28, and Beatrice 26, were living at home with their parents at 5 Rutland Street. Barbara, 31, was married and living in Scotland.

Sadly, John has not been found on any local memorial.  His name is not listed on the Men of Swinton Memorial.  

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