Pte 30827 John Edward Duke Hitchmough

• Age: 22
• From: Liverpool
• 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.

John Edward Duke Hitchmough was born in Liverpool on 05th September 1893, the son of John Robert Hitchmough and his wife Georgina (nee Hayes). He was baptised in Holy Trinity Church, Anfield, the same month. The family is recorded as living at 100 Sedley Street, Anfield. His father, John, is listed as a coachman. His parents married in 1885 and had six children; John was their eldest son. He had older sisters Ethel and Jessie, and younger siblings Charles Percy, Ivy Mildred (who died at 1 year old), and Reginald Hayes.

At the time of the 1901 census the family, all born in Liverpool, are at the same address. John is 46 and a carriage washer and groom, Georgina is 36. They have five children: Ethel aged 12, Jessie 10, John 7, Charles 6 and Reginald aged 1.

The family are living at 11 Salisbury Road, Everton at the time of the 1911 Census. His father, 53, is a coachman out of employment, his mother is 45. They advised that they had been married for 24 years, and have had 6 children, with 5 having survived. Living at home with the couple are Jessie, aged 19, who is working in a sweet factory, John now aged 17 and is an errand boy, Charles Percy aged 16 is an apprentice joiner, and Reginald is 11. 

The family later lived at 73 Dacy Road, Everton.

John enlisted in Liverpool and served in the 20th Battalion, The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30827. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he volunteered in about June 1915, arriving in France some time in 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 22, 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.   

His death was reported among the Pals casualties in the Liverpool Daily Post on 18th August 1916.

John's body was not recovered 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.”

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £3-10s went to his mother. His father received a pension for Jack of 10/- a week from August 1917.

In the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 under the heading Lost At The Battle of Guillemont, his family paid tribute to Jack:

“In loving memory of Private Jack Hitchmough, killed in action July 30, 1916, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Hitchmough, and grandson of the late Edward Hitchmough, provision merchant of this city. (Never forgotten by his loving Sisters Ethel and Jessie.)”

His brother, Charles Percy, attested on 04th December 1915 and was mobilised on 03rd July 1916 in the Army Service Corps. He arrived in France in February 1917 and was transferred in September 1917 to the 8th Royal Warwicks. He was demobbed in March 1919 (sickness) and died of valvular disease of the heart the following December, aged 24. Percy has a CWGC headstone in Anfield Cemetery. After Percy's death the pension was increased to 17/- a week.

His youngest brother Reginald enlisted on 19th February 1915 when he was 15 and a half years old. He arrived in France with the Royal Artillery in September 1915, and was discharged with sickness in February 1919.  He married and remained in Dacy Road until he died in 1983.

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