Pte 22412 Herbert William Hodgson

• Age: 29
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: XII.B.8

Herbert William Hodgson was born in Liverpool in 1885 the son of Harry Hodgson and his wife Mary (nee Dick). The couple were married on the 10th July 1881 at St Mary’s, Edge Hill. Harry was a 24 year old boat builder of 120 Edgeware St, father Edmund deceased, whilst Mary was aged 20 of 29 Tillotson St, father William deceased.  

Herbert was baptised at St Nathaniels Church, Edge Hill, Liverpool on 27th December 1885 where Harry’s profession is now given as safe maker. The family address is 51 Troughton Street. 

His father was born in Liverpool and his mother in Knowsley. They had six children;  Herbert had an elder brother Edmund Allen (listed in error on censuses as Edward or Emmanuel), and younger brothers Roderick Harry and Arthur Frederick, and younger sisters Agnes Elizabeth and Alice Maud Mary.

The 1891 Census shows the family living at 20 Ciceley Street.

The father Harry is aged 33 and an iron safe maker, Mary is 30. The couple have four children – Edmund aged 9, Herbert 5, Roderick 3 and 5 month old Arthur.

His father, Harry died at homeon the 13th Nov 1899 at the age of 42. 

Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 16 November 1899 

HODGSON—November 13, 19 Earle-road, aged 42 years, Harry, the beloved husband Mary Hodgson. Interment at West Derby Cemetery, to-morrow (Friday) 2 o'clock. (Friends please accept this—the only—intimation.) 

By the 1901 census the family are living at 19 Earle Road. His widowed mother Mary, aged 40, now has six children: Emmanuel (Edmund), 19, who is a merchants clerk, Herbert, 15, who is a tinsmith's apprentice, Roderick 13, Arthur 10, Agnes born in 1893 and Alice born in 1899. Mary’s mother Elizabeth aged 75 is living with the family, as are four boarders. 

Edmund joined the Merchant Marine and is found between the censuses on crew lists as an assistant steward.

His mother, Mary died in 1907 at 21 Milroy Street., aged 46.

Herbert, or Bert as he’s known, married Amy Mahon (who was born in Liverpool in 1884) on 27th December 1909 in Holy Trinity Church, Walton Breck Road, Anfield.  Bert's occupation is shown as shop assistant, they are both 24, and both give their address as 18 Redbrook Street.

At the time of the 1911 census Bert and Amy are living together at 33 Hanwell Street in Anfield and Bert is working as a drapers porter. Bert’s brothers and sisters are living with their grandmother,  Elizabeth Dick, at the time at 21 Milroy Street. Roderick, 23, is a railway clerk with the L&NW Railway, Arthur, 20, is a chauffeur, Agnes (married, now Johnson) is 18, and Alice is 12.

On the 18th February 1913 Amy gave birth to a daughter Amy Elizabeth May. She was baptised on 22nd April 1913 in St. Catherine's Church, Edge Hill, her parents living at the time at 22 Bagnall Street, and Bert's occupation given as tram conductor.

Bert enlisted on the 10th November 1914, at Liverpool, joining the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 22412. He gave his age as 28 years and 11 months and his occupation as corporation driver. He had served three years as a volunteer in the 6th Lancs Artillery. He was 5 feet four and a quarter inches tall, weighed 136lbs, 37” chest, fresh complexion, brown eyes and hair and gave his religion as Church of England. He gives as next of kin Amy at 22 Bagnall Street (later 51 Royston Street, Edge Hill). 

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th 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 07^th November 1915.

Whilst in France:  

09/04/1916 admitted to No.55 Field Ambulance, fever of unknown origin 

11/04/1916 admitted to No.22 F.A., I.C.T. to wrist.  

16/04/1916 rejoined unit 

Bert was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 29, 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. 

Bert was initially reported Missing on 30th July 1916. 

His family placed notices in the Liverpool Daily Post on the 03rd August 1916:

HODGSON - In proud and loving memory of my devoted husband Herbert (Bert) of the 4th Pals presumed killed in action on 30th July 1916 (A dear memory without a blot is an exquisite treasure). – his sorrowing wife and little girlie, 51 Royston Street, Liverpool.

HODGSON - To the dearest memory of H.W. (Bert) Hodgson (4th Pals) reported missing 30th July 1916 now officially reported killed in action.

He Died....

Fighting to save a world’s morality;

He died the noblest death a man may die,

Fighting for God, for right, for liberty;

And such a death is immortality.

(Ever remembered by Mother and family at 51 Royston Street)

An entry on his Casualty Form eleven months later, on 03rd July 1917, notes that his death was officially accepted, for official purposes, as having occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

Bert was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His name was published in the Liverpool Daily Post on 14th September 1916. 

Missing. 

King’s (Liverpools) - Hodgson, 22412, H. W.; 

Bert was remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918:

"In ever-loving memory of dear old Bert (Pals), killed in action, July 30, 1916. - Always remembered by Mother, and all at 51, Royston Street."

He earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £7-10s went to Amy, who was awarded a pension of 15/- a week from March 1917, increased to 18/9d in April, and replaced with an Alternative Pension of £1-2s-4d from November 1918.

Bert is remembered in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 55 Right.

His brother, Roderick, had enlisted in 1908 in the 10th (Reserve) Battalion (Territorial Force) K.L.R.  He served overseas with the Liverpool Scottish and was discharged as Acting Corporal in June 1917 with a Silver War Badge as medically unfit (sickness).

His brothers Edmund, Roderick and Arthur are found on the electoral register in Leopold Road, Edge Hill, in 1919.

On the 1939 register at the outbreak of the Second World War, his widow Amy, 55, and daughter Amy, 26, were living at 93 Chedworth Road, Liverpool. Also in the household was Ernest V. Cobb, 43, a Tramways electrician (who had served in the Royal Navy during the war).

His brother Edmund served in the Merchant Navy in World War II. He was an assistant cook on H.M.S. Forfar, a Canadian Pacific passenger liner (S.S. Montrose) requisitioned by the Royal Navy as an armed merchant cruiser. She was on Northern Patrol in the Atlantic on 02nd December 1940, having just left eastbound Convoy HX 90 and was on her way to join westbound Convoy OB 251, about 500 nautical miles west of Ireland, when she was torpedoed by U-99 at 05:46 hrs. The ship sank after being hit by five torpedoes, with the loss of 36 officers and 136 men, including Edmund. The U-boat was commanded by Otto Kretschmer, Germany's most successful U-boat commander, who in his short career sank over 40 ships totalling 275,000 tons. (U-99 was damaged by depth charges in March 1941 and scuttled. Kretschmer and most of the crew were rescued, and spent six and a half years in captivity.)  Edmund was 58, and is commemorated on the Liverpool Naval Memorial.

His widow Amy died in 1964, aged 80.  His daughter Amy never married and died in 1970, aged 56.
 
The Liverpool Corporation Tramways Memorial, dedicated to the memory of the men of the Department who fell in the Great War and the War of 1939-1945, stands near the main gate of the bus depot on Edge Lane.

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