L/Cpl 22415 John Dykes Holt

• Age: 22
• From: Runcorn, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 12th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

John Dykes Holt was born in Runcorn, Cheshire in 1894 the son of John Holt and his wife Mary (nee Dykes) who were married in 1876 in Runcorn.  

His father died on the 04th January 1905, aged 54. 

The 1911 Census finds that the family are still living at 18 York Street.

His widowed mother Mary, is 59, she advises that she was married for 24 years and had 9 children 7 of whom have survived. There are five children listed at home; Eva 32 dressmaker, Fred 28 shipwright for canal company, Arthur 21 joiner at salt works, John 16 clerk at coal agents, Sidney 13 at school. 

Prior to enlisting John worked as an office clerk for Messrs Simpson and Davies in Runcorn High Street. John was also the correspondent for "The Wesleyan Magazine" for Brunswick, a Secretary for Brunswick Sunday School and an officer of Old Victoria F.C.

John enlisted in Liverpool on 10th November 1914 joining the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22415. He gave his age as 20 years and 4 months, and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being 5' 7" tall, weighed117 lbs with a 34 inch chest, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He stated his religion as Wesleyan and gave his mother as next of kin.

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 7^th November 1915.

The murderous fighting that went on inside Trones Wood rendered it impossible to put specific dates on some of the casualties. 

The conditions are best described in the following passage from Everard Wyrall’s book The History of The King’s Regiment (Liverpool) Volume II. 

The remembrance of Trones Wood in July 1916 to those who passed through it is of a noisome, horrible place, of a tangled mass of trees and undergrowth which had been tossed and flung about in frightful confusion by the shells of both sides. Of the ghastly dead which lay about in all directions, and of DEATH, lurking in every hole and corner with greedy hands ready to snatch the lives of the unwary.  The place was Death trap, and although the attacks were made with great determination,   the presence of snipers who could not be detected and often fired into the backs of our men made the clearing of the wood impossible. 

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.”

He death was also reported fully in the Runcorn Guardian on 28th July 1916

CORPORAL J. D. HOLT

As briefly announced last week. Corporal John Dykes Holt has made the great sacrifice on behalf of his country. The news came in a letter to his brother, Mr Fred Holt, from Sergeant Gowan Fryer who wrote:- "I little thought after neglecting to write to you for so long I would be called upon to have to convey to you the sad news of Jack's death. He was hit this morning as he was being relieved, and died about an hour afterwards in a French dressing room. We are all sorry for you in your great loss, every man in the company feels he has lost a real comrade. He was undoubtedly one of our best men and we shall miss him more than I can tell. Corporal Holt was 22 years of age and was one of the second series of the Brunswick Sunday School, and the correspondent for the Wesleyan Magazine for Brunswick. He was in great request for writing letters to their homes for wounded soldiers, and did all he could to comfort them in their pain. He was also highly commended for gallant conduct, the particulars furnished as being as follows:- "On June 16th after a German attack on our trenches, several of the Pioneer Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment who were working in the reserves caught a lot of shelling and a number of them wounded. Corporal Holt and three others volunteered to carry them in. Although under fire, to do this they had to go up a communication trench which was full of twistings and turnings, and this necessitated them returning with the stretchers raised up above the top of the trench. Two days afterwards Corporal Holt and his comrades were called to the orderly room and commended for the gallant and distinguished conduct, the South Lancs having written, thanking them for their gallantry, and saying they were a credit to their battalion." Special references were made to Corporal Holt at a memorial service at St. Paul's on Sunday.

The full content of the letter sent to his brother from Sergeant Gowan Fryer:

"I little thought that after neglecting to write to you for so long I would be called upon to have to convey to you the sad news of Jack's death. He was hit as he was being relieved and died about an hour afterwards in a dressing station. We are all very sorry for your great loss. Every man in the company feels he has lost a real comrade. He was undoubtedly one of our best men and we shall miss him more than I can tell you. He will have been buried today in a small but steadily growing Cemetery behind the line among some of our best and our allies' army who have been called upon to make the Great sacrifice. The locality of which I will tell you later on as we are not allowed to make known the place at present. Please accept and convey to your Mother, sister and brothers, my deepest sympathy.

The Newspaper article was followed by a poem written by John's broken hearted Mother.

"SLEEP WELL MY DEAR SON, IN A LONELY GRAVE,
YOUR LIFE FOR YOUR COUNTRY, YOU NOBLY GAVE,
NO FRIEND STOOD NEAR TO SAY GOODBYE,
BUT SAFE IN GOD'S KEEPING NOW YOU LIE".

His family paid tribute to John on his first anniversary in the Runcorn Weekly 13th July 1917: