Pte 30263 Francis Arthur Hoole

• Age: 23
• From: Farsley Yorks
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Francis Arthur Hoole was born in 1893 in Farsley, Yorkshire, the son of John Hoole and Annie Butterfield who had married in Armley Church, Leeds on the 16th August 1884. John was a 24 year old railway clerk, his father Thomas, whilst Annie was aged 23, her father Joseph, both of Armley.. His parents were both born in Yorkshire, his father in Halifax, and his mother in Bradford.

Arthur was the fifth of their ten children.  He had older siblings Frederick John (who died age 1), Lilian, Ernest Albert, and Hubert Alan. His younger siblings were Florence Agnes, Esther Ellinor, John Wilfred, all born in Yorkshire, and Clarice Annie and Bertha Alice (who died in infancy), both born in Staffordshire.

In 1901 the Census records finds Francis aged 7 living with his parents John, who was 41 and working as a railway clerk and Annie who was 40 and looking after her seven children. As well as Francis there was Lilian aged 12, Ernest 10, Robert 8, Florence 6, Esther 3 and John aged 1. The family’s address was 9 Cedar Terrace, Armley, Leeds.

The family had moved to Staffordshire by 1902.

The 1911 Census records show the family are living at 51 Bertram Road, Smethwick, Staffordshire. Francis is not present, but the rest of the family are all living together. His father is 51, a railway clerk, his mother is 50. Lilian, 22, has no occupation; Ernest, 20, is a tramway clerk; Hubert is 18, an apprentice engineer fitter, and Florence, 16, "domestic duties". Esther is 13, Wilfred John 10, and Clarice 8.

The only possible record found for Francis Arthur is Arthur Hoole, 17, a footman, one of eight servants in the household of Miss Annie H. Cartland at The Priory, King's Heath, Worcestershire (about 6 miles from Smethwick).  His birthplace is given as Smethwick, but as no births of that name were registered in that area, this is likely Francis. He had lived in Smethwick since he was about 9 year old.

The Priory was owned by the Cartland family, wealthy Birmingham brass-founders, and the family of the best-selling novelist Barbara Cartland (b.1901), whose father, Major James Bertram Falkner Cartland, of the Worcester Regiment, was killed in action on 27th May 1918, aged 42 (he is commemorated on the Soissons Memorial).  Her two brothers served in the Army in World War Two and were both killed in Belgium in 1940: Captain James Anthony Cartland, 27, Lincolnshire Regiment, was killed on 29th May, and Major John Ronald Cartland of the Royal Artillery one day later, on 30th May 1940, aged 33.

Francis enlisted in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30263. SDGW gives his residence and place of enlistment as Liverpool. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, Arthur volunteered in about June 1915 and went to France in 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 23, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

17th Battalion Diary 30th July 1916

The Battalion was in support to 19 & 20 Battalions K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20th. Very thick mist. The attack was pushed home to the objective in places but in the main was held up by machine gun fire from hidden machine guns.

Fighting continued all day swaying backwards and forwards until by 6pm about 300 yards in depth had been gained & consolidated all along our front.

Casualties in the 17th Battalion were 15 Officers and 281 Other Ranks

Further details are reported in more detailed by Everard Wyrall in his book The History of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 1914-1919 Volume II 1916-1917

The 17th King’s had advanced (two companies each behind the 19th and 20th Battalions) in small columns. They too suffered heavily from machine-gun fire and were quickly absorbed into the waves that preceded them. They also shared the gains and losses of that terrible day.

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July. 

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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 body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

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 Army pay and a War Gratuity of £3-10s went to his father John.  No pension card has been found, indicating that Arthur was living independently and had no dependants and/or his parents did not apply for a pension.

His brother Ernest married in July 1915, at which time he was a Private with the 30th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C. He arrived in France on 21st September 1915,  and survived the war.

His father died, aged 70, on Christmas Day 1929. 

Probate 1929:- 

HOOLE John of 51 Bertram Road Smethwick Staffordshire died 25 December 1929 Administration London 18 March to Annie Hull widow. Effects £866 10s 9d. 

His mother died in 1931, aged 70. 

Arthur is commemorated in Holy Trinity Church, Smethwick.

Grateful thanks are extended to John Chambers who kindly gave permission for the use of the photograph of his great grandfather Francis Arthur. He also provided us with more information:

Francis Arthur Hoole was born July 1893 in Farsley West Yorkshire one of 8 children. At some point around the turn of the century the family moved to Smethwick, West Midlands. My great grandfather was a clerk on the railways. In the 1911 census Francis was employed as a footman at the Priory Kings Heath Birmingham which was the home of the Cartland family (Barbara) He was using his middle name at this point, Arthur. I assume he was conscripted in 1916 and put in the 17th Battalion KLR to make up for casualties He was killed in action on 30 /07/16 attacking Guillemont part of the Somme campaign. On the 100th anniversary of his death we went to Guillemont and traced his final steps thanks to the book Liverpool Pals by Graham Maddocks. His body was never recovered like so many.

We currently have no further information on Francis Arthur Hoole, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.