Pte 15818 George Eyton Houldsworth

• Age: 23
• From: West Kirby, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: II.O.9

George Eyton Houldsworth was born in 1893 at West Kirby, the son of George Houldsworth and his wife Catherine Ellen (nee Jones). He had a younger brother Eric who was also born in West Kirby n 1897. Both brothers were baptised in St. Hillary's Church, Wallasey on 12th April 1900. The family were at this time resident at 11 Kent Road, Poulton, Wallasey. His father was born in Liverpool whilst his mother was born in Bethesda, Caernarvonshire. His parents married in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1892.

The 1901 census shows George senior, aged 32 and an insurance book keeper, visiting his widowed mother Ann Prince, aged 73, at Delf Cottages, Anfield together with his two boys, George, 8, and Eric, 3. Their mother was at a retreat for Inebriate Women in Manchester.

By 1911 the family are now living at 45 September Road, Anfield. His father, 42, is an accountant for an insurance company, his mother, Catherine, aged 39 is reunited with the family. George junior 18 is shown as an insurance clerk, Eric, 13, is at school. Also present were Catherine Ellen’s widowed mother Catherine and her half sister Olwen Danvers Jones.

George Eyton enlisted at St George's Hall on 31 August 1914 joining the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 15818. He gave his age as 21 years and 150 days and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet five ¾ inches tall, weight 138lbs, 35” chest, with blue eyes and sandy coloured hair. he stated his religion as Church of England. His physical development was described as good. He gave his parents as his next of kin at 61 Rocky Lane, Anfield. 

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th 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.

Whilst training at Salisbury Plain, George was confined to barracks for 7 days as punishment for being absent for 24 hours from midnight on 26 September 1915 to midnight on 27 September. 

He left for France from Folkestone with his battalion on 07th November 1915, disembarking at Boulogne.

George was again in trouble on 21st February 1916 when he received a further three days confined to barracks for remaining in bed after reveille whilst on active service

He was killed in action on 30th July 1916 during the ill fated attack at Guillemont. He was 23 years of age.

17th Battalion Diary 

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.     

Such was the ferocity of the fighting at Guillemont that close to 500 men were killed in action on that one day. In the confusion that followed the war office were only able to confirm George’s death in September 1916. 

George 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. 

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 military record includes telegraphs sent, one on 22nd August from Baucher, 10 Walmer Road, Waterloo:

"Wire information of Pte. George Houldsworth 15818 15th Platoon D Coy 17th KLR"

(No-one of this name is found at this address before, during, or after the war. Pte. Albert Boucher 85873 served in a number of K.L.R. battalions, including the 17th and 20th.)

His father wired on 28th August:

"My son Pte. Houldsworth 15818 17 Kings Reported killed 30 July can you confirm anxious. Houldsworth Standard Liverpool"

His parents were sent official notification of George's death on 29th August 1916 but his parents had moved.  

Infantry Records requested the assistance of the local Police in locating his father. The Police notified the Army on 09th September that Mr. George Houldsworth had left Rocky Lane 12 months previously, new address Grosvenor Avenue, number not known, and providing his business address in Liverpool.

Meanwhile, his father wrote on 13th September 1916:

"Dear Sir,

I should be glad to know if you have got any official information relating to my son Pte. George E. Houldswsorth 15818, 17 Batt: Kings (L'pool) Regt.

I have heard unofficially that he was killed on the 30th July and am naturally anxious to have any information that you may have. Could I ask you to kind[ly] address me c/o Standard Marine Ins. Co. Ltd., Brown's Bldgs, Liverpool.

There may have been some delay, caused by having changed my address from 61 Rocky Lane, Liverpool.
F'fully yours,

Geo. Houldsworth"

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