L/Cpl 17357 Owen Hughes

• Age: 27
• From: Bootle, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Savy Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: I.G.14

Owen Hughes was born in Bootle in the fourth quarter of 1890 the son of Richard Hughes and his wife Grace (nee Owens). Both parents were born in Anglesea and resided in Bootle, and were married in 1890 at West Derby, Register Office.

On the 1891 Census the family are living at 55 Keats Street, Bootle. His father is not present, mother Grace Hughes is aged 26 , son Owen six months old and born Liverpool.

On the 1901 Census the family have moved to 7 Moore Street, Bootle. His father Richard is aged 40 and is a dock labourer born in Amlwch, Anglesey, mother Grace age 37 was also born in Amlwch. They have five children living with them; Owen 10, Charlotte 8, Richard 5, William 3 and David 1.

Owen's father Richard died in 1906 and was buried on 28th July 1906 at Kirkdale Cemetery(8-427)

On the 1911 Census the family are still at 7 Moore Street, Bootle. Widowed mother Grace, children Owen 20 a clerk in a railway goods dept, Charlotte 18 a plaiter in dye works, Richard 16 office boy for provisions merchant, William 13 at school and Griffith 6. Grace advised that she had been married for 21 years having eight children born with six surviving. 

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 17357. He declared that he was a clerk, aged 23 years and 340 days. He was described as being 5' 7"tall, weight 140lbs, 36" chest with a sallow complexion, brown eyes, and ginger hair. Religion C. of E.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th 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.

His service records show:

Owen was serving as Lance-Corporal No 17357 when he was killed in action on the 22^nd March 1918, aged 27, during the German Spring Offensive. 

The Battalion diary gives an insight into the days events:

22^nd  GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

Owen was reported missing in the Weekly Casualty on 04th June 1918:

Owen now rests at Savy British cemetery.

Savy was taken by the 32nd Division on the 1st April 1917, after hard fighting, and Savy Wood on the 2nd. On the 21st March 1918 Savy and Roupy were successfully defended by the 30th Division, but the line was withdrawn after nightfall. The village and the wood were retaken on the 17th September 1918 by the 34th French Division, fighting on the right of the British IX Corps.

Savy British Cemetery was made in 1919, and the graves from the battlefields and from the following small cemeteries in the neighbourhood were concentrated into it.

There are now over 850, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, more than half are unidentified. Memorials are erected in the cemetery to 68 soldiers (chiefly of the 19th King's Liverpools and the 17th Manchesters), buried by the Germans in their cemetery on the St. Quentin-Roupy road, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The Cemetery covers an area of 2,555 square metres and is enclosed by a low rubble wall.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Grace.
 
His mother Grace died in 1937 at 32 Eleanor Road and was also buried at Kirkdale Cemetery alongside her husband on 30th June 1937.

Owen is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 58

Bootle Civic Memorial.

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