Cpl 16582 Clive Reynold Jones

• Age: 21
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

16582 Corporal Clive Reynold JONES, 18^th Battalion, KLR.

The birth of Clive Reynold Jones was registered in Liverpool in mid 1894, the second son born to William Reynold Jones, and his wife Margaret (nee Rowlands) who were married on the 16th September 1891 at the Parish Church, Wrexham.     

Details of their marriage featured in the Wrexham Advertiser on 21st September 1891: 

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 32 Whitby Road, Manchester. Clive R. is 6 years of age and lives with his parents and 4 siblings. His father is a 41 year old draper's buyer born in Llanerfyl, Montgomeryshire, whilst his mother is 32 years old and was born in Liverpool. His siblings are shown as; Francis R. aged 8 born in Liverpool, Doris W. R. aged 4 born in Hanley, Staffordshire, Beryl R. aged 2 born in Southport and Coralie R. aged 6 months and was born in Manchester. They employ a servant Ellen Davies aged 20.

By 1911 the family back in Liverpool and are living at 84 Bridge Road, Litherland. Clive is now 16 years old and is employed as a wool broker's office boy. He lives with his parents and seven siblings.  His father, William, is aged 51, a manager at a drapery warehouse, mother Margaret is aged 43, they advise that they have been married for 19 years and all eight of their children have survived. His siblings are listed as; Francis Reynold an 18 year old railway clerk, Doris Winifred aged 14, Beryl Reynold aged 12, Coralie Reynold aged 10, Eric Puleston Reynold aged 9 born in Manchester, Basil Reynold aged 6 born in Southport and Cecil Wynn Reynold aged 4 also born in Southport.

Clive enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02^nd September 1914, joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 16582. He gave his date of birth as 31st December 1893 and advised that his age was 20 years 245 days, his occupation as clerk (he was employed by Messrs Christopher Watson, wool brokers of Tempest Hey, Liverpool) and his next of kin as his parents of 84 Bridge Road, Litherland. He was described as being 5' 6" tall, weight 113lbs, 35" chest, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and hair. He stated his religion as Church of England.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. Whilst at Belton Park on 8^th May 1915 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and on 28^th June 1915 to Corporal. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

He sailed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on 07th November 1915.

He qualified as a bomb thrower and trained at 30^th Division Grenade School in May 1916.

He was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post  on 27th July 1916: 

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.” 

An entry in his service record shows his effects as a gymnastics badge, two numerals and photographs but earlier in the papers it shows that his Post Office Savings Book had been recovered. A letter from his father dated 25^th November 1918 directs that any future communications should be sent via Messrs Deutch & Company, 163 County Road, Walton and his father adds “I was under the impression that a pension was due but it has not been received”.

He was remembered by his family in the Liverpool Daily Post on 02nd July 1918: