Pte 24621 Frederick John Jones

• Age: 21
• From: Birkenhead, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: VI.W.4

24621 Private Frederick John JONES, 18^th Battalion KLR.

Frederick John (Fred) was born at 27 Oliver Street, Birkenhead in 1896 the son of William Henry Jones and his wife Sarah (nee Lawson). He was baptised in St Paul’s Church, Birkenhead on the 16th March 1896. His parents married on the 27th March 1887 at St Peter,'s Church, Liverpool. William was a 24 year old labourer of Pitt Street, father John, whilst Sarah was aged 21, also of Pitt Street, father David. 

The 1901 Census finds the family living at 27 Oliver Street, Birkenhead. His parents are living in the home of his mother's family. Frederick is shown as 5 years of age. His grandparents are listed as David Lawson an 82 year old born in Scotland and listed as a general labourer in a shipyard and Martha aged 70 born in Whitehaven. His uncle, David Lawson, is a 37 year old house painter born in Birkenhead. His own parents are listed as William, aged 38 born in Birkenhead and a labourer in a grain warehouse, his mother Sarah is 35 and also born in Birkenhead. Frederick's siblings, all born in Birkenhead, are listed as Mary aged 13, Selina 11, Martha 9 and Agnes 3. 

The 1911 Census finds 15 year old Frederick, now a fish mongers boy living with his 44 year old mother and his 13 year old sister Agnes at 5 Pym Street, Birkenhead. His father is not present on the Census but his mother advised that they had been married for 23 years and all five of their children have survived.  Later records suggest his parents were living apart. 

Fred enlisted in Liverpool on 02nd January 1915 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 24621. 

He was billeted at 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. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

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

He was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916 with No 4 Company aged 21.

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.

Fred now rests at Dantzig Alley British Cemetery.(Plot VI, Row V, Grave 4).

The village of Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley (a German trench) and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month and was used by field ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost during the great German advance in March 1918 but regained in August, and a few graves were added to the cemetery in August and September 1918. At the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of 183 graves, now in Plot I, but it was then very greatly increased by graves (almost all of 1916) brought in from the battlefields north and east of Mametz and from certain smaller burial grounds.

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery now contains 2,053 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 518 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 17 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 71 casualties buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

He is also remembered on the Birkenhead War Memorial, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead. 

Soldiers Effects to father William H., Pension to mother Sarah, then after her death to father William Henry, 61 Borough Road. 

Fred's mother Sarah died, aged 71, on the 30th November 1937 (from pension card). 

His father William H., widowed, dob 20th April 1862, appears on the 1939 register at 61 Borough Rd, Birkenhead. He is living with the Kempson Family. He died aged 78 in the December quarter of 1940.