Pte 26698 George Milsom

• Age: 20
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: V.M.8

There is confusion surrounding the surname in which George should be commemorated be that Milson or Milsom.

A record of his parent's Marriage in 1895 shows George MILSON married Mary Dooley in the 3rd quarter of 1895. George MILSON's birth registration in the third quarter of 1896. The 1901 Census is recorded in the name MILSON. The 1911 Census is completed in the name MILSON. A report in the Liverpool press reporting the deaths of 4 soldiers including George MILSON.  Private 26698 George MILSON Medal Index Card.

However. a baptismal certificate shows his name as MILSOM. He is commemorated in the name MILSOM. As such we will refer to him below as MILSOM.

George Milsom was born on 16th June 1896 in Liverpool, the son of George and Mary Milsom (nee Dooley). They had married on the 4th Aug 1895 at Our Lady of Reconciliation de la Salette, Vauxhall. George was baptised at St Bridgid's Church, Liverpool on 17th June 1896.  

His father appears on the crew list of the White Star liner RMS ‘Majestic’ in 1899, his address 10 Ennerdale St. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 10 Ennerdale Street, Liverpool.

George is 4 years of age and living with his parents and younger newborn brother Thomas. His father is a dock labourer born in Liverpool in 1870, whilst his mother was born in Liverpool in 1876.

The 1911 Census shows the family are still living at 10 Ennerdale St, Liverpool.

Father, George, is now aged 40, his occupation has changed and he is now recorded as a labourer in a tannery. His wife Mary is aged 37. They have been married for sixteen years and have had five children of which three had sadly died including Thomas who was registered in 1901. The surviving children are George now aged 14 and Catherine aged 4, born 1907.

George enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 26698 when he was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916 aged 20 at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

17^th Battalion Diary 

The Bn was in support to 19 & 20 Bn K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20^th. 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 17^th 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 17^th 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 30^th 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 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July. 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th 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.     

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 and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

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 headstone shows the name MILSON and bears the poignant epitaph:

"WORDS ALONE CANNOT CONVEY THOUGHTS OF YOU DEAR SON TO-DAY"

George's death was reported in the Liverpool Evening Express of 24th August 1916

Pte.G.Milson (Liverpool Pals), of 10 Ennerdale street, Bevington Hill. He was educated at St.Bridget's school, and formerly worked at Messrs.Shackley's tannery. (Lpool Express 24/8/16)

On the first anniversary of his death his family paid tribute to George in the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 under the heading ‘Lost At The Battle of Guillemont’; 

“In loving memory of Private George Milsom, K.L.R. (Pals), who was killed in action, July 30, 1916, in his 20th year. (Oh, take him to Thy sacred heart and seal the entrance o’er.) – Sadly missed by Mother, Father, and Sister Katie, 10, Ennerdale Street.”

“In affectionate remembrance of Private George Milsom, K.L.R. (Pals), who was killed in France, July 30, 1916. R.I.P. (On whose soul, sweet Jesus, have mercy.) - Never forgotten by Uncle, Aunt, and Cousins, at 1 Wilbraham Street.” 

Soldiers Effects to his father George and mother Mary Milsom.

George is commemorated as MILSOM in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 18. 

Mother died aged 46 in 1922. 

Father appears as George Milsen on the Electoral Roll at Ennerdale St until 1938, no death record found. 

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