Michael Nester was born in Liverpool in the June quarter of 1898, the son of Patrick Nester and his wife Mary (née Dixon). All his military records show the last name as Nester, but his birth registration and census records show Nestor, and his father signed the 1911 census Nestor.  Both his parents were born in Liverpool.  They had eight children:  Mary Ellen in 1884,  Michael Joseph 1886 (died at age 1), John 1887, Sarah Jane 1889, Elizabeth 1891, William 1894, Michael 1898, and Joseph 1901. Michael was named after his paternal grandfather. 

 

In 1901 the family, with seven children, is living at 23 Penrhyn Street.  His father is a dock labourer, Mary, 17, is a fruit hawker, Michael is 3.

 

In 1911 they are living in court housing at 5 in 4 Dalrymple Street. His father, Patrick is aged 52,and is employed a general labourer in shipping, Sarah, 22, and Elizabeth, 20, are vegetable hawkers, William, 17, no occupation listed, Michael, 13, and Joseph, 10, are at school. The parents state they have been married for 28 years, but the marriage record shows 1890. The reason for this discrepancy is not known.

 

Michael’s service record has not survived, so the details are not known.  It is not known when he enlisted; Michael would have been 16 when war was declared. He enlisted in Liverpool in the 19th (Pals) Bn, King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, as Private 27032.  He would have trained for many months in the U.K. before being sent to France. There is some confusion over the Battalion that he was serving with when he was killed as CWGC clearly state tha the was serving with the 12th Battalion whilst SDGW state he was killed with the 19th Battalion. The History of the King's Regiment places his name in the casualty lists of the 19th Battalion. 

 

Michael was declared Missing on 7th October 1916 and death was later presumed for official purposes. He was 18 years old.  He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

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.”

Reported wounded and missing as Nestor in Liverpool Daily Post 12th December 1916

Michael’s effects, including a War Gratuity of £6-10s, went to his father Patrick. His mother Mary, living at 6 (later 17) Dalrymple Street, Liverpool, received a pension of 9/- a week (10/6d from 25/1/1918 to 18/3/1919).