Pte 16742 John Halsall Range

• Age: 23
• From: Wavertree, 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.

16742 Private John Halsall RANGE, 18^th Battalion KLR.

John Halsall Range was born on 07th March 1893 in Chesnut Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool and was baptised on 30th April 1893 in Holy Trinity Church, Wavertree, Liverpool, parents from Chestnut Grove. John was the youngest of eight children born to Henry Halsall Range, and his wife Agnes (nee Lawrence), who married at Holy Trinity Church, Walton Breck on the 06^th July 1868. Henry was a 26 year old painter, father Henry, whilst Agnes was aged 18, father James, both of 7 Salop Street, Kirkdale. 

The 1901 Census find the family living at 40 High Street, Liverpool. John is 8 years of age and is living with his parents and four siblings. His father is 59 years of age a painter - employer born in Liverpool, whilst his mother is 50 and also born in Liverpool. His siblings are shown as; Henry H. aged 23 and a corn trade clerk, George M. a railway clerk aged 21, Walter a painters apprentice aged 16 and Margaret aged 14. 

His father died on 22nd July 1905 leaving £2,968 10s 8d to his wife Agnes. 

When he enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 03rd September 1914, joining the 18th Battalion as Private 16742, he was living at 32 Dudley Road, Wavertree, the address of his brother Henry Halsall, and was employed as a clerk. He was described as being 5' 7" tall, weight 178lbs with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His religion is shown 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. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

John crossed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on 07th November 1915.

His training continued whilst in France, and he attended 30 Division School between 29^th March and 16^TH April 1916.  

He was killed in action at Montauban on 1^st July 1916 with “A” Company.

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.

John's body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Misisng 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.”

His death was reported in the Liverpool Evening Express on 16th August 1916:

"Official notice has been received of the death of Private John H.Range, of the Pals, who was killed in action on July 1st. He was the youngest son of the late Mr. Henry H.Range, of Wavertree, Liverpool. He was educated at Holy Trinity, Wavertree, and Holt Schools, and was well known in swimming and football circles. He joined the Pals on their formation. Prior to the war he was engaged as clerk in the office of the Cuban Consul, Liverpool. He had won the Lowe Swimming Shield and several handicap prizes. He was also a member of the Wavertree club water polo team."

A newspaper article on 23rd August 1916 added his name to the Old Xaverian casualties: 9 killed to date, including four Pals (the others being Sgt. B.J. Fleming, Harry Lockhart and George McGuinness).

Soldiers Effects to sister Ethel Antrobus, no Pension record found.