1885 - 1916
CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916
Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916
Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Pte 25756 William Roberts
- Age: 33
- From: Liverpool
- Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
- K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
- Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
Panel Ref: II.Q.4
25756 Private William Roberts, 18th Battalion KLR.
William Roberts was born in the June quarter of 1883, to William Roberts and his wife Mary Jane (nee Sammonds, spellings vary), who married at St Peter's Church, Liverpool on the 17th September 1878. William was a 26 year old labourer, father Robert, whilst Mary Jane Salmon was aged 30, father Henry (Mary was illiterate hence the confusion with her surname). At the time of their marriage the couple lived in Grayson Street, probably No.34, the Sammonds family. He had older siblings Robert Henry, Catherine, and Elizabeth, and younger siblings Thomas and Mary Jane. Both his parents were born in Liverpool. His father was a dock labourer.
On the 1881 census the family are boarding at 32 Grayson St with the Vohs family. Father William is aged 28, a dock labourer, mother Mary J. is aged 30, children Robert 3 and Catherine 1 (everybody born Liverpool).
On the 1891 census the family are living at House 2, 7 Court Pownall Street. William's father, William, is aged 38, a dock labourer, mother Mary J. is aged 41. They have five children in the household: Robert H. 12 a scholar, Catherine 11 a scholar, and Elizabeth 9 a scholar, Thomas 5 a scholar, and Mary J. 2. [The census and index are jumbled, parents recorded as born Wales)
It has not been possible to find William on the 1891 census, but by 1901 his father has died and his widowed mother Mary Jane, aged 53, is with three children and is living at 22 Mercer Court, Liverpool. William, 17, is a weighbridge labourer. Also in the household is his maternal uncle, Tom Sammond, 51. His married sister Catherine is at the same address, with her husband Christopher Murray and baby son William and her brother Richard Roberts, 15, an apprentice blacksmith.
His mother died, aged 57, in the June quarter of 1905.
In 1911, William is living with his by now widowed sister Catherine Murray, 31, who is a coal dealer, still at 18 Mercer Court, off Red Cross Street. William is 27, single, assisting in the business. Catherine has children William, Mary, and Catherine. Also in the household is her widowed uncle, Charles Salmond.
Unfortunately his service record has not survived so the full details of his military service are not known. However, we know that William enlisted in Liverpool in January 1915 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 25756. He gave his next of kin as his married sister Catherine Murray who lived at 18 Mercer Court, Red Cross Street, Liverpool.
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
On 7th November 1915 he crossed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta.
William was part of the attack at Montauban on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme and was killed on 01st July 1916, aged 33.
18th 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 18th 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 24th July 1916:
"Private William Roberts has been killed in action. He was thirty-two years of age, and resided with his sister 18, Mercer-court, Red Cross-street, Liverpool. He was in the employment of Mr. Perriss, of King-street".
[W.Perris and Co., Provision merchants, 26a Morrison’s buildings, 27 King St.]
He now rests in Dantzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz in Plot II, Row Q and 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.
Soldiers Effects(indexed 28756) to brother Robert H. and sisters Catherine Murray and Mary J. Kennedy.
His pension card shows William’s next of kin as his sister, Mrs. Catherine Murray, c/o Wyatt & Palmer, 4 Button Street, Liverpool, and the Medal roll for his Victory and British War medals shows ‘awaiting ?’, MIC indexed as 25/76.
William is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance at Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 45.
We currently have no further information on William Roberts, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.
Killed On This Day.
(109 Years this day)Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 17242 William Ernest Adams
23 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Cpl 16763 William Thomas Allmark
20 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Cpl 53085 Frank Percival Bell
26 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Lieut Charles David Calcott
23 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 48040 Herbert Cook
39 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 57916 Charles William Cooper
24 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 53100 Ernest Ephraim Evans
22 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 56724 William Alfred Hignett
30 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 57713 John Hodgkinson
20 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Pte 17602 William Alfred Hollis
19 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
Sgt 25114 John Reginald Hughes
26 years old
(109 Years this day)
Monday 23rd April 1917.
C.S.M 17060 John Daniel Jones
29 years old
A total of 26 Pals were killed on this day. View All