Pte 53140 Samuel John Sands

• Age: 25
• From: Melton Constable, Norfolk
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Samuel John Sands was born in 1891 in Melton Constable, Norfolk, the youngest son of William Creed Sands and his wife Susannah (nee Neale) who were married on the 4th February 1875 in Hindolveston, Norfolk. He was baptised on the 2^nd August 1891 in Melton. 
Samuel appears to have been known by his middle name John, or Jack. His father William was, for many years, gamekeeper on the estate of Melton Hall in Melton Constable in Norfolk. All of William and Susannah’s ten children were born in Melton Constable.

At the time the 1891 census was taken baby John was just 7 months old. His father was 54 and had been born in East Barsham, Norfolk, and his mother was 37 and had been born in Briston, Norfolk. The couple had other children – Charles aged 13, Rosa 11, Alice 9 and Beatrice 6 who were all at school. There was also William aged 3 and Thomas aged 2. John had an older brother called George who at the age of 15 was a page boy, part of a staff of 15, in the household of wealthy businessman Albert Sassoon in Brighton. A child called Kathleen had died in infancy in 1887.

The 1901 Census shows John was living with his parents and siblings, Beatrice, William, Thomas and Ivy in Thornage, Norfolk where John’s father is now retired. Some of his siblings were now living away from home - his brother George is a stable hand in the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, Charles is living in the gamekeepers cottage at Melton Hall, working as the under gamekeeper. His sister Alice was a servant in a farmer’s household in Thornage, and Rosa had married in 1898.

Sadly George died in London early in 1907.

By the 1911 census, only Thomas, John and Ivy are living at home in Thornage with their parents. Father William is aged 77, an ex gamekeeper, mother Susannah is aged 56(married 36 years, 10 children, 8 still alive). John is working as a groom, and Thomas as a labourer in the stone pits. Rosa’s 11 year old daughter is also shown as staying with the family. His brother William was also a gamekeeper on the Melton estate and is living in a cottage in Briston with his sister Beatrice keeping house. 

Mother Susannah died aged 61 in 1914 

John enlisted in Norwich and was formerly 7182, Norfolk Regiment (1st Battalion, “A” Company), Medical records show he received a bullet wound to the head and neck and was treated at 14th Field Ambulance between the 15th and 16th of June 1916. He was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 53140 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 aged 25 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

According to the 20^th Bn War Diary, on 10th October 1916 the battalion marched from Dernancourt via Mametz to Bazentin Le Grand where it bivouacked for the night. The next day the battalion moved up to site for assembly trenches, arriving about 11 p.m., where it dug in two good trenches, Nos.1 and 2 Coys front and Nos.3 and 4 Coys in rear.

From the War Diary:

Near Eaucourt L’Abbaye.  12/10/1916. The 4^th British and 6^th French armies continued the attack. Zero 2.5 p.m.  The whole XVth Corps attacked […]  The attack of 89^th Inf Bde was carried out with 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right, 17^th Bn KLR on left, 20^th Bn KLR in support, 19^th Bn KLR in reserve.  Battalions attacked in four waves. On the departure of the attacking battalions Nos. 1 and 2 companies advanced, each in two waves, to garrison the front line trench vacated by 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right and 17^th KLR on left. On Nos 1 and 2 Coys vacating front assembly trench, it was occupied by two platoons of Nos. 3 and 4 Coys respectively, from rear assembly trench. As the assaulting waves left their trenches they were met by intense machine gun fire, especially on our left. The enemy also opened heavy barrages on our front support and assembly trenches. […] Capt. H. Beckett, commanding No.1 company, reached the front line with few casualties, but Lieut R.D. Paterson leading No.2 company was killed. His company also had few casualties. The assaulting battalions were held up by very heavy machine gun fire, and made little progress.  […] At 4.20 p.m. two platoons, No.4 Coy, under Cpl Brighouse, were sent up to reinforce the left, and No.3 Coy under Cpl Sutton followed at 4.45 p.m.  Battalion HQ moved up to front line at 4.55 and remaining two platoons of No.4 Coy moved up to join Cpl Brighouse. 

Casualties during action: 

Officers – Killed Lieut. R.D. Paterson, 2^nd Lieut G.L. Grennan, Wounded – 2^nd Lieuts A.E. Griffin, L.E. Mclean Hayes, C. Buttemer, Wounded Cpl g. Brighouse.

Other Ranks killed – 20. 

It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day John was killed.

It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time

No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.

As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them and at the same time the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire. Those German regiments were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire. As such it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.

Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”

Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench.

John's body was not recovered or was subseuently lost as 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.”

Lynn News and County Press 25^th Nov 1916 

ON THE FIELD OF HONOUR. 

Heavy Toll On The Norfolks. 

Norfolk: Pte. S, J. Sands 53140 Liverpool Regt. 

Downham Market Gazette 2^nd Dec 1916 

KILLED. 

King’s(Liverpool Regt.) - Sands 53140 S. J. (Norfolk); 

John’s brother William served as Private 20922 in the 13th Essex Regiment. He was married and had two small sons. He was killed on 30th November 1917 and is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial in Louverval.

Both John and William are commemorated in their home villages in Norfolk. William on the tablet in St Peters Church, Melton Constable, and John (as Jack) on the Roll of Honour in All Saints, Thornage.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to father William C. 

His father William died at the grand age of 100 in 1931.

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