Pte 26007 John Shone

• Age: 23
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Wednesday 28th November 1917
• Commemorated at: Outtersteene Cc Ext, Bailleul
  Panel Ref: II.A.25

John Shone was born in Liverpool in 1894 the son of James and Mary Shone. 

In the 1901 Census the family are living at 8 Edinburgh Street, Everton. His father, James is aged 33, is a agricultural warehouse man, and his wife Mary is aged 38 has no occupation listed. At the time of the Census they have had four children, Emily aged 11, Joseph aged 10, John aged 7 and Frank aged 1, born 1900. Also living at the address is James brother John aged 28, born 1873 in Mollington, Cheshire and he is a dock labourer.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 8 Aughton Street Everton Liverpool. His father, James is aged 43, born in Barnston in 1868 is a warehouse man, whilst his mother,   Mary is aged 47, born 1864 in Heswall, Cheshire. They have been married for twenty three years and have had nine children of which four had died. Those listed as being in the household were;, Emily aged 21, born 1889, Joseph aged 20, born 1891 and John aged 17, born 1894 are both butcher’s shop assistants, Frank aged 11, born 1900 is at school. James brother John also resides at the address he is aged 38, born 1873 and is a dock labourer.  Henry Riley a boarder aged 69, born 1842 is also at the address.

John enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 26007 and died of wounds on the 28^th November 1917, aged 23.

The battalion diary for the day records the following:

Nov 28th 3.30pm. Three men wounded by explosion of salved nose cap which one of them picked up at BEDFORD HOUSE. 

DIED OF WOUNDS 26007 Pte J Shone

WOUNDED 57883 Pte W Huyton Pte 300275 Pte A E Heaton 

Bedford House was formerly a chateau and was the scene of heavy fighting.

John now rests at Outtersteene CC Ext, Bailleul, France.

Outtersteene was captured by the III Corps on 13 October 1914 but no Commonwealth burials took place there for nearly three years. In August 1917, during the Third Battle of Ypres, the 2nd, 53rd and 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Stations came to Outtersteene, and the first and last of these remained until March 1918. The hamlet was captured by the Germans on 12 April 1918, and retaken by the 9th, 29th and 31st Divisions, with the ridge beyond it, on 18 and 19 August, but the cemetery was not used again during hostilities. After the Armistice, over 900 graves of 1914 and 1918 were brought into Plots I, II and IV from the battlefields surrounding Outtersteene and from certain small cemeteries. In the Extension, on the East side of the Communal Cemetery, were buried 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Australia, who fell in August and September 1918. 1,147 German graves were initially concentrated into Plot III. These were later removed to Steenwerck German Cemetery. The extension was used again in 1940, for the burial of those killed in the fighting which covered the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force to Dunkirk. Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension now contains 1,393 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 499 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 14 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Second World War burials number 72, of which 23 are unidentified. The extension was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Evening Express on the 21st December 1917:

"Pte.John Shone, K.L.R., aged 23, has been killed in France. His officer pays a fine tribute to his bravery. His widowed mother resides at 8, Aughton-street, Everton."

His mother received John’s Army effects and a War Gratuity of £13 (Soldiers’ Effects shows death from wounds, self-inflicted.) 

John is commemorated at St Polycarp's C. of E. Church, Everton.