Pte 17090 William Leo Short

• Age: 28
• From: Dublin
• 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.

17090 Private William Leo SHORT, 18^th Battalion KLR.

William Leo Short was born in Blackrock, Dublin on 02rd February 1888, at 37 Tritonville Rd. William was the eldest son and third of at least nine children born to Richard Short, born in Ireland, and his wife Teresa Mary (nee Gosford) who was born in Shropshire. They were married in St Anne's R.C. Church on 24th January 1882 in Liverpool and in 1891 are living at 20 July Road, Liverpool when Richard is a master carting manager. 

On the 1891 census the family are living at 20 July Road, Anfield, Liverpool.

Father Richard is aged 37, a master carting manager b.Ireland, mother Teresa M, is aged 33 b.Plowden, Shropshire, children William L.M. aged 3 b.Ireland, and Harriett M.V. aged 1 b.Liverpool. 

In 1901 they live at 57 Donaldson Street, Everton, when Richard is a 47 year old timber merchant’s clerk whilst his mother Teresa is 43 years of age. They live with four of their children. Phillip Harry James aged 5, Hilda Mary Antonia is 4, Cyril Joseph is 2 and Winifred Mary Josephine is 5 months old. William is shown as a pupil at a school in Victoria Road, Formby where his older sister, Mary Teresa, is a teacher. The school is run by Emma, Mary and Sophie Gosford, sisters or cousins of Teresa Mary and aunts of William and his sister.  Another of William’s sisters, Nora, born 1887, is a pupil at Notre Dame Training College and Convent, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool.

His father died aged 53 in March 1907.

In 1911, his mother, Teresa Mary, is a 53 year old widow and lives at 173 Fountains Road, Liverpool, with four of her children -  Nora who is now a 24 year old schoolteacher at a Liverpool Council school ; William Leo, is 23 and a shipping clerk; Winifred aged 10 and Bernard aged 9 are still at school. His mother advised that she had been married for 25 years and had nine children all of whom survived. 

William enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 01^st September 1914, joining the 18th Battalion as Private 17090. He was aged 26 years 7 months and born in Dublin, a clerk who has served his five year apprenticeship with Messrs Stanley Taylor and Co, Liverpool, which ended in 1910. He was described as being 5' 8" tall, weight 117lbs, 38” chest, with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. NOK was mother Teresa, 173 Fountains Rd. His religion is stated as Roman Catholic. 

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.

He arrived in France on 07^th November 1915.

On 01^st July 1916 was killed in action during the attack at Montauban, aged 28.

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. 

William Leo has no identified 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.”

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo dated 11th July 1916 -

KILLED IN ACTION

SHORT—Killed in action, William Leo Short, K.L.R. (Pals), eldest son of Mrs. Richard Short, 173 Fountains Road.

Liverpool Daily Post 12th July 1916 

Fallen  and Wounded “Pals.” 

A further list of the casualties amongst the Liverpool “Pals” is to hand. 

SHORT - Killed in action, William Leo Short, K.L.R. (Pals), eldest son of Mrs Richard Short, 173 Fountains Road 

A report in the Liverpool Echo dated 13th July 1916 reported that:

ESTEEMED AT THE OFFICE. 

News has been received of the death in action of William Leo Short. He joined early in September of 1914, and had been about a year in France. Before the war he was in the employ of Messrs. Staveley, Taylor, and Co., shipping agents, at whose office he was held in great esteem. On receipt of the news of his death the flag was hoisted at half-mast over Mersey chambers.  

A sworn declaration dated 11^th July 1919 shows that William’s father is dead; his mother lives at 173 Fountains Road and he is survived by 3 brothers and 5 sisters. His medals are sent to his mother and his sister, Nora Mary, in 1920 and 1923. 

Mother died aged 65 in 1922 and was buried at Ford Cemetery. 

We currently have no further information on William Leo Short, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.