Pte 26533 Sidney Stephenson

• Age: 19
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Sidney Stephenson was born in early 1897 at Liverpool and was baptised on 01st March 1897 in Liverpool. He was the son of William Stephenson and his wife Mary (née Cowell). His parents married at St. Mary's Church, Walton in 1890 and had ten children, two of whom died young.  Sidney had older brothers George, born in 1891, William 1893 (who died at age 3), and Charles 1894.  His younger siblings were Nancy 1898/9, Margaret 1901,  John 1903, Mary 1907, Allan 1909 (died in infancy), and Henry 1911. 

Sidney was educated at Fonthill Road School and was a member of Bankhall Mission attending the Sunday school and Young Men’s Guild and was also a member of the Boys Brigade.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 13 Aldams Grove, Kirkdale, Liverpool. His father, William is aged 46, born in 1865 in Liverpool and whose occupation is recorded as a cotton porter, whilst his mother, Mary, is aged 44, born 1867 in Liverpool as were their children. They have been married for twenty one years and had ten children of which, sadly, two had died. Those children listed on the Census are shown as; George aged 20, born 1891 is a cotton sample room man, Charles aged 16, born 1895 is a cotton sample room boy, Sidney aged 14, born 1897, Nancy is aged 12, Margaret aged 10, born 1901 and John aged 7, born 1904 are all at school, Mary aged 4, born 1907 and Henry born in 1911.  

His father appears to have died in 1912, aged 46.

Sidney was residing in St Helens at the outbreak of war and had been employed by St Helens Tramways. 

He enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 26533. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about May 1915, when he would have been 18 years old.  He must have lied about his age in order to serve overseas.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th 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 29th December 1915 (still only 18), thereby earning the 1914-1915 Star.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 19, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone 

Sidney's body was either not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently 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.”

Sidney, like so many of his Pals, had been posted Missing and it was not until 31st August 1917 that the family anguish was over when confirmation of his death was reported in the Liverpool Evening Express:

"Mrs.Stephenson,of, 50 Tynville-road, Fazakerley, has received official news presuming the death of her son, Sidney, K.L.R.,aged 19. He has been reported missing since July 30th, 1916. He was an old boy of Fonthill-road School, and a member for years of the Bankhall Mission, attending the Sunday School and Young Men's Guild, also being a member of the Boys Brigade. Before the war he was employed on St.Helens tramways". 

He earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £4 went to his mother Mary.  From the  pension card (which shows 20th Bn.), in the name of his mother at 50 Tyneville Road, it is not clear whether a pension was awarded. 

Sidney is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Emmanuel Parish Church Tablet and Screen, Fazakerley, Liverpool  

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 38 Left and Panel 39 

Sidney’s name does not appear on the Boys Brigade Memorial.

His mother died in 1935, aged 68.

Sidney was remembered by members of his family on the Centenary of the action at Guillemont on 30th July 2016. We were privileged to spend some time in their company at Guillemont Road Cemetery where they left a photograph of Sidney and showed that even a century on he was still truly Not Forgotten. 

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