L/Cpl 16490 Frederick John Taylor

• Age: 25
• From: Eastham, Cheshire
• 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.

16490 L/Cpl Frederick John TAYLOR, 18th Battalion KLR.

Frederick John Taylor was born in Eastham on the 02nd of November 1890, the son of George Taylor and his wife Mary (nee Lloyd)  who were married on the 25^th April 1883 at St Mary's Church, Eastham. 

Frederick was baptised on the 04^th January 1891.

When Frederick was 5 months old the 1891 Census was taken. He was living with his parents in Welsh Road, Little Sutton. His father was a coachman aged 34 and had been born in Eastham, his mother, Mary, was 36 years of age and was born in Neston. Frederick had two older brothers William aged 4 and George Ivan aged 2.

At the time of the 1901 census the family were living in the Coachmans Cottage, Hooton Mount, on a local manor house estate where Frederick's father George Taylor is aged 43, and working as a coachman, his mother is 46 years of age. There are four children in the household; William H. is 14, George I. is 12, Frederick is 10 and Ellen Alice is 1 year old.

By the time of the 1911 Census the family live in Rake Lane, Eastham. Frederick’s father George is now 54 years old and is working as a gardener, whilst his wife is 55 years old. Thye have been married for 29 years and have had four children all of whom have survived. Three children are in the household;  Frederick is now 20 years old and is working as a house painter, his brother George is a 22 year old labourer in a gun factory, whilst Ellen Alice is 11 years of age. 

Prior to his enlistment he was a painter and decorator employed by a Mr Phillips of Bromborough.

Frederick enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 16490. He was described in his enlistment papers as being 22 years and 304 days old, occupation decorator. He was described as being 5’ 11” tall, weighing 154lbs, with a 37"chest, a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when the 18th Battalion 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 there until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

His service papers show that Frederick was appointed Lance–Corporal on September 07th 1914, but reverted back to Private at his own request on February 16th 1915.

He sailed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on the 7th of November 1915. His records also record that he was attached to 30 Division Grenade School between 6th and 19th March 1916 and that he was appointed unpaid Lance-Corporal on June the 17th 1916.

Frederick was killed in action, aged 25, during the attack at Montauban on 01st July 1916.

The events of the day for the 18th Battalion were:

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 Birkenhead News on 15th July 1916:

Frederick's body was not recovered 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.”

His family remembered Frederick on the first anniversary of his death in the Birkenhead News on 04th July 1917: 

Frederick is also remembered on the Eastham War Memorial at the junction of Stanley Lane and Village Road, Eastham, Wirral.

His brother William enlisted in the Canadian Army on October 07th 1915. He survived the war.

As of July 1919 his siblings were recorded as William aged 32 serving with the Canadian forces, George aged 30 and Ellen Alice aged 18. His mother, Mary, had died, aged 65, shortly before this relative statement.  

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