Pte 25930 Frank Charlton Bricknell

• Age: 20
• From: York
• 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.

Frank Charlton Bricknell was born on 02nd March 1896 in York, the son of Ernest and Christian Bricknell. (SDGW gives his first name as Francis but the birth registration shows Frank.) His parents, Ernest Barrett Bricknell and Christian Rodena Charlton, married on the 14th October 1891 in Stoke Damerel, Plymouth.   

Frank was the second of their four children:  Ernest James Rodney was born in York in 1894, Edward Harry born on the 23rd January 1899 in Inchicore, Dublin, his birth was registered in Aldershot. Their youngest child, Arthur Cyril, was born in Dublin in 1898, but sadly died at six months old.  His mother was born in Devon in 1864 and had a son, John Rowe Charlton, in 1888, who was raised as Bricknell after her marriage. His father was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 1868.  He enlisted in the Royal Lancaster Regiment when he was 18 years old in 1885 under the name Ernest Stanton, and in 1886 was imprisoned for three months for fraudulent enlistment. He served in Gibraltar, India, Burma, and the East Indies, as well as at home, including Ireland.  He was promoted to Sergeant in 1894, re-engaged in 1899, and was transferred to the 3rd Garrison Bn Liverpool Regiment in 1900 and promoted to Q.M.S.  He was court martialled in 1901 for conduct “to the prejudice of good order and military discipline” and reduced in rank to Sergeant.  He was discharged as medically unfit shortly afterwards.

At the time of the 1901 census his mother, 36, with four sons, is in Dublin, listed as wife, in the Beggar’s Bush Barracks, Pembroke West.  John is 12, Ernest 6, Frank 5, and Edward 3.  The family is listed as Baptist.  His father signed the census return, “E. Bricknell, Q.M.S., enumerated on form H.”

By 1911 they have moved to Liverpool and are found at 2 Chesnut Street, Mount Pleasant. His mother is 47, listed as married, although her husband is not in the household. She advised that they have been married for 19 years, and have had 4 children, 3 of whom have survived.  Christian's son John Rowe is 22, a stationer’s clerk, and her children Ernest, 16, and Frank,15, are ship riveters’ boys, and Edward, 13, is at school.

He enlisted in Liverpool, originally serving with the 13th Battalion before transferring to the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 25930. He arrived in France on 16th December 1915, thus earning the 1914-1915 Star.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 20, 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.   

He was officially reported killed in the Liverpool Daily Post on Thursday 19 October 1916: 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW  

REPORTED KILLED.  

King’s (Liverpools) – Bricknell, 25930, F. C.; 

Frank's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France.

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 01^st 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 placed In Memoriam notices in the Liverpool Echo on the anniversary of his death in 1917:  

Lost At The Battle Of Guillemont  

“In loving remembrance of Frank Charlton Bricknell, 19th K.L.R. who was killed in action at Mametz, July 30, 1916. – 16 Flaxman Street, Liverpool.” 

And in 1918:

“In loving remembrance of 25930 Private Frank Charlton Bricknell, (19th K.L.R.), killed in action July 30, 1916, the dear son of Sergeant and Mrs. Bricknell, 16, Flaxman Street, Edge Hill.”

His mother received a War Gratuity of £6, but his Army pay was in the red by 19/1d.

From the pension card, showing his mother’s address as 16 Flaxman Street, Edge Hill, it is not clear whether a pension was awarded.

Given his father’s career, it is not surprising that the sons had a strong sense of military service.  

His brother Ernest had enlisted at the age of 17 in 1912 in the 8th Territorial Bn (Liverpool Irish).  He was embodied on 5th August 1914 after war was declared, and discharged in January 1915.  He later enlisted, like Frank, in the 13th Bn K.L.R. and was subsequently posted to the 19th Bn.  He was wounded in March 1916, “GSW R head, shell shock”, and discharged in April 1919 with a 30% disability pension.

Liverpool Daily Post - Monday 17 April 1916: 

Wounded. 

King’s (Liverpools) - Bricknell, 25964, Cpl. E. J. R.; 

His half brother John Rowe enlisted in the 2nd/6th King’s in December 1915, arrived in France on 14/02/1917, and was transferred to the Army Reserve in November 1919.

His father re-enlisted in the K.L.R on 7th September 1914 at the age of 46, and was posted as R.Q.M.Sgt. to the 16th (Reserve) Bn in November 1914.  In October 1916 he was again court martialled for conduct “to the prejudice of good order and military discipline” and reduced to the rank of Sergeant (his service record reveals he had an illegitimate child with Alice Lunt of 330 Longmoor Lane, Liverpool requiring 5/- a week stopped out of his pay). The next month he was posted to the Royal Welch Fusiliers, then served in Gibraltar 1917-1919 with the 1st Garrison Bn Cheshire Regiment, and was transferred to the Reserve in March 1919, aged 52.

His father died in 1934, aged 66.

In 1939 his mother, 75, is living at 52 Malvern Road with son John Rowe Charlton, 51, a taxi driver, and Ernest, 45, a bus conductor, and his wife and daughters. 

His mother saw the end of World War Two and died on the 14th November 1945, aged 81. 

Her death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on Thursday 15 November 1945; 

BRICKNELL - Nov 14, at 52 Malvern Rd, aged 81 years, CHRISTIAN R.. beloved wife of the late E. Bricknell, and loving mother of Jack, Ernie and Ted, and daughters-ln-law Ivy, Bella, and Kitty. Service at Beech St. Presbyterian Church, Saturday next, at 11; Interment Anfield Cemetery 11.30.  

BRICKNELL—Nov. 14. at 52 Malvern Rd., CHRISTIAN R., beloved granny of Gladys, Hilda, Grace, Jean and Teddy. 

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