1885 - 1916
CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916
Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916
Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Sgt 17283 Herbert Richard Briscoe
- Age: 22
- From: Liverpool
- Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
- K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
- Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
Panel Ref: Addenda Panel
Herbert Richard (Bert) was born in Liverpool in about May 1894, the youngest child of Richard Briscoe and his wife Arabella Margaret (nee Robertson). His father was born in Trafford, Cheshire and his mother was born in Cork, Ireland.
His parents married on the 01st August 1882 at St Silas' Church, Gilcar, Sheffield. Richard was a 25 year old draper of St Peter’s, Liverpool, father Edward a relieving officer, whilst Arabella was aged 28 of Broomspring Lane, father Archibald a draper. Herbert was the youngest of their six children, all born in Liverpool. His siblings were Arabella Margaret, Edward Archibald (who died at age 4), Florence Emily (who died at 16 months), Walter, and Ethel Kate.
The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 29 Connaught Road, Liverpool. Both parents are present as are his siblings Arabella Margaret, Walter and Kate Ethel. Harold is 6 years old. His father is a 44 year old furniture salesman, his mother Arabella is aged 47. Eldest daughter Arabella, is 17, and working as a clerk in a draper's office. The younger children are at school.
By the time of the 1911 Census the family are living at 93 Saxony Road, Kensington, Liverpool. Both parents are present, his father's occupation shown as furniture salesman, he is aged 54, his mother is aged 57. They advised that they have been married for 28 years, and have had 6 children, 4 of whom have survived. All four of the children are declared in the household; Arabella, 27, is a confectioner's clerk, Walter, 21, is a printer, and Ethel, 19, a dressmaker. Herbert is shown as 16 years of age and a clerk in the cotton trade. (He apparently changed jobs before enlisting as his name does not appear on the Cotton Association Memorial.)
Herbert enlisted at St George's Hall, Liverpool on 01st September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 17283. He was very quickly promoted to Sergeant later in September. He advised on his attestation form that he had served for 6 years in the Liverpool Cadets. He gave his age as 20 years and 120 days and his occupation as a traveller. He is described as being 5'6 and three quarter inches tall, weighed 156lbs with a 37 inch chest. He has a fresh complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. He gave his father Richard of Saxony Road as his next of kin and stated his religion as Church of England.
He trained initially at Sefton Park before the 19th battalion became the first occupants of temporary hutted accomodation that had been built on Lord Derby's estate at Knowsley Hall. They remained here until 30th April 1915 when all four battalions of the Liverpool Pals left from Prescot station for Grantham and further training at Belton Park. He was severely reprimanded on 26th July1915 whilst at Belton Park for leaving the camp whilst battalion orderly serjeant. Final training was conducted at Lark Hill Camp on Salisbury Plain. Herbert embarked from Folkestone on 06th November 1915 and reached France via Bolougne on 07th November.
Bert will have been involved in the successful liberation of Montauban on 01st July 1916 and in the fighting at Trones Wood from 10th July. The battalions next objective became the heavily fortified village of Guillemont.
The battalion diary for 30th July advises:
19th Battalion Diary 30th 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 30th 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 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July.
Casualties in the 19th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks
The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th 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.
The numbers are staggering. The attack, launched during a heavy fog was disastrous. Herbert was among nearly 500 Liverpool Pals who lost their lives that day. He was initially posted as wounded to Field Ambulance but this was subsequently changed to wounded and Missing.His Casualty Form shows -
05/08/1916 Wounded, to Field Ambulance
06/09/1916 Wounded and Missing
The anxiety caused to the family can be keenly felt in the letter his older brother, Walter, sent on 06th August 1916 to the Records Office:
Gents,
We have had unofficial intimation of the death of my brother - Sergeant H R Briscoe 17283, 1st Company, 19th Battalion K.L.R, 89th Infantry Brigade, 30th Div - B.E.F.
We would be exceedingly grateful if you can let us have some definite information either now- or as soon as same is in your hands. Will be glad to supply any further particulars if you desire same.
faithfully yours
Walter Briscoe
There is no record of a reply to the letter. His family then put a notice in the Liverpool Echo on 07th October 1916 as follows:
"Sergeant H.R.Briscoe, K.L.R., is reported missing since July 30. He was well known in Edge Hill district, having been for years engaged in C.L.B. (Church Lad's Brigade) work. Any news concerning him will be gladly received by his mother at 93, Saxony road, Liverpool".
His father contacted the International Red Cross in Geneva in hopes that Bert, wounded and missing since 30th July, had been taken prisoner, but was notified in a reply dated 11th December 1916 that they held no information on his son.
Bert's service papers record that on 25th December 1916 he was finally declared as Killed in Action.
His family will have been notified early in 1917 as they placed notices in the Liverpool Echo on consecutive days from 10th - 12th January:
DEATHS
KILLED IN ACTION
BRISCOE -July 30 1916, killed in action (formerly reported wounded and missing) aged 22 years. Sergeant H.R. (Bert) Briscoe (K.L.R.) the dearly loved younger son of Mr & Mrs R Briscoe, 93 Saxony Road.
He earned his three medals which went to his parents together with his Memorial Scroll. His father received his outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £11-10s. His mother was awarded a pension of 15 shillings a week from May 1917.
A year after Bert's death his family placed a notice in the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 under the heading Lost At The Battle of Guillemont:
“In affectionate remembrance of Sergeant H.R. (Bert) Briscoe, 3rd Pals, K.L.R., killed in action July 30, 1916. (Deeply regretted and ever remembered by all at home.)”
He was also remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918:
"In ever-loving and fragrant memory of Sergeant H. R. (Bert) Briscoe, 19th K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action, July 30, 1916. - Sadly missed by all at home. - 93, Saxony Road."
Upon researching biographical information for Herbert Richard Briscoe it was found that his death had erroneously been noted as 30/07/1917. The CWGC records held that particular date and as Bert's body was missing his name was placed on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. This would have been correct had Bert died in Belgium on the day before the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) commenced. However, the reality was that Bert had been killed in France on 30/07/1916 and as such his name should have been recorded on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.
Contact was made with the CWGC offices and evidence provided in the form of the aforementioned newspaper articles in August 1916 and January 1917 and the battalion diary for both dates. The CWGC gratefully accepted the correction to their records and have now added Bert's name to the Thiepval Memorial. His service as a volunteer soldier and as a Liverpool Pal is now rightly recorded and his name is now proudly displayed on Addenda Panel 1 alongside hundreds of his fellow Liverpool Pals on the Thiepval Memorial.
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.”
THe CWGC online record states that:
His previous commemoration on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium will be removed when the appropriate panel is next replaced.
We currently have no further information on Herbert Richard Briscoe, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.
Killed On This Day.
(109 Years this day)Friday 15th June 1917.
Pte 44251 Jenkin Davies
38 years old
(109 Years this day)
Friday 15th June 1917.
Pte 61793 William Millard
28 years old
(109 Years this day)
Friday 15th June 1917.
Lance Corporal Edward Albert Johnson
35 years old