Pte 52245 William Percy Hopkins

• Age: 29
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: 9 R WELSH FUSIL
• Died on Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Arras Memorial
  Panel Ref: Bay 6

William Percy Hopkins was born in the summer of 1888 in Warbreck Moor, Liverpool the son of Charles William Hopkins, a commercial traveller, and his wife Catherine Maud (nee Lawrence). Charles was born in Newcastle on Tyne, and Catherine in Leamington, Warwickshire. They married in 1883 in Liverpool and had three children. Their first child, Bertha Lawrence, was born in Leamington in 1884.

By 1891 they were back in Liverpool, but by 1886 had moved to Walthamstow in Essex, where George Harold was born. They had returned to Liverpool by 1888 where William Percy was born.

At the time of the 1901 Census the family is living at 9 Cedar Road, Aintree.

His father, 39, is a traveller (printing and stationery), his mother is 35 and has no occupation listed. Bertha, 16, is a school teacher, George, 15, is an office boy (port), and 12-year old William is at school.

His brother George joined the merchant service and by 1908 William had joined him. He is found on Cunard crew lists  (Saxonia, Carmania) as a waiter or assistant steward between 1908 and 1913.

The 1911 Census finds his parents and sister still at 9 Cedar Road, his father, 49, still employed as a commercial traveller (stationery). His mother is 45, and Bertha, 26, is a shorthand typist for a tobacco broker.

William enlisted in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 16455.

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 07th November 1915, disembarking with his battalion at Boulogne.

William was wounded in action, likely during the fighting on the Somme, as the local paper, the Liverpool Echo, reported on 21st August 1916:

“Wounded - Private W. Hopkins (“Pals”), is in hospital at Accrington. His home is at 9, Cedar Road, Aintree, Liverpool.”

After recovering from his wounds William was transferred to the 4th Garrison Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers as Private 52245 and subsequently to the 9th Bn. R.W.F.

The 9th Bn. R.W.F. were part of the 58th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division, and the War Diary for March 1918 records them 4 miles east of Bapaume:

From March 01st to 20th the battalion was at Herrick Camp between Haplincourt and Bertincourt in training for the German offensive. The enemy barrage opened about 5 a.m. on the front line and the battalion stood to and awaited orders. At 11:30 a.m. they moved up to assembly positions in Gaika Copse west of Velu Wood. After heavy shelling on the position orders were received to move up and dig a new line on the Beaumetz-Hermies Ridge. At 10:30 p.m. they were ordered to move back and await further orders. They were then ordered to move to crossroads, which was completed by 4 a.m. on the 22nd, accomodations in a hut camp. However, by 9:30 they were ordered to move to a new line about 500 yards southwest of the village of Morchies.

At about 3:30 p.m. the enemy (including cavalry) could be seen massing in large numbers on the high ground between Vaulx and Morchies and a heavy attack commenced along the battalion's front but was beaten off. A counter-attack including tanks drove the enemy back.

The Germans mounted further attacks and the B.E.F. in the area withdrew on 24th March to west of Bapaume.

The enemy offensive continued until 28th March 1918. The War Diary records casualties for the week:
"Officers 3 killed, 5 wounded, 3 wounded and missing, 3 missing
O.R. 446, the greater part of whom were missing"

William's death was reported in the local press on 12th April 1918:

“March 22, killed in action, William P. Hopkins, K.L.R., younger son of C. W. and Mrs. M. Hopkins, of Aintree.”

His body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial in France. 

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

William's outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £16-10s went to his mother, who was awarded a dependant's pension of 7 shillings a week.

William is commemorated on the following memorials -

Longmoor Lane Junior School, Fazakerley

Emmanuel Parish Church Tablet and Screen, Fazakerley

His mother died at age 72 in 1938.

On the 1939 Register his father was 77, living at 41 Jonville Road, Fazakerley, working as a commercial stationer (mail order). Bertha was living in Harrow in Middlesex and working as a shorthand typist.

His father died in December 1940, aged 78.

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