Pte 21470 Ernest Coulthard

• Age: 23
• From: Seacombe, Cheshire
• 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.

Ernest Coulthard was born in early July 1893 in Seacombe, Wallasey the son of John James Coulthard and his wife Emily Ann (nee Hickman) who married at St Paul, Seacombe in the third quarter of 1892. He was baptised on the 25th June 1893 also at St Paul’s. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 42 Byron Road, Poulton cum Seacombe.

Ernest is the eldest of two children living with his parents. He is aged 7 and has a new born brother Horace. His father is a railway shunter born in Birkenhead in 1868, whilst his mother was born in Seacombe in 1870.

His father died on the 20th April 1904 aged 36. 

Probate:- 

COULTHARD John James of 20 Lucerne Road Seacombe Cheshire shunter died 20 April 1904 Administration Chester 7 May to Emily Ann Coulthard widow. Effects £76 3s 9d. 

His mother remarried to 33 year old widower Asa Davis on the 15th April 1908 at St Mary, Birkenhead. 

becoming Emily Ann Davis. 

Ernest was educated at Somerville Council School.

The 1911 census finds his family living at 50 Derby Road, Higher Tranmere, Birkenhead.

His stepfather, Asa Davis, 37, is an electrician born in Poplar, London. His mother Emily is 40, a newsagent and tobacconist. Horace is 10 years old, at school. They have a boarder and a domestic servant.

Ernest is not found on the 1911 census, but in 1913 he appears on a crew list as an assistant steward and third pantry man on the "Ambrose" (Booth Line). The ship left Liverpool for South America via Lisbon on 11th October 1913 for Paramaraibo and Manaus and returned on 20th November 1913. He is listed as E. Coulthard, age 23 (he would have been 20), but as his address is given as 50 Derby Road, Higher Tranmere, there is no doubt that this is Ernest. (His name is not included on the Booth Line Roll of Honour, which suggests he had changed employment before enlisting.)

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 03rd September 1914 joining the 19th Battalion as Private 21470 and gave his age as 21 years and sixty days and his occupation as a salvageman. He was 5 feet 7" inches tall, weighed 135 lbs, 36” chest, had a sallow complexion and brown hair and eyes. He gave, as next of kin, his step-father, Asa King Davis, 32 Hartismere Road, Seacombe.

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. 

His service records show:
 
10.5.15: At Belton Park, hesitating to obey an order. Confined to barracks for three days.

21.6.15: At Belton Park, overstaying pass. Field punishment 7 days.

14.8.15: Belton Park, Dirty bayonet on railway picquet. Confined to barracks for two days.

26.9.15: At Larkhill Camp. Overstaying pass (77 hours). Confined to barracks for fourteen days and six days pay. "Remanded for C.O."

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his battalion from Folkestone.

14.1.16: Attached to Royal Army Medical Corps for guard duty at Chippily.

09.3.16: Rejoined his battalion in the field.

He was serving in the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment where he had been involved in the fighting at Montauban and at Trones Wood before he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916 at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

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.

He was initially posted as Missing in the Liverpool Daily Post on the 18th Sept 1916. 

King’s(Liverpool Regiment) - Coulthard, 21470, E. (Seacombe); 

His mother posted a notice in the Liverpool newspapers on 29th August 1916:

"Private Willie E. Coulthard of the "Pals".  Any information concerning him will be gladly received by his mother at 14, Addington Street, Poulton."

She also contacted the International Red Cross but was notified on 11th September 1916 that they held no information on Ernest.

She also appealed in the national weekly The People on 26th November 1916 in the 'News Wanted of "Tommies"' column.

His death was later assumed by the Army Council to have occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

Ernest's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated 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 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.”

A newspaper report from the Wallasey News at the time of his death shows:

Seacombe Soldier Killed

Mrs. A. Davies, of 14, Addington Street, Seacombe, asked, through the “Wallasey News” in September last [1916] for information concerning her son, Pte. Ernest Coulthard, of the King’s Liverpool Regt., who was reported “missing.” He is now officially presumed to have been killed in action on July 30, 1916. The brave soldier, who was in his 25th year, was educated at Somerville Council School, and previous to joining the colours was employed with the Liverpool Salvage Association. He was goalkeeper for the Tranmere Football Club, and also played in his regimental team.

He earned his three medals.

Soldier's effects were sent to his mother Mrs Coulthard including a War Gratuity of £8-10s. She was awarded a pension of 14/- a week from May 1917.

At the end of the war his mother was still hopeful that Ernest had survived in the hands of the Germans. She wrote again to the International Red Cross but learned on 18th November 1918 that they still had no information.

In 1919 his mother Emily and Horace, 18, were still at 14 Addington Street.

In 1939 Emily is 69, dob 21st Dec 1869, living at 60 Sandy Lane, Wallasey(Asa is not present). She died in 1954 at the age of 84. 

Probate:- 

DAVIS Emily Ann of 60 Sandy Lane, Wallasey Cheshire widow died 18 October 1954 Administration Liverpool 8 November to Horace Coulthard company director. Effects £2034 3s 10d. 

Ernest is commemorated (as Colthardt) in -

Victoria Central Community Hospital

Oakdale Wesleyan Mission, Liscard.

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