Pte 20196 Henry Dale

• Age: 28
• From: Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Henry Dale (known as Harry) was born on the 11th September 1889 in Manchester and was the son of Sarah Elliot and William Dale who were married in St Thomas Church, Ardwick, Manchester in January 1876. He was baptised Harry on the 16th October 1889 at St Michael's Church, Hulme, his parents address shown as 70 Pickford Steet.

The 1891 census finds the family living at 70 Pickford Street, Stretford. Harry is one year old. His father William is 38 years of age, born in Manchester and working as a warehouseman, his mother Sarah is 37 years old and also born in Manchester, and looking after the home and children who, as well as Harry, are: William aged 14 who is working as an errand boy, born in Stretford were Lilly aged 11 a scholar, Herbert 8 a scholar and Frederick aged 4 a scholar.

The family are living at 22 Crosscliffe Street, Moss Side at the time of the 1901 census. Harry is 11 and has had two younger brothers born since the last census: Sidney aged 9 and Lewis aged 7. Harry’s older siblings are all now working - William is a letter press printer, Lilly is a mothers help, Herbert is a opticians shop worker and Frederick is an errand boy. Their father, William, aged 48 is recorded as living on his own means, mother Sarah is 46.


His father died, aged 52, in 1905. He was buried on the 04th February 1905 at the Southern Cemetery, Manchester.

The 1911 census shows the widowed Sarah,aged 58, is living with the four youngest of her seven children at 8 Russell Street, Moss Side. All four are working – Frederick is a warehouseman, Harry is a bookbinder, Sydney is a letterpress printer and Lewis is a warehouseman.

Sydney signed up for the Territorial Army in January 1911 at the age of 19, then signed for a further four years in December 1915 serving as a driver for the Royal Army Service Corps throughout the war at home and in Egypt.

Harry enlisted in Manchester on the 03rd of September 1914 initially posted to the 4th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private number 20196. His records show that he was 5ft 5ins tall, weighed 127 lbs and had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He gave his age as 24 years and 11 months oldand his occupation as a bookbinder.

His brother Lewis signed up on the same day at the age of 20, for the 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade as Rifleman S567. His brother Frederick signed up a couple of months later on the 14th December 1914 in the 22nd Manchester Regiment number 43605 at the age of 27.

That’s four sons Sarah has serving in the army at the same time.

Harry’s service shows he was serving in England from  03rd September 1914 to 03rd March 1915, embarking in France with the 4th Bn KLR on the 04th March 1915 until 19th December 1916. He returned to England from 20th December 1916 until the 11th of May 1917 and embarked in France again on the 15th May 1917.

Harry had been wounded in the shoulder in May 1915 and had been taken behind the lines in Rouen to recover. He returned to the front at the beginning of June 1915 but either suffered a relapse or was again wounded in the back of the shoulder at the end of June, after recovery he returned to the front in August 1915. He also suffered from trench foot in December 1916 and was sent home to recover.

Upon his return to France on 16th May 1917 he was posted to the 17th Bn KLR before he transferred to the 18th KLR on 02nd June 1917. Harry was killed in action serving with the 18th Battalion KLR on the 31st July 1917 aged 28 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

Harry's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

His brother Lewis had been killed on the 06th of June 1916 at the age of 22. He now rests at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Belgium. The Manchester Evening News of the 22nd of June 1916 tells that Lewis and his platoon were blown up by a mine and no trace could be found of him. It was written by his Second Lieutenant C.Foster Brown that:

“Rifleman Dale was one of the best men we had and will be missed by us all”.

Their brother Frederick was killed on the 28th of March 1917 at the age of 30. He is buried in Croisilles British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.

His death was reported in the Manchester Evening News on 14th May 1917:

Pte FRED DALE, Manchester's, 8 Russell Street, Moss Side, killed, worked for Messrs.s Malusch Golsscmidt and Co. Manchester. His brother LEWIS, Rifle Brigade, has also being killed. There are three other sons in the Army.

Soldiers Effects to mother Sarah, she also received the Pensions of Harry, Lewis and Frederick.

Their brother Sydney who was serving in Egypt was sent home on compassionate grounds in June 1917, following the death of his three brothers, and served the rest of the war at home until he was demobilised on the 14th February 1919.

Harry's mother died, aged 69, in the September quarter of 1922.

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