Pte 59224 Joseph Davies

• Age: 25
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Addenda 58

Joseph Davies was born on the 02nd June 1892, the son of Samuel Davies and his wife Mary Ellen (nee Naylor) who were married on the 29th October 1882 at St Peter's Church, Liverpool. Samuel was a 32 year old widower, a mariner, father John, whilst Mary was 30 (?), father John, a shoemaker. Both gave their address as Scotland Road.
Joseph was baptised in St Peters, Liverpool on the 13th June 1892. His father was recorded as a mariner of Bootle..

The 1901 Census finds Mary and Samuel living at 85 Benedict Street, Bootle. Mary is 38 years old and Samuel is 47, his occupation is rigger – dock labourer. The couple have eight children: Samuel aged 12, Thomas 10, Joseph 9, Jessie 6, Paul 5, William 4, Hannah 2 and Ellen aged 1.

His mother died in the September quarter of 1910, aged 47.  

Joseph is 18 and working as a general labourer by the time of the 1911 census. His father Samuel is recorded as a widower. There is another child born since the last census called Bertha who is 7 years old. The family are living at 19 Clare Road, Bootle and all nine children are living at home with their father. Like Joseph, his older siblings are working – Samuel junior as a planning machinist, Thomas is an iron turner at a wire rope works, and younger brother Paul is a bakers bread lad. Jessie being the oldest girl is at home, undoubtedly looking after the house and the younger children who are all at school.

Joseph married Mary Alice Cribb on the 21st October 1916 at St Paul's Church, Kirkdale. Joseph was a 24 year old dock labourer, father Samuel, Mary was also 24, father George. Both gave their address as 18 Priam Street, Bootle.

Joseph enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 59224 when he was killed in action on 31st July 1917 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.

Joseph was killed on the 31st July. Mary Alice gave birth to their son on the 15th July. We can only wonder if Joseph knew he has a son before he died. The baby was named Joseph after his father.

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres in 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.

He was reported killed in the Liverpool Daily Post 24th September 1917:

King's(Liverpool Regt.) - Davies, 59224, J. (Bootle);

Further details were provided in the Liverpool Daily Post 29th September 1917:

Pte Joseph Davies, son of Mr Davies of Clare Road, Bootle, has fallen in action. He was married last October and leaves a widow and one child born only a week before his death. 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Mary Alice and child Joseph.

Mary remarried in 1921 to Reginald Guest and they had a daughter Ivy.

Mary died on the 10th December 1963 and was buried in Bootle Cemetery. 

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