Pte 201303 William Henry Dutton

• Age: 25
• From: Skelmersdale, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

William Henry Dutton was born in Skelmersdale in December 1891 and was the son of Thomas Dutton and his wife Ann (nee Rimmer) Dutton who married in 1878.

The 1911 Census shows William and his siblings (except Kate) are living with Thomas Rimmer at Holly Farm. William is working there as a horseman as is brother James who with his wife Maggie now have three young children. His brother John is a cowman and sister Annie is a domestic.

William enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 201303 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 aged 25 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.

During the action and their time in the line the 17th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds, and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3rd -4th August.

William Henry was one of those referred to as killed, 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.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 16th Augut 1917:

ORMSKIRK AND DISTRICT 

Private W. H. Dutton, son of Mr Thomas Dutton of Ormskirk Road, Skelmersdale has fallen. He was 25 years of age and had been twice previously wounded prior to the war. He was a farm teamsman at Westhead, near Ormskirk.

His death was also featured in the Weekly Casualty List on 18th September 1917:

KILLED.