L/Cpl 21497 Arthur Fawcett

• Age: 25
• From: Liverpool
• 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.

Arthur Fawcett was born in Liverpool on 13th June 1891, the son of William Fawcett and his wife Lucy (nee Clifton)  who were living at 9 Bradfield Street at the time of Arthur’s baptism at St Cyprian's Church in Edge Hill. He was baptised the day after his birth, perhaps indicating that Arthur was a weak or sickly baby and his parents feared for his survival. His father, William, was recorded as a compositor.

His parents were both born in Lincolnshire and married in 1877 in Gainsborough. Arthur was the seventh of their eight children, all born in Liverpool:  Margaret, Alice, Amy (who died at the age of 7), Clifton (who died at 10 months ), Lucy, Walter  (died at age 2), Arthur, and Stanley.

At the time of the 1901 census the family are living at 274 Kensington.

Arthur is 9 and has four siblings – Margaret aged 23 who is a shop assistant, Alice 21 is a phone operator, Lucy 15 is a shop assistant, and Stanley aged 7 is at school. His father is aged 50, a compositor/employer born in Burton-on-Stather, and mother aged 49 is a tobacconist born in Lincoln. 

The family are still living at 274 Kensington at the time of the 1911 Census.

His father, 60, is a newspaper compositor, his mother, 59, works as a tobacconist, they have been married for 34 years, had 8 children of which 3 had died. Only Lucy, Arthur and Stanley are living at home. Lucy, 25, assists in the business, Arthur is 19 and is working as a clerk for a corn merchant, Stanley, 17, is a student. 

Arthur enlisted on the 11th September 1914 at Liverpool, joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 21497. He served in No.4 Company. He gave his age as 23 years and 60 days and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet inches tall, weighed 115lbs, 33" chest with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England and his next of kin as his father, William, of 1 Haverstock Road, Fairfield. 

Formed on 7^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. 

6.8.15: Appointed unpaid L/Cpl. 

07.11.15:  He embarked from Folkstone for France with his battalion.

21.12.15: Wounded in the right arm and admitted to 4 Casualty Clearing Station.

25.12.15: Rouen.

27.12.15: Transferred to England on the Hospital ship"St George". 

04.1.16-29.3.16: Home.

29.3.16: Posted unpaid Lance Corporal to 20th Batn. 

23.5.16: Appointed acting paid Lance Corporal 20th Batn. 

29.5.16: Reverts to acting unpaid Lance Corporal 20th Batn. 

30.3.16: France. 

11.6.16: Posted to 19th Btn. 

Arthur was wounded in the arm on 21st December 1915, transferred to Rouen on Christmas Day 1915 and to England to recover on 27th December. He was back in Etaples in France by 31st March 1916 from where he went back to the front. He was transferred to the 20th Bn. in March 1916 and subsequently returned to the 19th Bn on 11th June 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 25, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

19^th Battalion Diary 

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 30^th 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 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th 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.   

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 17th August 1916, and further details were published on 24th August:

"A Fairfield "Pal"

Lance-corporal Arthur Fawcett of the "Pals" who has been killed was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Fawcett of 1 Haverstock Street, Fairfield, Liverpool. He was 25 years of age and lived with his parents.  He joined the "Pals" in Sept., 1914, and in Dec. last came back from France wounded.  After his recovery he returned to the front in March last.  He worked for the (Jacob) Dold Packing Co.  Mr. Fawcett, who was an employee of the "Daily Post" for many years, has another son on the battlefield."

The Liverpool Produce Exchange flag was flown at half mast on the 18th, "in respect of the memories of Lance-Corporal A. Fawcett and Private W. Buckley, both of the "Pals", who have given their lives for the "cause"." (William H. Buckley, 36765 17th Bn. KIA 7th August 1916.)

Arthur'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 01st 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.” 

His parents posted a notice in the Liverpool Daily Post on Tuesday 29 August 1916: 

CONDOLENCE. 

FAWCETT - Mr and Mrs Fawcett and family tender sincere thanks to friends for their kindness and letters of sympathy in the loss of their elder son, Arthur, killed in action, July, 30. - 1 Havestock Road, Fairfield. 

Arthur earned his three medals.

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his mother Lucy, who was awarded a pension of 5/- a week.

In the Liverpool Echo, on 30th July 1917 under the heading Lost At The Battle of Guillemont, his parents paid tribute to Arthur:

“In loving memory of our dear son, Lance Corporal Arthur Fawcett (Pals) who fell in action July 30, 1916. (One of the bravest and best.) – 1 Haverstock Road, Fairfield, Liverpool.” 

He was also remembered on the second anniversary of his death in 1918 in the Liverpool Echo on Tuesday 30 July 1918 : 

"In loving memory of our dear son Lance-Corpl. Arthur Fawcett, Pals, who fell in action on the Somme, July 30, 1916 (One of the bravest and best.) - 1, Haverstock Road, Fairfield."

His brother 1895 Pte. Stanley Fawcett, 1/6th K.L.R., later 240414 K.L.R., disembarked in France on 24th February 1915. He survived the war but was awarded a disability pension. 

In 1919 his brother Stanley, 24, lived with his parents in Haverstock Street, and his three sisters were married and lived in Liverpool.

His mother died in 1922 aged 71, and his father in 1930 at the age of 79. 

Arthur is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 64 

St. Cyprian with Christ Church, Edge Hill

And on the family headstone in West Derby Cemetery -

                           In Loving Memory

                          ALSO OF ARTHUR              

               THE DEAR SON OF THE ABOVE

WHO FELL IN ACTION AT GUILLEMONT (SOMME)

             JULY 30TH 1916, AGED 25 YEARS         

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