Pte 32668 Richard Georgeson

• Age: 23
• 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.

Richard Georgeson was born in the September quarter of 1893 in Kirkdale, Liverpool. He was the son of Richard Georgeson and his wife Mary Ellen (nee Wilson). His parents were both born in Liverpool and married on the 14th September 1890 at St Mary's Church, Kirkdale. They had three other children; Maria, born in 1890, who died at 16 months (her parents living in Summer Gardens at the time), Isaac born in 1896, and William in 1902.

It appears that Richard did not live with his parents and brothers. At the time of the 1901 census Richard and Mary Ellen are living in 4 House 13 Court, Boundary Street in Kirkdale, with Isaac, 5. His father, 31, is a dock labourer, his mother is 29.

On the 1911 Census he is living with his grandmother Maria Wilson, aged 62, at 35 Sessions Road, Kirkdale. He is 17 years old and is working as a labourer for a wheelwright at a coachworks. His Nan is a knocker up.

The 1911 census shows his parents in court housing at 2 house 1 Court, Westminster Road, Kirkdale.  His father, 41, is a labourer/fitter in an engineer's shop, his mother is 39. Isaac 13, and William, 9, are at school.

(Richard was not living with his grandmother in 1901. Maria A. Wilson, 51, widow, lived at 33 Summer Gardens, Kirkdale with son William, 16, and married daughter Maria A Goudson, 27, and her husband. Richard's wife later also lived in Summer Gardens. His mother, Mary Ellen's parents Isaac and Maria Wilson had lived in the street since at least 1891.)

His father died in 1913 aged 42. He was buried on the 04th December at Kirkdale Cemetery, his address at the time of his death was 18 Archer Street. 

Richard enlisted in Liverpool joining in the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 32668. It is likely that he enlisted in the second half of 1915 and shipped to France soon after his marriage.

On the 12th March 1916 at the age of 22 he married Phoebe Witter at St Mary's Church, Kirkdale. No children were born to the marriage.

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 23, 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.   

Richard was initially reported as Missing:

Liverpool Daily Post on Monday 11 September 1916: 

Wounded. 

King’s(Liverpools) - Georgeson, 32668, R. (Liverpool); 

Also in the Liverpool Daily Post - Saturday 30 September 1916: 

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED WOUNDED, NOW REPORTED 

WOUNDED AND MISSING.  

King’s(Liverpools) - Georgeson, 32668, R. (Liverpool); 

His death was later presumed to have occurred on or since 30th July 1916.

His 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 two medals were returned for adjustment.

Soldiers effects including the War Gratuity of £3 and pension of 13/9d a week from April 1917 to his widow Phoebe who was then living at 19 Summer Gardens, Kirkdale.

Phoebe remarried to John A. Morris in 1920 at St. Athanasius' Church, Kirkdale. 

On the 1939 register, giving her age as 44 (she was 46), she lived at 56 Priory Street with her husband and mother in law.

His mother Mary Ellen was 68 in 1939, and lived at 18 Archer Street with son Isaac, 43. She appears to have lived to the age of 88 and died in 1959. She was buried on the 02nd July 1959 at Kirkdale Cemetery. 

Sadly, Richard has not been found on any local memorial.

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