Pte 52829 Robert Gerrard

The Gerrard family lived at Hopwood Street in 1861, 1871 and 1881.  

His mother died, aged 50, in the June quarter of 1886 

In 1891 the family are living at 30 Harcourt Street, Kirkdale. Robert's father, John, is a widow aged 59, a dock labourer born in Chester. He has three children in the household, all born in Liverpool; Samuel aged 18, also a dock labourer, Eliza aged 16, a housekeeper, and Robert aged 10, a scholar.    

In 1901 Robert Gerrard was 21 and was working as a carter. He and his widowed father were making their home at 76 Chesnut Grove, Bootle with Robert’s married brother, Samuel Gerrard.  

His father, died aged 75, in the September quarter of 1907 

In 1911 Robert was aged 31, single, and still a carter but was boarding with the Darrie family at 22 Bala Street, Bootle. 

He enlisted in the army at Bootle and was serving with the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 52829 when he was killed in action on 12/10/1916, aged 35, during the Battle of the Somme.  

17^th Bn War Diary:  Battle of Transloy Ridge –                                               

11-10-16 - Gird Trench/Gird Support – Battalion in front line and support trenches. British bombardment of enemy front line system commenced about midday.  Hostile shelling was intermittent throughout the day.

12-10-16  - Our bombardment continued. Enemy reply weak.  2.5 p.m. Zero hour. Attack on German front line system commenced.  Enemy wire was found to be uncut and attack was unsuccessful.  Hostile machine gun fire was very heavy and caused many casualties. Battalion H.Q. and Support Trench were heavily shelled throughout afternoon and evening. […] During this action all communication had to be carried out by runners and carrier pigeons as all wires were being continually cut by enemy shelling.

Casualties: 5 officers killed,  5 officers wounded, 38 OR killed, about 225 OR wounded/missing etc.

Graham Maddocks, in “Liverpool Pals” p.140, adds: “As the whistle blew, the 17^th Battalion left its trenches to move forward.  […]  As soon as the attacking waves left their trenches the enemy artillery began to register on them, and at the same time, the defending infantry commenced a murderous rain of fire.  […]  Although their numbers had been depleted by the British bombardment, they were trained and experienced soldiers, well dug in on high ground, and for the most part, looking out on uncut wire.  As such, it was virtually impossible for them to miss the City Battalion men struggling to advance in the mud towards them.   The 17^th Battalion, on the left, was particularly badly hit, as its portion of No Man’s Land contained a slight rise in the ground, and as the troops emerged onto it they were silhouetted against the sky and became easy targets.  Those on the left of the attack, who managed to avoid the hail of bullets and make it to the German wire, then found that it was totally uncut, and thus trapped, they too became easy targets, to be picked off almost at the enemy’s will.  It was hardly surprising that, seeing the first waves being wiped out, some of the following waves turned back and made for their start lines. These lines were now packed with other waves of troops, however, and the fleeing men added to the congestion already there, and became easy prey for the German gunners.  There is some evidence also, to suggest that at this stage, the British trenches were also being hit by their own heavy artillery shells which were falling short.”

 A report on his death appeared in the Bootle Times on the 27th October 1916. 

Private R. Gerrard (35), K.L.R., who was killed in action on October 12th, joined the Army sixteen months ago, and went to France at the end of July last. He was formerly employed by the Liverpool warehousing Co., and resided with his sister, Mrs. E. Little, at 45, Rhyl Street, Bootle.  

Robert's body was not recovered from the battlefield and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

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.”  

Soldiers Effects to sister Mrs Eliza Nicol, no Pension record found.  

Robert is also commemorated locally on the Bootle Civic Memorial.   

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