Pte 16519 Harry Gibbons

• Age: 27
• From: Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

16519 Private Harry GIBBONS, 2 Company, 18^th Battalion KLR.

William Henry Gibbons was born in Manchester on 24th December 1888, the son of John Gibbons, a commercial traveller born in York, who married his first wife, Mary Jane Walton, in 1872 in Salford. Before Mary Jane’s death aged 30 in 1881 they had 2 children - (Harriet) May, born 1874, and John, born 1876. He then remarried to Lily Allen in 1882 at Chorlton-on-Medlock and had a further 7 children by her, including (William) Harry.  

In 1891 John and Lily lived with seven children at 99 Park Street, Chorlton cum Medlock, Manchester. His father is 40 years of age and his mother Lily is 31 and was born in Manchester. Harry is two years of age and has a half sister shown as Mary aged 17 and a half brother John aged 15 and employed as a post office boy. He also has four siblings; Mary P. aged 6, Lillian aged 5, Amy aged 3 and Alfred aged 10 months.  

By 1901, widow John is aged 50, a commercial traveller in confectionery, and living with his eight Children at 111 Rumford Street, Chorlton on Medlock. Harry is now 12 years of age and at school. His siblings are: May 27 a housekeeper, Pauline 16 and Lillian 15 are butchers assistants, Amy 13, Alfred 10, Enid 6 are at school, and Norah 4.  

In 1911, John aged 60, and still a commercial traveller, lives at 1 Ruskin Avenue, Rusholme, Manchester with 4 of his children - Amy, 22 years; William Harry, 21 years, a “clerk in chemistry”; Enid Beatrice, 16 years, a warehouse assistant; and Norah, 14 years. 

William Harry enlisted as Harry on 31^st August 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, joining the 18th Battalion as Private 16519. He gave his age as 25 years 250 days, his occupation as bookkeeper and his next of kin as his father, John, of 35 Barclay Street, Dingle. He was described as being 5' 4" in height, weighed 114lbs, 34” chest and had a sallow complexion with black hair and brown eyes. His religion is stated as Church of England.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th 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. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

On 16^th October 1915, Harry married Florence Cottrell at St Paul’s Church in Liverpool, Florence was aged 29, a chemist’s assistant, her father William Henry, a plumber of 10 Hawkestone St, Princes Park. The witnesses to the marriage included Harriet and Eleanor Gunn - in 1911 the occupants of 35 Barclay Street are Ernest Gunn and his wife Eleanor Ada, suggesting that John went to live with them. Harry then changed his next of kin to his wife, Florence, of 44 Briardale Road, Rock Ferry.

Shortly after his wedding, Harry crossed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on 07th November 1915. Between the 18^th and 30^th April he was attached to 30^th Division Grenade School before returning to his unit on 6^th May 1916.

Harry was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916, aged 27.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks. 

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun. 

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257. 

Harry has no known grave and 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.”

Harry is also commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool Town Hall at Panel at 47 Left  

On 12^th October 1919, Florence swore a declaration that she was Harry’s widow, living at 19 St James Place, Liverpool and that he was survived by his father, brother Alfred and sister Lily Cumpstey, all living at 2 Sedan Street, Dingle, Liverpool. In addition to receiving her husband’s 3 medals, Florence was awarded a weekly pension of 10/- (50p).

She remarried to Turkish widow Constantine Andreadis (b.Chios d.1945) in 1922 and they appear on the 1939 register at 7 Cornett Road, Fazakerley. Florence, date of birth 07^th January 1886, Constantine, date of birth 23^rd September 1870, a cotton porter, and his two children Zoe (b.1911) and Anna (b.1915).

His mother died, aged 75, in 1961. 

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