Cpl 23941 George Euclid Grantham

• Age: 21
• From: Manchester
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: III.J.8

George Euclid Grantham was born in Chorlton, Manchester on 21st April 1895, the son of George Francis Grantham and his wife Clara Clarissa (nee Clarke). His father, from Boston, Lincolnshire, and his mother, born in Retford, Nottinghamshire, married on Christmas Day 1882 at Holy Trinity Church, Hull. George Francis was aged 21, father George, whilst Clara was aged 27, father Robert Joshua. Before their marriage his father was a baker and confectioner like his father. They had four children. George had older siblings Horace Fank, Muriel Cicely Clarke, and Robert Charles Henry Clarke, all born in the Hull area. By mid-1893 the family had moved to Manchester, where Robert died at 5 months old, and where George was born. 

George was baptised on 19th May 1895 in Holy Trinity Church, Hulme, his parents then living at 113 George Street, and his father's occupation given as manager. 

At the time of the 1891 Census his parents were living with Clara's widowed father Robert, a publican/hotel manager, in Paragon Street, Hull, and both worked as wait staff. His father, George was aged 29, Clara aged 35 and they have two children in the household; Horace, 7, and Muriel, 4. 

At the time of the 1901 Census George senior and Clara were working as staff at the Royal Hotel in Scarborough, George, aged 39, as a porter and Clara, aged 45, as a chambermaid.  

George junior, then aged 5 lived with his aunt and uncle Watson and Emma Grantham and their two children at 31 Auboro Street in Scarborough.

His brother, Horace, 17, a pawnbroker, is with his Grantham grandparents George and Sarah in Sculcoates, Hull, and Muriel 14, is with her Clarke grandparents who are keeping a hotel in Kingston upon Hull.

The 1911 Census finds the family living at 27 Mornington Street in Birkenhead. George is 15 and working as an office boy in the Tax Office. His father, now aged 49, is a baker. His mother is 55 years of age. They advise that they have been married for 28 years and have had 4 children, three of whom have survived. 

Muriel is married and lives with her husband and baby son in Sculcoates.  Horace, 26, a linen draper, and his wife Kate, are visiting Frederick and Emily Jane Jones in Carlisle.

George enlisted in Liverpool joining the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 23941. Based on the amount of the War Gratuity as well as his regimental number, it is likely that George enlisted in December 1914.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th 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 07^th November 1915.

He was made Acting Corporal in 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 21, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 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. 

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 name was published among the K.L.R. Killed on 09th September 1916;

King’s (Liverpools) - Grantham, 23961, Act.-Cpl. G. E. (Birkenhead); 

George was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His outstanding Army pay of £7 11s 9d went to his father, and the War Gratuity of £8 to his mother. The pension card in the name of Clara, at 26 Dingle Road, Birkenhead, shows that she received a gratuity in lieu of a pension in December 1916. She later lived at 3 Ash Road, Tranmere Park, Birkenhead.

His older brother, Horace, enlisted later in the war in the East Yorkshire Regiment and was subsequently transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. Horace, 34, was killed in action on 20th May 1918, and now rests in Tannay British Cemetery, Thiennes, France (8 miles south of Hazebrouck), where his headstone reads;

"DEARLY LOVED AND SADLY MISSED"

His father died in the summer of 1919, aged 58, having lost both of his sons.

When the 1939 register was compiled, in September, Clara was living on private means at 84 Mount Road, Birkenhead. She died in 1942 at the age of 86.

George is also remembered on the following Memorials:

Roll of Honour at Liverpool Town Hall at Panel 47 Right

Men of Birkenhead Cenotaph.

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