Pte 30332 John Griffin

• Age: 21
• From: Vauxhall, Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Zantvoorde Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: III.B.4

John Griffin was born on the 02nd February 1896 in Vauxhall, Liverpool and was the son of John Griffin and his wife Margaret (nee Smith) who were married in St Nicholas' Church in Liverpool in August 1888. John was baptised in March 1896 at St Anthonys Church.

At the time of the 1901 census the family lived at 27 Ellison Street, Everton. The 5 year old John had five siblings – Lizzie aged 12, Ellen 10, Thomas 8, Frederick 3 and 2 year old James. Their mother Maggie was 30 and their father John was 34 and working as a dock labourer. All the family had been born in Liverpool.

By 1911 the family had moved to 15 Luther Street. John’s eldest sister Lizzie had married John Layton who was a railway labourer, the couple had a baby, they were also living in the household. The census records that John’s parents have been married for 23 years and that Maggie had borne eleven children, two of which had sadly died. His father, John, is aged 47, and a dock labourer, his mother Margaret is 45 years of age. They have had two more children since the last census – Maggie aged 8 and George aged 5. Some of the older children are now working; Ellen (Nellie) is a packer in a margarine factory, Thomas and John are dock labourers but appear to be unemployed. The other children are at school.

John enlisted in Liverpool and joined  the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 30332.

He was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 21, on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

At this point a message was sent to Brigade HQ advising that Companies were digging in on and consolidating a line running south from Stirling Castle.

The 20th Battalion was relieved on the night of 3rd/4th August. During this time the Battalion lost one officer 2nd Lieut. G. G. Nickel and 42 men killed or died of wounds with six officers and 149 men wounded. 

John now rests at  Zantvoorde British Cemetery, Belgium. The inscription on his headstone bears the epitaph:

“REST IN PEACE”

Zantvoorde British Cemetery was made after the Armistice when remains were brought in from the battlefields and nearby German cemeteries. Many were those of soldiers who died in the desperate fighting round Zantvoorde, Zillebeke and Gheluvelt in the latter part of October 1914.

There are now 1,583 servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 1,135 of the burials are unidentified. Special memorials commemorate 32 soldiers buried in two of the German cemeteries whose graves could not be found on concentration. The cemetery also contains one Second World War burial.The Household Cavalry Memorial, unveiled by Lord Haig in May 1924, stands on the South side of the village at the place where part of the Brigade was annihilated in 1914.

The cemetery was designed by Charles Holden.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to his father, John.

A notice appeared in the Liverpool Echo on July 31st 1918, on the first anniversary of John's death:

Griffin – In loving memory of John Griffin K.L.R. killed in action July 31st 1917, aged 22 years.

This day brings back the memory

Of one who was called to rest

And those who think of him today

Are those who loved him best.

It is only a mother who knows the sorrow,

It is only a mother who knows the pain,

Of losing a son she loved so dearly

And knows she will never see him again.

Never forgotten by Mother, Father, Sisters and Brothers 15 Luther Street, Everton. 

The Pension card states that his mother died on the 30^th December 1938, she was aged 68.

His father, John, date of birth 22^nd December 1866, a retired dock labourer, appears on the 1939 register at 69 Priory Street, Everton with his married daughter Ellen and William Mellor.

He died aged 79 in the December quarter of 1946.

John is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 50. 

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