Pte 51932 William Henry Griffiths

• Age: 30
• From: Ormskirk, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

William Henry Griffiths was born December 1896 at Ormskirk and was the son of Edward Griffiths and his wife Alice (nee Poole) who were married on the 14th July 1889 at St Peter's Church, Liverpool. Edward was a 20 year old butcher of Duke St, father George, whilst Alice was also 20 of Wood St, father James.  

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 47, Mill Street, Ormskirk. His father, Edward, is aged 30, born in West Derby, Liverpool in 1871 is a butcher, his mother, Alice, is aged 31, born in West Derby, Liverpool in 1870 with no occupation listed. They have three children declared in teh household; James aged 8, born 1893 in West Derby, Henrietta aged 6, born 1895 and William Henry aged 4, born 1897 and both were born in Ormskirk.  

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 37, Wigan Road, Ormskirk. His father, Edward, is now aged 40, and is still employed as a butcher, his wife Alice is aged 41,  no occupation listed and they have been married for twenty years and have had nine children. James aged 18, is a plumber, Henrietta aged 16,is a domestic, William Henry aged 14, is an errand boy for a pork butcher, they have had six further children all of whom were born in Ormskirk, Eliza Meary aged 12, born 1899, Emily aged 9 born 1902, Ellen aged 7 born 1904, Thomas aged 5, born 1906 and Evelyn aged 3, born 1908 are all at school and John is aged 1, born 1910.   

He enlisted in Ormskirk and was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 51932 when he was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 aged 19 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

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.” 

The Ormskirk Advertiser of 02nd November 1916 carried details of a Memorial service:  

MEMORIAL SERVICE AT THE PARISH CHURCH

Last evening another very impressive service was held at the Ormskirk Parish Church in memory of five local soldiers who have recently fallen in war, viz., Sergeant James Galland, Private William Griffiths, Private Peter Crompton, and Private Thomas Foster, of the King's Liverpool Regiment, and Sergeant Albert Fairhurst of the Canadian Rifles. There was a good congregation including a number of the relatives and friends of the deceased. The vicar, the Reverend C.E Haynes, officiated, assisted by the Rev. H Flenley, (curate), the former giving the most sympathetic address. Mr John Ball, the the organist played " Blessed are the departed " and " O rest in the Lord " at the beginning and the close of the service. Appropriate hymns also being sung. About 100 members of the Ormskirk Volunteer Training Corps where present, in charge of Ms J.T. Whittle, the company commandant.

William Henry's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

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 and Pension to mother Alice. 

His father died, aged 64, in the March quarter of 1935.

His mother died aged 72 in the December quarter of 1941.  

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