Pte 36948 Richard Holden Mosses

• Age: 34
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 12th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: IV.J.17

Richard Holden Mosses was born in January 1883 in Liverpool and was the youngest child of Edwin Mosses and his wife Elizabeth (nee Holden) who were married in St Nicholas, Liverpool on the 6th July 1859. Edwin was a shipwright of Cuerden St, father William, Elizabeth was also of Cuerden St, father William. 

Richard’s father worked as a ships carpenter all his life, and both he and his wife Elizabeth were born in Liverpool in 1839.

At the time of the 1891 census the family were living at 40 Rishton Street, Everton. Richard was living at home with his parents as well as his siblings - 27 year old William who was a dock labourer, Elizabeth 13, and 11 year old Mary Ellen. He had an older brother called Edwin, a sailor, who married in December 1890 and was living with his new wife Sarah around the corner in Poplar Street. He also had two older sisters 21 year old Annie who was married and 16 year old Amy who was a servant in the household of a clerk in Everton

Richard’s father died in December 1900 aged 61 and the family splits up. His widow is recorded as a boarder with a family at 90 Rishton Street, and the 19 year old Richard goes to live in the household of his sister Amy and her husband and two small daughters at 19 Priory Grove, Everton. Richard is working as a shoemaker.

The 1911 census shows Richard still working as a boot & shoe maker and living as a boarder in a grocery shop at 57 Breckfield Road South.

Richard enlisted in the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 36948. He was killed in action on the 12th October 1916 aged 34 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

According to the 20^th Bn War Diary, on 10th October 1916 the battalion marched from Dernancourt via Mametz to Bazentin Le Grand where it bivouacked for the night. The next day the battalion moved up to site for assembly trenches, arriving about 11 p.m., where it dug in two good trenches, Nos.1 and 2 Coys front and Nos.3 and 4 Coys in rear.

From the War Diary:

Near Eaucourt L’Abbaye.  12/10/1916. The 4^th British and 6^th French armies continued the attack. Zero 2.5 p.m.  The whole XVth Corps attacked […]  The attack of 89^th Inf Bde was carried out with 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right, 17^th Bn KLR on left, 20^th Bn KLR in support, 19^th Bn KLR in reserve.  Battalions attacked in four waves. On the departure of the attacking battalions Nos. 1 and 2 companies advanced, each in two waves, to garrison the front line trench vacated by 2^nd Bn Bedf Regt on right and 17^th KLR on left. On Nos 1 and 2 Coys vacating front assembly trench, it was occupied by two platoons of Nos. 3 and 4 Coys respectively, from rear assembly trench. As the assaulting waves left their trenches they were met by intense machine gun fire, especially on our left. The enemy also opened heavy barrages on our front support and assembly trenches. […] Capt. H. Beckett, commanding No.1 company, reached the front line with few casualties, but Lieut R.D. Paterson leading No.2 company was killed. His company also had few casualties. The assaulting battalions were held up by very heavy machine gun fire, and made little progress.  […] At 4.20 p.m. two platoons, No.4 Coy, under Cpl Brighouse, were sent up to reinforce the left, and No.3 Coy under Cpl Sutton followed at 4.45 p.m.  Battalion HQ moved up to front line at 4.55 and remaining two platoons of No.4 Coy moved up to join Cpl Brighouse. 

Casualties during action: 

Officers – Killed Lieut. R.D. Paterson, 2^nd Lieut G.L. Grennan, Wounded – 2^nd Lieuts A.E. Griffin, L.E. Mclean Hayes, C. Buttemer, Wounded Cpl g. Brighouse.

Other Ranks killed – 20. 

It had rained incessantly at the beginning of October 1916 and the ground was full of mud. In his book ‘The Liverpool Pals’ Graham Maddocks describes the day Herbert was killed.

It was obvious that the Germans knew an attack was coming and from which direction it would be mounted. On the evening of the 11th the 20th Battalion moved up the line and dug two deep assembly trenches behind the 17th Battalion’s position for the attack the next day. The 19th Battalion also moved into its reserve positions known as Flers Trench. Although the rain has stopped, the ground was like a morass, with all the natural vegetation destroyed, it was difficult to tell exactly where the objectives lay. On the afternoon of the 12th at exactly 2.05pm, the attack began along the whole Corps line, covered by the local batteries of the Royal Field Artillery which still had line of sight. As the whistles blew, the 17th Battalion left its trenches to move forwards, at the same time No.1 and 2 Companies of the 20th Battalion moved forward and occupied the trenches vacated by the 17th. As they too went over the top, No.3 and 4 Companies took their place and waited in their turn to follow. No.2 and 3 Companies of the 19th Battalion moved up to occupy the assembly trenches dug the previous night by the 20th.

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. Those German regiments 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.

Brigadier-General F.C.Stanley wrote that the Battalions were also suffering casualties due to the short shooting of the British heavy artillery fire. “I know from practical experience that they were our own guns which were shooting, and which were causing us quite a considerable number of casualties. The fault lay at that time from the fact that the heavy gunners would not send their FOO’s (Forward Observation Officers) far enough forward, but were content to observe us from right back”

Some ground was gained that day, about 150 yards, the 20th Battalion were not relieved until 24 hours later causing the men to endure another day and night in the front line trench.


Richard now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery,France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

He was reported missing in the press on 22nd November 1916 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Mosses, 36948, R.H.; 

Weekly Casualty List 28^th August 1917 

Previously reported missing, now reported 

KILLED 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Mosses, 36948, R.H. (Liverpool); 

Richard is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 20.  

Soldiers Effects and Pension to his mother Elizabeth, her address now 57 Breckfield Road South. 

His mother died aged 87 in 1927. 

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