Pte 24385 Harold Kenneth Owen

In 1901 they are living in Bridge Lane, with five children.  

His father, 30, is a pavior (road labourer), his mother is 31, and Harold is 8.  In the household is his widowed grandmother, Catherine Owen, 67.  Living next door is Lilian Moorcroft, aged 10. 

The 1911 Census shows the family still living in Bridge Lane, Netherton, Aintree, Liverpool.

Harold's father, Frederick, is aged 40, born in Netherton in 1871 and whose occupation is listed as a pavior whilst his mother, Emily, is aged 43, born 1868 in Shropshire. Their children were all born in Netherton, Liverpool. They have been married for twenty one years and have eight children. Those listed on the Census are; Stanley aged 20, born 1891 employed as a farm labourer, Edith aged 19, born 1892 is at home, Harold aged 17, born 1894 is a shop assistant for a bakers, William aged 14, born 1897 is a dairy hand, Percy aged 12, born 1899, Albert aged 9, born 1902, Robert aged 7, born 1904 and Florrie aged 4, born 1907 are all at school.  

Harold enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 24385. Based on his regimental number and the amount of the War Gratuity, Harold enlisted in about January 1915.

Formed on 7^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th 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.

Harold was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 22, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 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.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

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.  

By 01st September 1916 his parents had been informed of Harold’s death in action:

“July 30, killed in action, aged 22, Private Harold Kenneth, the second dearly-loved son of Mr. and Mrs. Owen, The Bridge, Netherton.  (Sadly missed, “For ever with the Lord”).”

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

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.”

The Liverpool Evening Express  of 14th September 1916 reported:

"Pte.Harold Kenneth Owen,K.L.R. (came from America to enlist) The Bridge, Netherton, Aintree, killed in action".

He earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £6-10s went to his father.  It is not clear from the pension card in the name of his mother whether a pension was awarded.

Harold was remembered on the first anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Echo on 30th July 1917, under the heading, “Lost At The Battle Of Guillemont”:

“In loving memory of Private Harold Kenneth Owen, 19th Pals killed in action July 30, 1916, aged 22 years.

He gave…

His pure soul unto his Captain, Christ,

Under whose banner he fought so long.

(Not forgotten.) – Father, Mother, Brothers and Sister, and Lily Moorcroft.”
 

“In loving memory of my dear brother, Private Harold Kenneth Owen, 19th Pals, killed in action July 30, 1916, aged 22 years.

For us – the parting and the sorrow,

For him – God speed.

Edith and Will.

On the anniversary of his birthday in 1918: 

Liverpool Daily Post - Friday 08 March 1918 

OWEN – In loving birthday remembrance of Private HAROLD KENNETH OWEN K.L.R., killed in action, July 30, 1916, aged 22 years. Sadly missed by Father, Mother, Brothers and Sister. 

OWEN – In loving birthday remembrance of my dear brother HAROLD KENNETH, killed in action, July 30, 1916, aged 22 years. Never forgotten by Edith and will. 

OWEN – In loving birthday remembrance of Private HAROLD KENNETH OWEN K.L.R., killed in action, July 30, 1916, aged 22 years. (Ever remembered) - Lily Moorcroft. 

He was also remembered on the second anniversary of his death: 

“In loving memory of our dear son, Private Harold Kenneth Owen, K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action July [30], 1916, aged 22 years.  (Fondly remembered by his sorrowing Father, Mother, Brothers, and Sister.)

  He is not dead,

    The child of our affection,

  But gone to that dear land

    Where he no more will suffer

  But live in happiness and joy 

            For ever more.”

“In sad but loving memory of my dear brother, Private Harold Kenneth Owen, K.L.R. (Pals), killed in action July [30], 1916, aged 22 years.  (Never forgotten by his loving sister Edith, and Will.”

His three brothers of military age all volunteered, served overseas, and survived the war. 

Stanley, a Police Constable, attested in December 1915 and served on the Western Front with the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was slightly wounded in September 1917 and was awarded the Military Medal.  He was demobbed in January 1919.

William, a farm labourer, enlisted in November 1915 when he was 18 years old and was mobilised in August 1916 with the 17th Reserve Battalion, Cheshire Regiment.  He was transferred to a Labour battalion in November 1916 and arrived in France that December.  He returned to England in March 1918 and was posted in July 1918 to a Labour Corps Agricultural Company, medical category B.2 (vision).  He served overseas with the Army of Occupation from June 1919 until September 1919.

Charles, a railway clerk, attested on 24th July 1916, just days before Harold was killed, and was mobilised in June 1917 with the Royal Engineers Railway Troops (he also had less than perfect vision).  He arrived in France in December 1917 and returned to the U.K. in October 1919.

His father died, aged 68, in September 1939 after war was declared. On the 1939 register, taken the day after the death of her husband, his mother, 73, is living at 1 Canal Cottages (around the corner from Bridge Lane), with sons William, 42, a farm hand, and Robert, 36, a gardener.

His mother lived through the Second World War and died in 1948, aged 81.

Harold is commemorated on the gravestone of his grandparents, William and Catherine Owen, in St. Helen’s Churchyard (Sefton Parish Church) -

                “Also of HAROLD KENNETH OWEN

Grandson of the above, killed in action at Guillemont

                   July 30th, 1916, aged 22 years

                       “For ever with the LORD”

Harold is commemorated on St. Helen’s Church Roll of Honour, Brickwall Lane, Sefton and on the Sefton & District Memorial, Sefton Village.