Pte 17681 William Christie Plaskett

• Age: 25
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

William Christie Plaskett was born in Liverpool in the September quarter of 1891 to Albert Edward James William Plaskett (known as William) and his wife Janet (nee Christie), both born in Liverpool, and who married in Toxteth Park on Christmas Day in 1886. They had nine children:  Mary and William were born in Tuebrook, Catherine in Seaforth, John, Annie, Sidney, and Albert were born in Holywell, and Vincent and Janet were born in Whitchurch. 

In the 1891 Census, just before William’s birth, his father is listed as a missionary/preacher. His father’s occupation required the family to move quite frequently.

In 1894 the family lived in Seaforth, and by 1897 had moved to Flintshire.

In 1901 the family, with five children, is living at Hope Cottage, Holywell, Flintshire. His father is aged 37, listed as a Congregational Minister born in Everton, his mother, Janet, is aged 34. They have five children listed in the household; Mary is 11, William is 9, Catherine is 7, John A. is 4 and Annie I. is 2. They also have a boarder, Owen Marion Owen, 29, a Welsh Baptist Minister. 

By 1909 they had moved to Whitchurch, and the 1911 Census finds his parents and seven siblings living at “The Manse”, Malpas, Cheshire, where his father is a Congregational minister.  His brother John, 14, is a pupil at the Congregational School in Caterham, Surrey (a boarding school for sons of Congregational Ministers).  It is not known where William was educated; his name does not appear on the school memorial.

William is living in Liverpool, at 22 Sir Howard Street, with his uncle and aunt, James and Mary Jane Donaldson (his mother’s sister), and their three children. Also in the household are William Henry and Rebecca Forsyth (another of his mother’s sisters).  William is 19, single, employed as a shop assistant for a clothier.

William enlisted in Liverpool on 11^th September 1914, as Private 17681, 19^th (Pals) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment, giving his place of birth as Anfield, his age as 23 years and 60 days, and his occupation as traveller.  He is described as being 5’ 11 and three quarter inches tall, weighing 127 lbs, 35" chest, with grey eyes and brown hair. He gives his next of kin as his father, Wm Plaskett, Grove House, Wheelock, Sandbach, Cheshire and his religion as non-conformist (Congregationalist).

After training locally, the battalion moved to Belton Park Camp in Lincolnshire.  Whilst there, on 29^th May 1915, William was confined to barracks for three days for hest (archaic term for behest) to obey an order.  By early September, the Pals battalions have moved to Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain for final infantry training before being sent to the front. William shipped to France with his battalion, disembarking at Boulogne on the 07^th November 1915. 

On the home front, his father, the Minister of the Hope Street Congregational Church, Sandbach, had held a service for peace, reported in the Nantwich Guardian on 27^th August 1915:  

 “Intercession Service – At the Congregational Church, Sandbach, on Sunday morning a service of intercession for peace was held, the preacher being the Rev. William Plaskett.  A special order of service was adopted, and prayers of intercession were recited.  Appropriate hymns were sung, including the National Anthem.  An interesting function was the reading of the roll of honour containing the names of the men from the church who were serving their King.”

In the new year the Pals battalions take up position in the south of the Somme line near Carnoy.  After specialist training at Abbeville for the ‘Big Push’, the battalions are in the front line at Maricourt.  William survives the deadly days of July 1916 at the Somme, until the 29^th, when, at 8 p.m. the battalion moved from Fricourt to take up positions in the Maltz Horn Trench for the upcoming attack on Guillemont.  CWGC gives William’s date of death as 29^th July, however, his service record shows 30^th July, which would have been during the failed attack on Guillemont, which proved the deadliest day of the war for the Pals battalions. The Battalion diary for 29th July 1916 does not refer to any casualties. His family appear to have been informed that their son was killed on 30^th July.

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.       

William’s body, like most, was never recovered from the battlefield, and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.  He was 25 years old.

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.”

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 18^th August 1916

News was received today that Private William Plaskett, of the Liverpool "Pals," and son of the Rev.William Plaskett, Congregational minister., of Sandbach, has been killed in action. He enlisted at the commencement of the war.

William’s death was also announced in the Nantwich Guardian, 25th August 1916: 

“News has been received that Private William Plaskett, of the Liverpool “Pals”, and son of the Rev. W. and Mrs. Plaskett, Sandbach, has been killed in action.  He was the eldest son, and was 25 years of age.  Private Plaskett enlisted at the commencement of the war, and went out to the Front at the end of last year.  He wrote his last letter on the 25^th July, being his father’s birthday.  He was killed on the 30^th.  The second son, Private John Plaskett, is in the 9^th Royal Scots, and is in training in Surrey.”

William’s personal effects were dispatched on 8^th December 1916.  His mother wrote in reply,

“I have today received some of my son’s effects, namely his Pouch – Razor, knife + wallet containing letters photos + cards, also his pipe – I should be so glad if you could get his watch which is a wristlet one – he also mentioned in one of the letters he had a few souvenirs which he was going to bring home.  I refer to Pte W.C. Plaskett 17681 of the Kings Liverpools 19^th S.B. 5^th Platoon, 2^nd Co.  He was killed on July 30^th.  Thanking you in anticipation, Yours faithfully, Janet Plaskett.”

William earned his three medals, which his mother signed for on 12^th August 1921.  His pension went to his mother, Mrs. Janet Plaskett, at 34 Crewe Road, Sandbach.  In 1919 when his father provided information about William’s living relatives, his parents were still living at 34 Crewe Road, Sandbach, four brothers, John, Sidney, Albert, and Vincent, and three sisters, Catherine, Irene, and Janet, were living at home, his older sister Mary (a school teacher) was living in Cheshire, not at home.

William’s brother John Andrew served in the Royal Scots, evacuated to the UK sick, was hospitalised in Glasgow, and later commissioned in the K.L.R.  He survived the war.

On 11^th December 1919 his mother wrote to Infantry Records, Preston, 

“Sir, some time ago I filled in a form in order to obtain a scroll + plaque for my son who was killed on the Somme – Pte William Christie Plaskett, 19^th Service Batt, K.L.R. (Pals).  I should be so pleased to receive same. Yours faithfully, Janet Plaskett.” 

It his hoped that his parents received the plaque and scroll to honour their son’s sacrifice.

Soldiers Effects, army pay of £4 17s 6d, War Gratuity £8 10s, and Pension to his mother Janet. 

Mention of the happy couple's Golden Wedding Celebrations were featured in the Crewe Chronicle on Saturday 02nd January 1937;

RETIRED PASTOR'S GOLDEN WEDDING

THE REV. W. PLASKETT AND MRS. PLASKETT

Christmas Day, 1886, was the wedding day of the Rev. W. Plaskett and Mrs Plaskett, who were in Sandbach from 1913 to 1927, during which time Mr Plaskett was the pastor of the Sandbach and Wheelock congregational churches. It was their golden wedding last Friday when they stayed with their son Albert, postmaster a Great Glen, Leicester. The family party was held on Saturday at the house of their son Mr John Plaskett, Crewe Road, Sandbach. We congratulate Mr and Mrs Plaskett who are widely known in Sandbach, Crewe and Alsager, also at Malpas. With the exception of William, who was killed on the Somme in 1916, when serving with the Liverpool Pals, the remaining eight children participated in the celebration of this golden wedding event of their parents. 

William is commemorated on the following memorials:

Sandbach Civic Memorial

Cheshire Roll of honour

St. Mary’s Church, Sandbach

A plaque dedicated to William Plaskett is inside the Nat West Bank, Sandbach in the foyer.

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