Pte 33265 Frank Poole

• Age: 37
• From: Shrewsbury, Salop
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 18th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

SDGW gives this soldier’s place of birth as Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and an online site, St. Michael’s Church War Memorial, gives Frank Poole’s age as 36.  There were two Frank Pooles born in the Shrewsbury area in 1880 +/- 4 years.  One died in 1912, so it appears this soldier was born in the June quarter of 1879, the son of Edward Poole and Eliza (née Woodall).  Both born in Shrewsbury, they married in 1868.  Six births have been found;  Frank had older siblings Edward, Emily, William (who died at age 2), and Richard (who died in infancy), and a younger sister Eleanor or Helena. 

The 1881 census finds the family in School Lane, Shrewsbury.  His father, 37, is a lead grinder, his mother is 36, Edward is 11, Emily 10, and Frank 2.  In the household are his grandmother Emma Woodall, 61, and aunt Emma, 25. 

His father died in 1887 aged 43, when Frank was 7 or 8 years old. 

By 1891 they are living at 14 York Place, Shrewsbury.  His mother Eliza (age listed as 44) is head of household, Edward 21, is an iron moulder, Frank is 11, and Eleanor 6. 

It is not known when his mother died, but by 1901 Frank is living with married sister Emily Griffiths, 30, and her three young children in Sheinton, 12 miles southeast of Shrewsbury.  Frank is 21, occupation illegible (cement business?), worker. 

In 1911 Frank is lodging at 34A New Park Road, Castle Fields, Shrewsbury with a work colleague, Edward Farmer and family. Frank, 31, like Edward, is a farm implement maker in an ironworks.  

The Perseverance Iron Works in Castle Forgate produced a wide range of agricultural machinery and equipment, including “World Famed Ploughs” and was one of the largest employers in the town. 

Frank married Mary Jane Kite in early 1912 and their son William James was born on 12th April 1914. 

The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about April 1915.   

Frank enlisted in Shrewsbury and was formerly 18313, Shropshire Light Infantry. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in about April 1915. He was transferred to the 2nd (Garrison) Bn, King’s Liverpool Regiment with regimental number 33265. The medal roll shows only K.L.R., indicating that Frank transferred out of the S.L.I. before being posted overseas.  The 2nd (Garrison) Battalion, K.L.R. was formed at Pembroke Dock in November 1915 and moved to Egypt in March 1916 then to Salonika. 

Following a transfer he was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 33265 when he was killed in action on the 18th October 1916 during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

18^th Bn Diary

18^th October 1916

Attacked German trenches commencing 3.40 am. Relieved by 19^th Manchester Regt. Took up position in support Bn trenches W. of Goose Alley.

Graham Maddocks in his book Liverpool Pals gives an overview of the events of the day:

“At 3.40 am the whistles blew, and the Battalion left its assembly trenches, in three waves, approximately fifty yards apart, and began to cross No Man’s Land. Almost immediately, the German Barrage fell on the first wave and halted its advance, so that the second wave soon caught up with it. This was not a great problem at first, and the two combined waves were able to advance together for about 300 yards, whereupon they encountered the German Grid Trench system. On the right of the advance, it was found that the wire was largely intact, apart from a few gaps, and the Germans bombed and machine gunned these gaps, which prevented any further progress. Elsewhere along the trench, however, the wire was cut and there did not seem to be any serious opposition. Nevertheless, the men hesitated to jump down into the German trenches, and instead, began to filter back across to the safety of their own lines.

By this time the third wave had caught up, as had a fourth wave, which had been detailed to mop up any opposition once the trenches had fallen, and all four waves became intermingled which added to the confusion. No less than three attempts were made to try to get the men to go forward again, but each attempt became markedly less successful than its predecessor, and eventually the attack came to a standstill. Although the British assembly trenches had received the attention of the German guns, the attackers in No Mans Land had not come under any great intensity of fire up until this point.

However, once it became obvious to the Germans that the attack was disorganised and faltering, they began to fire into the massed men from the flanks. It was probably this that finally settled the issue and convinced the Pals that they could no longer gain the enemy trenches, and all four waves, now merged into one, began to retreat to their own lines. The whole attack had been an abysmal failure, and no ground had been gained at all”.               

He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France.

Frank was initially declared Missing in Action.  Over four months later, on 24th February 1917,  his wife requested information in the Wellington Journal and Shrewsbury News:

“Pte. Frank Poole, 33265, Liverpool Regt, has been missing since October 18 last year. Any comrades who can give news are asked to write to his wife at 3, Britannia Place, Castleforgate, Shrewsbury.”

His death was later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on or since 18th October 1916. Based on his birth registration, Frank would have been 37 years old when he died. 

His son was just two years old when Frank was killed.  His widow Mary Jane, at 96 New Park Road, Castle Forgate, Shrewsbury, received his Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £5-10s.  She was awarded a pension of 18/9d a week for herself and child from June 1917. 

Frank’s medals, the British War Medal and Victory Medal, were returned, reason unknown. 

His widow never remarried. In 1939 Mary Jane, 64, is living at 19 Cross Hill, Shrewsbury with son William, 25, a Coop shop assistant. 

Mary Jane lived through the Second World War and died in 1949, aged 74.  His son William lived to the age of 88, and died in 2002.

Frank is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

Castle Fields, Shropshire War Memorial 

St. Michael’s Church, Shrewsbury 

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