Pte 27585 John Hugh Rylands

• Age: 24
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Danzig Alley Cem, Mametz
  Panel Ref: Mem 13

27585 Private John RYLANDS 18^th Battalion KLR.

John Hugh Rylands was born on 25^th July 1891 and baptised on 09^th August 1891 in Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernard Church. When his birth was registered later, the middle name Hugh was added.

His parents John and Catherine McShane, both of Coleridge St, Kensington, Liverpool, married on the 15th August 1886 at St Michael RC, Tuebrook. They had ten children but, sadly, one died in infancy. John had an older sister Mary, and younger siblings Ada, Thomas, Elizabeth, Henry, Edward, Catherine, and Eileen. The family lived for some time in Newcastle upon Tyne, and County Durham as Elizabeth, Henry and Catherine were born in the North East. 

In 1901 they are living at 13 Lennox Street, Liverpool. His father is a 36 year old electrical wireman, whilst his mother is 33 years of age. John is 9 years old and lives with his five siblings; Mary aged 11, Ada 8, Thomas 5, Elizabeth 3 and Henry aged 1.

In 1911 the family have moved to 118 Mill Road. His father aged 45 is still working as an electrical wireman, whilst his mother is 43 years of age. All nine children are in the home. John Hugh, 19, is a general labourer and his siblings are recorded as: Mary Margaret aged 21 a labourer in a chemical works, Ada aged 17 is a domestic servant, Thomas aged 15 is a page boy, Elizabeth aged 13 is a scholar, Henry is 10, Edward is 8, Catherine is 6 and Eileen is 4. Also present is a 27 year old boarder, Sarah Ellen McShane. His parents advise that they have been married for 24 years and have had ten children, nine of whom have survived. 

His father died in May 1914, aged 49.

John Hugh Rylands married Sarah Elizabeth Blakemore in St Philip's Church, Liverpool on 08^th February 1915, giving his age as 23, his occupation as clerk, and his address as 32 Malden Road. There appear to be no children born to the marriage.  

On 20th May 1915, John enlisted as Private 27585 joining the 18^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. On 3^rd December 1915 a John Rylands, Liverpool Regiment, was court martialled, offence unknown. 

He arrived in France on an unknown date after 31st December 1915.

John was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on the 01^st July 1916 aged 24. 

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257. 

He was originally buried in Vernon Street Cemetery, Carnoy but the location of his remains was lost, probably through enemy shelling and he is now commemorated with a headstone on the war memorial in Dantzig alley, British Cemetery, France.

“To the memory of these British soldiers, killed in action in 1916 and buried at the time in Vernon Street Cemetery, Carnoy, whose graves were destroyed in later battles.  Their Glory shall not be blotted out” (Special Kipling Memorial)

The village of Mametz was carried by the 7th Division on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, after very hard fighting at Dantzig Alley (a German trench) and other points. The cemetery was begun later in the same month and was used by field ambulances and fighting units until the following November. The ground was lost during the great German advance in March 1918 but regained in August, and a few graves were added to the cemetery in August and September 1918. At the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of 183 graves, now in Plot I, but it was then very greatly increased by graves (almost all of 1916) brought in from the battlefields north and east of Mametz and from certain smaller burial grounds, including:

VERNON STREET CEMETERY, CARNOY, in the valley between Carnoy and Maricourt, at a place called "Squeak Forward Position". 110 soldiers who died in July-October 1916 were buried here by the 21st Infantry Brigade and other units.

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery now contains 2,053 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 518 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 17 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 71 casualties buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His widow Sarah, living at 11 Greenfield Street, Liscard Road, Wallasey, received his effects, and a pension of 10/- a week.  

John is commemorated on the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 45.

She remarried in 1920 to David R. Pritchard at St Mary’s, Liscard, and had two sons George R.(1922) and Kenneth D.(1925). Sarah, dob 23rd Sept 1893, appears on the 1939 Register at 11 Selby St, Wallasey, and died in 1984, aged 90. 

His mother, Catherine, date of birth 22nd December 1867, appears on the 1939 register at 8 Taunton Street, Wavertree. Sarah McShane is still with her.

She died aged 74 in St Vincent’s Hospice, Broad Green in 1942 and was buried on the 15th July 1942 at Yew Tree Cemetery, West Derby. 

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