Lieut John Nicholas Sergiades

• Age: 29
• 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.

John Nicholas Sergiades was born in 1887 in Liverpool and was the son of Nicholas Sergiades and his wife Eliza Olive (nee Lucy). His parents married in Liverpool in 1881 at Toxteth Park Register Office and had two children. A daughter, Gladys, was born in 1885 but sadly died at one month old. 

His father's naturalization paper exists for 08th January 1891:-

Nicolas Sergiades, an Alien now residing at 108 Hartington Road, Liverpool, subject of Turkey having been born in Egypt and is the son of John and Aspecia Sergiades, both of Turkish nationality, of the age of 35 years, and corn broker is married and has one child under age residing with him viz: John Nicholas Sergiades, aged 2 years.

In 1891 the family (listed as Sergiaves) is at 108 Hartington Road, Toxteth Park, with two domestic servants.  His father, 36, is a corn broker, his mother is 33, and John is 4 years old. 

John was educated at Liverpool College and subsequently at Marlborough College 1900 – 1901.

The 1901 census finds John, 14, a boarding pupil in Preshute House, Marlborough College, Wiltshire.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 40 Croxteth Road, Liverpool. His father, Nicholas aged 56, born 1855 occupation, corn factor (Dictionary term means - a person who deals in corn) and broker who was a resident of Alexandria (naturalised British), whilst his mother, Olive is aged 52, born 1859 in Liverpool. They have been married for thirty years and have had two children of which one had sadly died.  John is aged 24, born 1887 in Liverpool and is a corn factor and broker. They also have two servants, Isabel Maddrell aged 36, born 1875 who is a domestic cook and is a resident of the Isle of Man and Edith Annie Kelly aged 27, born 884 a domestic housemaid born in Liverpool.    

Prior to the outbreak of war, John, was a partner in business in the firm Sergiades and Hodson who were grain merchants based at 1 Cereal Court, Brunswick Street, Liverpool.

John was also a very keen sportsman, as evidenced by his name appearing on many sporting clubs Memorials. 

He volunteered at St. George's Hall in Liverpool on 31^st August 1914 and enlisted as No 15595 in 19th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regt. 

Formed on 07^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. 

John was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant on 01st April 1915 (London Gazette 12/05/1915).

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 crossed to France with the 19th Battalion in November 1915, attached to No.1 Company, by this time he was already a Lieutenant.

It is assumed that his own service followed the service record of the 19th Battalion in the early fighting on the Somme, as he is not mentioned in the 19th Battalion War Diary, until the day he was killed in action during the Battle of Guillemont on 30th July 1916.

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.    

Lieutenant Sergiades was amongst those killed. He was aged twenty nine. 

In a interview given in 1985, former Private 17518 Lance Corporal E G Williams whose brother 17519 Private T S Williams was also at Guillemont with the 19th Battalion, recalled that his own father and Lieutenant Sergiades father were both members of the Liverpool Corn Exchange. When news of the Casualties reached Liverpool, so great was the sense of loss, that when Sergiades' father informed Mr Williams of Lieutenant Sergiades death, Mr Williams felt almost guilty that his two sons had survived the battle!

John was initially reported as Missing and his parents desperate for information, made an appeal for information in the Liverpool Echo on 10th August 1916:

LIEUTENANT J. N. SERGIADES

Lieutenant J. N. Sergiadas, of The King (Liverpool Regiment), has been reported missing and wounded since the 30th July, and his parents are very anxious to get news or his whereabouts. He joined the Army at the beginning the war, when the  "Pals" were first enrolled, having enlisted a private, and becoming lieutenant shortly afterwards. He is the son of Mr. N. Sergiades and Mrs. Sergiades, of 40, Croxteth-road, Liverpool, and a partner firm of Messrs. Sergiades and Hodson grain merchants, Liverpool. 

His father contacted the International Red Cross (including as contact Mr. J. F. Caroe, c/o Messrs. W. Lowe & Sons, Brunswick Street, Liverpool) in hopes that his son (“wounded and missing”) had been taken prisoner but was notified in a telegraphed response on 01st September 1916 that they held no information on John.

His uncle Layton H. Lucy, of Botolph House, Eastcheap, London E.C., also contacted the Red Cross, but received a reply in the negative on 02nd September 1916, and again in response to a subsequent enquiry on 02nd December 1916.

John's body was not recovered from the battlefield 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.”    

Probate in the amount of £743-7s-6d was granted in 1918 to William Henry Beardsworth, office manager, and Andreas Basil Malandrinos, marine insurance broker. 

Soldiers Effects to William Henry Beardsworth and Basil Malindrinos Andreas.

John is also commemorated on the family grave at Allerton Cemetery, Liverpool:

LIEUT. JOHN NICHOLAS SERGIADES

                 19TH KING’S LIVERPOOL REGIMENT

                      BELOVED SON OF THE ABOVE

KILLED IN ACTION IN FRANCE ABOUT JULY 30TH 1916

                                  AGED 29 YEARS

He is also remembered on the following Memorials:

Formby Golf Club

Liverpool Cricket and Rugby Football Clubs

Liverpool Racquet Club

Corn Trade Memorial now situated within St Nicholas Church in Liverpool

Liverpool College

Marlborough School

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