Pte 17449 Andrew Pinder

• Age: 26
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: 13th KLR
• Died on Wednesday 21st August 1918
• Commemorated at: Bienvillers Mc
  Panel Ref: XXI.E.14

Andrew was born on 08th October 1891 the son of Peter Pinder and his wife Sarah J. (nee Wright).

The 1901 Census finds the family living at 12 Cairo Street, Kirkdale. His fatehr, Peter, is shown as born in Blackburn in 1854 and employed as a Signalman for the LNW Railway, whilst his mother was born in Kirkdale, Liverpool in 1857. Andrew is 8 years of age and has 5 siblings; Florence O. b.1880, Kirkdale, William b.1882, Kirkdale, Thomas b.1885 Wavertree, Agnes M., b.1890 Kirkdale and Elizabeth E., b.1896 Kirkdale. 

Andrew was educated at St Lawrence's C of E School, Kirkdale.

By 1911 the family were still at 12 Cairo Street but his mother had died shortly after the 1901 Census in the 3rd quarter. His father is shown as a widower still employed as a signalman but his place of birth is now shown as Parbold. Andrew is 19 years of age and a Railway Clerk. His sisters Agnes May and Eliazbeth Eleanor are also present.      

Andrew enlisted on 02nd Septemebr 1914 at St George's Hall, Liverpool where he joined the 19th Bn as Private 17449. He was working as a Clerk for the LNW Railway at the time of his enlistment. 

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. 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 7^th November 1915.

Andrew was later transferred to the 13th Bn of the Kings Liverpool Regiment. He was killed in action on the 21/08/1918 aged 26. 

The Bn War Diary for August 1918 records -

Part of the 9th Brigade 3rd Army advance on Bapaume August 21st – 24th

20th August – Bivouacked at Hannescamp. At 11 p.m. the battalion moved to assembly positions. Intermittent shelling of assembly area.

21st August – At Zero Hour 4:55 a.m. the battalion moved forward in a thick mist exacerbated by smoke cloud to cover tanks. Direction was extremely difficult. The troops never hesitated even though nothing could be seen of their objective or of the troops on their flanks. Several strong points were encountered, but were outflanked with Lewis Gun and rifle fire. ‘C’ Company on the right had no tank assisting but advanced in short rushes on the machine guns. Enemy heavy artillery was active throughout the day. The men suffered heavy casualties from exposure of the right flank.

Total casualties during the operation – 3 Officers Killed, including 2nd Lt. J.B. Friend, 263 Other Ranks. Of those other ranks were  Arthur Cottrell, Charles Napier Mitchell, Henry Pemberton, Andrew Pinder,  Herbert Cunningham Wands, William Watson and Robert Tudwal Williams who were all former Liverpool Pals. 

He is buried at Bienvillers Military Cemetery where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"PEACE PERFECT PEACE WITH OUR LOVED ONE FAR AWAY"

Bienvillers Military Cemetery was begun in September 1915 by the 37th Division, carried on by other Divisions in the line until March 1917, reopened from March to September 1918, when the village was again near the front line, and completed in 1922-24 when a number of graves, mainly of 1916, were brought in from the battlefields of the Ancre. Its twenty-one plots show a remarkable alternation of original burials in regimental or divisional groups, and groups of concentrated graves. The cemetery now contains 1,605 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 425 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to two casualties known or believed to be buried among them. The 16 Second World War burials all date from the early months of the war, before the German invasion in May 1940 forced the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France.

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