L/Cpl 20409 John Bernard Lavin

John Bernard Lavin was born in Woolton, Liverpool, on 6th March 1889, the eldest son of Edward Lavin and his wife Catherine, known as Kate (née Dowse). His parents were both born in Ireland, Edward in County Mayo and Kate in Carlow.  They married in Liverpool in 1887 and had four children.  John had younger siblings Edward, born in 1890, Francis Thomas 1894 (died in infancy), and Francis (Frank), 1895.

 

In 1891 his parents are living at 37 Quarry Street, Much Woolton, with two sons and five boarders.  His father is an agricultural labourer, John is 2.

 

John attended St. Thomas Infants School then St. Francis Xavier School from 1897, the family then living at 132 Salisbury Street.

 

By 1901 they have moved to 5 Pye Street, Wavertree.  His father is 40, a carter, his mother is 38, John is 12, Edward 10 and Francis 5.

 

He married Winifred Josephine Mulville in a civil ceremony on 18th October 1909, when he was 20 years old.  No children were born to the marriage.

 

1911 finds the young couple in Birkenhead, living in four rooms at 11 Woodville Road.  They are both 22, John is employed as a van driver for a house furnisher.  His parents and brothers are living in Wavertree, at 2 Pearson Street.  His father is a bricklayer’s labourer, Edward, 20, is a groom, and Frank, 15, an errand boy. 

 

John enlisted in Liverpool as Private 24373, joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment.  The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in 1914. After training locally at Knowsley, then at Belton Park in Lincolnshire, and for final infantry training on Salisbury Plain, John shipped to France with his battalion on 07th November 1915.

 

At some point John was transferred to the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, with the regimental number 20409, and later posted to the 11th Bn, serving in ‘C’ Company, 10th Platoon, and was promoted to Lance Corporal.

 

Whether with the K.L.R. or the Lancashire Fusiliers, John would have seen action during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 1917.

 

According to the battalion War Diary, in April 1918 the 11th Bn was in the line at Steenwerck, and was relieved on 02nd/03rd May, when they moved to Esquelbecq for training, then on the 8th marched to Wayenberg to entrain, arriving at Fere-en-Tardenois on the 10th and marched to camp at Coulonges.  After further training the battalion moved to billets near Montigny.  At 7:30 p.m. on the 26th May the battalion was ordered to ‘stand to’ and be prepared to move at 10 minutes’ notice.  At 10 p.m. the battalion moved off and marched to billets at Muscourt. 

 

 

 

John was initially declared Missing 27th-28th May.  His family were still seeking information months later. 

 

His mother, at 2 Pearson Street, Wavertree, contacted the International Red Cross but was notified in a reply dated 24th October 1918 that they held no information on John. 

 

His wife Winifred posted a notice in the “Missing - Information Wanted” section of the Liverpool Echo on 31st December 1918:

“Missing, since May 27 last, Lance-Corporal John Lavin 20409 11th Lancashire Fusiliers, - Any information will be gratefully received by his Wife, 3, Foundry Lane, Halebank, near Widnes.”

 

His death was later presumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on 28th May 1918.  His family was notified on 20th January 1919, after eight months of anguish, of his presumed death in action.

 

John is commemorated on the Soissons Memorial to the Missing.  The Soissons Memorial commemorates almost 4,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom forces who died during the Battles of the Aisne and the Marne in 1918 and who have no known grave.

The original British Expeditionary Force crossed the Aisne in August 1914 a few kilometres west of Soissons, and re-crossed it in September a few kilometres east. For the next three and a half years, this part of the front was held by French forces and the city remained within the range of German artillery.

At the end of April 1918, five divisions of Commonwealth forces (IX Corps) were posted to the French 6th Army in this sector to rest and refit following the German offensives on the Somme and Lys. Here, at the end of May, they found themselves facing the overwhelming German attack which, despite fierce opposition, pushed the Allies back across the Aisne to the Marne. Having suffered 15,000 fatal casualties, IX Corps was withdrawn from this front in early July, but was replaced by XXII Corps, who took part in the Allied counter attack that had driven back the Germans by early August and recovered the lost ground.

The Soissons Memorial commemorates almost 4,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom forces who died during the Battles of the Aisne and the Marne in 1918 and who have no known grave.

The memorial was designed by G.H. Holt and V.O. Rees, with sculpture by Eric Kennington. It was unveiled by Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon on 22 July 1928.

His widow Winifred, living at 3 Foundry Lane, Hale Bank, near Widnes, received John’s Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £19-10s and a pension of 13/9d a week from February 1919.

 

John earned his three medals.  However, his Victory Medal was returned, which usually happened when the next of kin could not be traced.  Winifred married Walter Carter in 1920 and in 1926 emigrated to New York and settled in Massachusetts.  They applied for citizenship and in the 1930 census are found in Waltham, Massachusetts, both working in a watch factory.  

 

By 1939 they have returned to England and are living at Havelock Cottages, Halebank Road, Whiston, Lancashire.  Winifred was widowed in 1941, and died in 1977 in Cheshire, aged 87

 

His father died in 1923, aged 57; it is not known when his mother died.

 

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