L/Cpl 16178 Henry Green

• Age: 26
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Monday 3rd July 1916
• Commemorated at: Heilly Station Cem, Mericourt
  Panel Ref: I.B.9

16178 Private Harry Green, 18^th Battalion KLR.

Henry known as Harry was born on the 04th December 1889 in Liverpool, the son of Thomas Henry Green, a warehouseman, and his wife Margaret Ann (nee Dalgarno). He was baptised at St Clement's Church on the 05th January 1890, when the family lived at 5 Embledon Street, Lodge Lane, Liverpool. They were to have five daughters and four sons.

In 1891 the family is shown at 5 Embledon Street, Liverpool. He is shown as Henry and is one year old living with his parents and four siblings. His father, Thomas, is a 35 year old warehouseman born in Liverpool, whilst his mother, Margaret A. is 30 years of age and was also born in Liverpool. His siblings are recorded as; Susannah aged 10, Sarah E. 8, Margaret 6 and Florence 4. His mother's brother James Delgarno is also living at the propertyhe is a 24 year old blacksmith.   

On 07th October 1897 Thomas Henry died leaving Margaret a widow with 9 children.

In 1901, Harry's mother is shown at 90 Grosvenor Road, Wavertree, living with her daughter, Susannah aged 19 years and her two sons George, 5 years, and Thomas, 3 years. The Cenus shows a Florence and Henry Green as ‘inmates’ in the Blue Coat Hospital in Liverpool – Margaret has a daughter named Florence as well as a son named Henry and it is likely that these were two of her children.

The 1911 Census shows Margaret living at 18 Dalkeith Street, Toxteth with her daughter, Florence; her son Harry (ie Henry), 21 years and occupation architect; and her son Joseph, 16 years, a clerk with a Rum and Sugar Merchant. There is also a boarder.

Henry/Harry’s mother died in 1911.

On completion of his studies at Bluecoat School in Liverpool, Harry served an apprenticeship with Messrs. Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornley, architects, and took up a position as a clerk in the buying office of Lever brothers in Port Sunlight.

Henry enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 02nd September 1914,  originally joining the 17th Battalion as Private 16178. He gave his age as 24 years 299 days and his occupation as clerk. He is described as being 5' 9" tall, weight 114lbs with a fresh complexion, green eyes and brown hair. His religion is stated as Church of England.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th 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.

It is not known what date Henry was transferred to the 18th Battalion but on 03rd February 1915 he was appointed Lance Corporal and was promoted to the rank on 27th March 1915. On 29th May 1915 he was promoted to Corporal but on 4th October the same year asked to revert to the ranks. Just 12 days later, however, he is again appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal. On 19th October 1915 it is noted in his file “It appears that this soldier was married as long ago as March 28th last but did not inform his CO until 14th inst as he had made private means to support his wife and in the meantime his mother has been receiving dependant’s allowance and allotments. His wife’s address is Fellowship House, Moreton”.

In fact Henry had married Susan Jane Burden in St Paul’s Church, Birkenhead on 28th March 1915. Fellowship House was the home of Susan Jane’s parents with whom she was living. 

On 07th November 1915 he sailed for France.

On 8th February1916 he was attached to 21 Brigade for “sanitary duties”, returning to 18th Battalion on 11th March. From 17th March he was attached to the Town Major, Corbie, returning to his Battalion on 1st April 1916.

Three months later, on 01st July 1916, during the attack at Montauban, Henry was wounded in action and taken to 96 Field Ambulance suffering from a compound fracture of his thigh and gunshot wounds to his lung. Transferred to 36 Casualty Clearing Station, he died of his wounds on the 03rd July 1916.

The 18^th Battalion Diary gives a description of the action during which Harry was wounded:

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. 

Harry now rests at Heilly Street Cemetery Plot I Row B Grave 9 alongside Private 12323 W E Rowland Middlesex Regiment who died on 07/07/16 and Private 18630 A Whitfield East Yoorkshire Regiment who died 02/07/16. 

The 36th Casualty Clearing Station was at Heilly from April 1916. It was joined in May by the 38th, and in July by the 2/2nd London, but these hospitals had all moved on by early June 1917. The cemetery was begun in May 1916 and was used by the three medical units until April 1917. From March to May 1918, it was used by Australian units, and in the early autumn for further hospital burials when the 20th Casualty Clearing Station was there briefly in August and September 1918. The last burial was made in May 1919. There are now 2,890 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. Only 12 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 21 casualties whose graves in the cemetery could not be exactly located. The cemetery also contains 83 German graves. The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials. Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted. Instead, these badges, 117 in all, have been carved on a cloister wall on the north side of the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.  

His death was reported in the Lever Brothers staff magazine:

"Lance Corporal Henry Green, an able and amiable member of our Buying Department was reported in the casualty lists published on 07th July to have died from wounds. It was aftwards learned that he died in hospital in France."    

His Service Record shows that he first declared his mother as next of kin and her address as 70 Bebington Road, New Ferry, but this was subsequently changed to his wife Mrs Susan Jane Green, Fellowship House, Moreton. Susan Jane was the daughter of Eustace Charles Burden, a Liverpool City Police officer, who in 1901 lived at 24 Boswell Street off Smithdown Road and in 1911 at 10 Arundel Street, Toxteth.

He was reported as died of wounds in Liverpool Daily Post 23rd Aug 1916

He was remembered by his wife on the first anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Daily Post on 03rd July 1917:

GREEN - In loving memory of my dear husband Lance-Corporal Henry Green (Liverpool Pals), who died of wounds in France, July 3, 1916. (Remembered by all at Fellowship House.) - Susan Green.

Also on the second anniversary of his death in the Liverpool Daily Post 3rd July 1918

GREEN - In loving memory of my dear husband, Lce. Cpl. HENRY GREEN K.L.R.,  who died of wounds, July 3, 1916. (Remembered by all at Fellowship House, Moreton, Cheshire.)

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Susan Jane, Fellowship House, Cheshire.

Henry’s effects were sent to Susan Jane (letters, photos, postcards, notebook, a purse and two handkerchieves) as were his 3 medals (BMW, VM and 1915 Star). She was awarded a pension of 10 shillings per week.

In 1918 Susan Jane married again to Henry’s brother George. They had three daughters; Sonia Georgett born in the June quarter of 1919, Valerie Susan born in the December quarter of 1921 and June born in the September quarter of 1928. 

His mother, Margaret died on 01st October 1923. 

A Family Tree shows that Henry’s brother, Thomas, served as 42092 with 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, was born in Liverpool but enlisted in Birkenhead, and was killed in action on 31st July 1917. His name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. SDGW does not give any family details but the Pension ledger for this man shows that Margaret Green received monies owed to Thomas. It is also stated that Joseph Green, Henry’s older brother, also served and was killed in 1918 – we have been unable to confirm these details.

In 1939, Susan Jane was living with her husband, George, in Fellowship House, with their daughter Valerie, born 1922, and her parents, Charles Burden, born 1872, holiday camp owner, and his wife Eleanor. 

Henry is commemorated on the family headstone at Toxteth Cemetery as is his brother Thomas. 

Henry is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

Lever Brothers War Memorial, The Causeway, Port Sunlight

Bluecoat School, Church Road, Wavertree, Liverpool. 

Grateful thanks are extended to the Lever Brothers Museum at Port Sunlight for permission to use the photograph of Henry. 

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