Menu ☰
Liverpool Pals header
Search Pals

Search
Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916


CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916


Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916


Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916


Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft

Pte 51960 Geoffrey Baker


  • Age: 19
  • From: Malpas, Cheshire
  • Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
  • K.I.A Wednesday 1st August 1917
  • Commemorated at: Hooge Crater Cem, Zillebeke
    Panel Ref: XVIII.C.11

Geoffrey Baker was born in 1898 in Malpas, Cheshire. He was baptised on the 23rd January 1898 in Chester and was the son of Charles Baker and his wife Sarah (nee Caldecott). His parents married in 1897 in Chester. 

On the 1901 Census the family are in Horton, Malpas.Geoffrey is three years of age and lives with his parents and younger sister. His father, Charles, is a 31 year old agricultural labourer orn in Aldersey, Cheshire, whilst his mother Sarah is 25 years of age and was born in Horton. His sister, Charlotte, is aged 1 and was born in Aldford, Cheshire. Also present is  Sarah's widowed father Hugh Caldicott  a64 year old agricultural labourer born in Horton.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at Horton, Malpas Cheshire. His father, Charles aged 41, is a farm labourer, his mother, Sarah, is aged 34, born 1877 and no occupation. They have been married for 13 years and have six children, Geoffrey aged 13, born 1898, Charlotte Ann aged 11, born 1900, Charles Joseph aged 9, born 1902, Margaret aged 6, born 1905 are all at school, Sarah aged 3, born 1908 and Thomas aged 1, born 1910.

Three more sisters were born after the 1911 Census was taken; Lily in 1913, Daisy in 1918 and Myra in 1924.

Geoffrey enlisted in Liverpool initially joining the 6th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. After a transfer he was was serving in the 17th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 51960 when he was killed in action on the 01st August, 1917, aged 19, during the Third Battle of Ypres. 

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17th Battalion on the left, and the 20th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21st and 90th Brigades were still pinned down and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

Despite this they pushed on until their flank was just touching Clapham Junction. They then dug in and awaited the inevitable bombardment which hit them soon after. Despite this, they held onto the ground.

During the action and their time in the line the 17th Battalion lost three officers and 79 men killed or died of wounds, and four officers and 198 men wounded. They were eventually relieved on the night of 3rd -4th August.

He now rests at Hooge Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium.

Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September.

Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and other smaller cemeteries.

There are now 5,916 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,570 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.     

SDGW states his residence was Eastham before enlistment.

He was reported wounded in the Weekly Casualty List of 11th September 1917, it states he was with the K.L.R. attached to Trench Mortar Battery.

Soldiers Effects to father Charles, Pension to mother Sarah, Horton Green, Malpas

Geoffrey is also commemorated on the Eastham and Tilston War Memorials.

His mother died in the June quarter of 1928, aged 51.

His father died in the March quarter of 1958, aged 88.

Geoffrey's medals and death plaque were auctioned in 2015.

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

Killed On This Day.

(107 Years this day)
Wednesday 28th March 1917.
Pte 21763 Thomas Harvey Eastwood
27 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 25015 Haydn Andrews-Jones (Jones)
26 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
L/Cpl 37887 William Ashcroft
22 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 25340 Thomas William Baker (MM)
24 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 41320 Albert Edward Barlow
30 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 57772 George Barrett
22 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 22615 Charles Edmund Bethell
19 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 21849 Harry Blyde
22 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 27340 Hedley Andrew Thomas Boswell
19 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 29558 John Bretherton
24 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 35988 John Wilfrid Butterworth
26 years old

(106 Years this day)
Thursday 28th March 1918.
Pte 22948 Alphonsus Caldwell
27 years old

A total of 78 Pals were killed on this day. View All