Ordinary people
Extraordinary times War records of local men One in four of the male population joined up to fight in World War One. To highlight the hardship and sacrifice made by these men, Sefton Libraries have selected the war stories of a small number of men from each area of Sefton. All recruits were technically volunteers until January 1916, when men were recruited under the Derby Scheme, which stated that men who voluntarily registered their name would be called
upon only when absolutely necessary. Married men were assured that they would be called up only once the supply of single men was exhausted. Single men who refused to sign up were singled out and proclaimed as ‘Slackers’. They were attacked in local press, in council meetings and shunned by local people.
The Act specified that single men aged 18 to 41 years old were liable to be called up for military service unless they were widowed with children or ministers of a religion. The law went through several changes before the war ended. Married men were exempt in the original Act, although this changed in June 1916.
The Derby Scheme proved unworkable and military conscription was brought in via the Military Service act in 1916.
“The Lusitania was sunk off the coast of Ireland by German submarine ‘U-20’ on 7th May 1915, with the loss of 1198 passengers and crew“. James Marshall RMS Lusitania James Marshall was born in 1885 in Formby, and was educated at St Peter’s School. After leaving, he took work as a waiter at Formby Golf Club.
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James was then recommended to the Cunard Line, and joined that company, going to sea, circa 1907, on the newly launched RMS Lusitania. He made nearly all his voyages on that ship, becoming a saloon waiter. James was apparently of a jovial disposition and a very popular member of the crew. He was equally well-liked back home in Formby.
James was a member of the football club at Freshfield, and played the cornet with the Freshfield Band. He was also a member of Holy Trinity Men’s Bibleclass. He married Alice Cross, also of Formby, and lived at 16 Lulworth Avenue, Waterloo. The Lusitania was sunk off the coast of Ireland by German submarine ‘U-20’ on 7th May 1915, with the loss of 1198 passengers and crew. A survivor reported that he had seen James Marshall on deck about five minutes before the ship went down, but he perished in the disaster.
Alan Cookson 10th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (KLR) Alan Cookson was born in Crosby in 1894. He was the son of Benjamin and Helena Cookson. The family lived in Waterloo Park and then Elton Avenue, Blundellsands. The houses at both addresses were called ‘Glenamour’. Alan became a chartered accountant and worked at the firm of JW Davidson, Cookson and Company (where his father was a partner) in Castle Street, Liverpool.
CROSBY
Rifleman, 6th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regiment Mortimer Pim was born on March 15th 1891. He was the 4th and youngest son of Edward and Dora Pim of Linden, Maghull. He was educated at Petersfield College in Hants, where he joined the school Cadet Corps on its foundation.
“He died of his wounds on 26th September 1916, aged 25“.
After school, he gained employment in the cold storage business in Liverpool. Around 1907 Mortimer joined the Liverpool Volunteers, which later became known as the 6th Battalion, Kings (Liverpool) Regiment. In September 1914, Rifleman Pim was despatched to France. Despite being
George Bourne 7th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (KLR) George Bourne was born in 1896 in Duncan Street, Bootle. He was the son of Frank and Margaret Bourne. George enlisted in the 7th Battalion KLR in November 1915.
BOOTLE
Alan’s army comrade Lieutenant Edward McClymont wrote the poem ‘God’s Acre’ and dedicated it to him - the dedication reads ‘to my skipper’. Captain Alan Cookson was buried at Erquinghem-Lys Cemetery and is commemorated at St John’s Church of England Church in Waterloo.
“Alan became a chartered accountant and worked at the firm of JW Davidson, Cookson and Company“. Mortimer Pim
MAGHULL
Alan enlisted in the Liverpool Scottish - the 10th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment. Commissioned as a Captain, Alan was killed in action in France on 27th June 1917.
On 10th January 1917, during training in the south of the UK, George was one of a company of thirty men who were being instructed in bomb (grenade) throwing at night. It was pitch black, and unfortunately the bomb that he threw caught the top of a sandbag, rebounding and falling at his feet. A comrade, Corporal Pye, realising that
6ft tall and weighing 168 pounds, he was firstly used as a despatch rider, but then retrained as a Lewis machine gunner. Mortimer’s time in front line trenches had an effect upon him, on 11th September 1916 he was admitted to the Field Ambulance station suffering from shell shock. However, he was back with his comrades three days later. During the Somme campaign in 1916, Mortimer and his Battalion took part in what has come to be called the Battle of Morval. On September 25th he was hit by a bullet in the abdomen and was taken back to the Casualty Clearing Station, where he died of his wounds on 26th September 1916, aged 25. Rifleman Pim is buried in Heilly Station CWGC cemetery in France.
the grenade would fall back into the trench, grabbed Bourne and attempted to drag him to safety in a traverse, behind the trench. However, the Mills bomb went off; Bourne was wounded in 18 places. He died an hour later. Corporal Pye was also seriously injured, but survived. Although George had been in the army for over a year, he saw no active service overseas, so his family were not issued with any campaign medals. He is remembered on memorials at St Leonard’s C of E Church Bootle, St Mary’s C of E graveyard, Bootle, and Salisbury Road Council School, Bootle.
Leonard Murphy Royal Navy Leonard Murphy, (son of Leonard Hair who died before his son was born), was the step-son of John Murphy (who had married his widowed mother), of Litherland Road, Bootle. Leonard was educated at St James’ School, and played football for St James’ FC.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1912 and became a member of the crew of HMS Queen Mary when she was commissioned. He was lost when the Queen Mary was sunk at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916, with the loss of 1266 officers and men. Leonard was a chief stoker and he was 22 when he died.
“Leonard was lost when the Queen Mary was sunk at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916“. BOOTLE
Francis Zacharias South Wales Borderers Francis Zacharias, the son of Ernest and Charlotte Zacharias, was born in Crosby in 1885. His father was born in Germany, but was a naturalised British citizen.
WATERLOO
“Francis was educated at Merchant Taylors School“.
Francis was educated at Merchant Taylors School. He followed his father into the cotton trade as a clerk and foreign correspondent, and married Gladys Eastwood in 1916. The couple lived in Victoria Road, Waterloo, and a son, Francis James, was born after his father’s death. Francis joined the army and was commissioned as an officer. He was killed during the Battle of the Somme on 25th September 1916. Lieutenant Zacharias was in charge of a working party supporting the Black Watch regiment, and on reaching them, found
Douglas Gatecliffe Mathwin 2nd Lt. 1/9th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (KLR) Lieutenant Douglas Mathwin was the son of Harry Mathwin MA, the former proprietor/headmaster of Bickerton House School.
“A chartered accountant working in Liverpool, he got his commission in November 1914“. BIRKDALE
their bombing party in difficulties. One part of the trench was occupied by Black Watch troops, the other part by the Germans who were preventing a barrier being built. Zacharias rallied the bombers and together with a sergeant and several soldiers, drove off the enemy, allowing the barrier to be completed. Lieutenant Zacharias then ordered the withdrawal of his men, which he covered together with his sergeant. Before he could himself withdraw, Francis was killed, shot through the head. His sergeant was wounded. Lieutenant Zacharias is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, the Southport Civic Memorial, Waterloo with Seaforth Civic Memorial, at Christ Church C of E Church, Waterloo, Merchant Taylors School (Crosby), Waterloo Rugby Club, and Liverpool Cotton Association.
Before the war, Douglas was the treasurer of Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club. A chartered accountant working in Liverpool, he got his commission in November 1914. Douglas went to the front in March 1915 and was killed in action on the 15th May of that year, near Richebourg, Aubers Ridge. He is commemorated at Duke Street Cemetery, Southport; and on the Le Touret Memorial, France.
William Wood Kings (Liverpool), Regiment (KLR) William Wood was born in 1888 and lived with his parents and two brothers in Netherton Green, Netherton. William went to France with his regiment and was killed in action on 1st July 1916, the first morning of the Battle of the Somme. The British Army took 60,000 casualties (25,000 killed) on that first day of the campaign.
NETHERTON
Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (KLR) and Labour Corp) Jeffrey Rimmer was born around 1883 and lived at 20a High Park Road, in Southport, Lancashire. His dad Jeffrey was an agricultural labourer. He had 5 siblings; 4 sisters and one brother. On the 1901 Census, aged 18 Jeffrey was a ‘carter’ on a horse farm, working with his father.
“The Labour Corps were formed in February 1917 and was made up of men that had been either wounded or taken ill while on frontline duty“.
On 15th August 1915 Jeffrey signed up with the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, he was assigned the service number 3194. On 7th August 1916 Jeffrey was wounded in action in France and was awarded the Croix de Guerre, a French bravery medal. The Croix de Guerre was awarded to those soldiers who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism, involving combat with the enemy.
Stanley “Jack” Rowlands Rifleman, 6th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regiment KLR Stanley Rowlands was born in 1895. Noted for his impulsive nature, he was know to family and friends as "Jack", and he had lived in Formby since he was 2 ½ years old. He was educated at Formby Grammar School, and then Bootle Technical School. Stanley was a also member of St Luke’s Church Choir, and Sunday School.
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‘[William’s] death came as a terrible shock to all who knew him, as he was very well liked, and his loss will be keenly felt’. William was buried at Cerisy-Gailly military cemetery. He is commemorated on Sefton Civic Memorial and at St Helens Church of England Church, Sefton.
“William was killed in action on 1st July 1916, the first morning of the battle of the Somme“. Jeffrey Rimmer
SOUTHPORT
A comrade wrote to William’s parents:
His award was Gazetted on 9th December 1916. On his return to combat Jeffrey joined the Labour Corp, with the service number 719707. The Labour Corps were formed in February 1917 and was made up of men that had been either wounded or taken ill while on frontline duty. By the November of 1918 some 400,000 men were serving in the Labour Corps. Being in this body of men not directly involved with the frontline action, did not stop you being killed by enemy action as around 9,000 men were killed. Their duties would have included anything from helping in stores, taking equipment up to the front, repairing roads any manual task. Jeffrey was discharged from the army on 16th October 1918. He died in Southport in 1968, aged 85.
After leaving the technical school, Stanley was apprenticed as an engineer with Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders. He worked in Liverpool. Stanley, 6’ 4” tall, joined the Kings Liverpool Regiment in August 1914, embarking for service in France with the regiment. He went into action and was killed at Ypres on April 16th 1915. He was buried in a wood near Kirbrandenmolen.
“Jack was killed at Ypres on April 16th 1915“.