99 – Alfred Pearson Enlists in World War 1, Part 3: 19 November 2024
This blog is a continuation of the story of Alfred Pearson. Blog numbers 30 and 33 also summarise aspects of Alfred's story.
At the
time he enlisted in WW 1, Alfred had been “stepping out” with my distant
relative Eliza Hankin when she worked at Newlands School in Hoylake.
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Britain declared war on Germany at 11.00 pm on Tuesday 4 August 1914. On Friday 7 August 1914, Lord Kitchener - Secretary of State for War – made a public appeal for 100,000 volunteers to join the British Army. Forming part of this appeal for volunteers was a famous Poster.
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Edward George
Villiers Stanley held the title Lord Derby and was Minister of War from 1916 to
1918. He wanted the glory of personal responsibility
for the enlistment of large number of volunteers from Liverpool, the city where
his very rich estate called Knowsley was located.
Lord Derby had a letter published in the Liverpool Echo on 19 August
1914. In part, that letter said this.
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I appeal to every
able-bodied man within the prescribed ages of 18 and 30 who feels he owes a
duty to his country to meet me at Seaforth Barracks next Friday, the 21st
inst., at seven o’clock in the evening and there take service in this new
Liverpool Battalion. I am sure that if
the military authorities can receive the help I now ask from all classes of
the community, we shall be able on Friday evening to tell Lord Kitchener that
not only is the battalion full, but full to overflowing. I am, sir, yours
faithfully, DERBY Knowsley, Prescot,
Lancashire August 18, 1914 |
A committee of
businessmen was then formed and a message was drafted and sent to staff employed by the businessmen, urging them to attend Lord Derby’s meeting on 21 August 1914 so they could
enlist in the new battalions of the King’s Own Liverpool Regiment that were to
be composed of the newly enlisted volunteers.
The venue mentioned
in the Lord Derby letter was Seaforth Barracks, which was in the Liverpool
suburb of Seaforth in the north of the city.
The venue was changed from Seaforth Barracks to Saint George’s Hall in the
centre of Liverpool. Saint George’s Hall
still exists and it is opposite Lime Street Station in Liverpool. The enlistment venue was changed because so
many men were trying to enlist. Saint
George’s Hall was larger and better able to deal with large numbers of people.
The Lord Derby
letter also set a time of 7.00 pm on Friday 21 August 1914 for the opening of
the enlistment process. This was also
changed. Enlistment was changed so that
it would commence at 9.00 am on Monday 31 August 1914.
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In the Postcard
Alfred Pearson sent to Eliza Hankin on Saturday 15 August 1914, he indicated he was going to enlist that very night – on 15 August. I cannot establish why Alfred did not enlist on
15 August. My guess is that he was
unable to enlist that night because so many other volunteers were also trying
to enlist. Friday 21 August, the
original date for Lord Derby’s recruitment process was the first Friday after
the date on the Postcard.
Alfred definitely tried
to enlist again on Monday 31 August at Saint George’s Hall. Once again, he was unsuccessful in his
attempt.
Hundreds of men
queued outside Saint George’s Hall waiting for the doors to open at 9.00
am on 31 August. It took only 30 minutes
for the first 1,000 men to undergo their initial processing into the King’s
Liverpool Regiment. The enlistment of
the initial 1,000 men meant that the hoped for new battalion of the Liverpool
Regiment was formed within 30 minutes of the doors being opened to permit enlistment. This first battalion was the 17th Battalion.
A second new battalion
(the 18th Battalion) was formed at 11.00 am on 31 August when a
second group of 1,000 men enlisted.
The enthusiasm for
enlistment to fight Germany was very great.
Over the remainder of that week, potential recruits were divided into
batches of 90 men per batch and four batches with 90 men per batch were
processed every day.
By Friday 4
September, 2,865 men had enlisted in the King’s Own Liverpool Regiment.
Four Battalions were quickly formed – the 17th, 18th, 19th and
20th. These Battalions were
known as the Liverpool Pals battalions.
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Alfred Pearson enlisted
on Wednesday 2 September. He must have
been part of the heaving mob of men unsuccessfully trying to enlist on Monday
31 August.
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The Earl of Derby is
in the middle of this photo. I doubt he
ever missed a meal in his life. I doubt
he ever cooked a meal in his life.
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The Liverpool Pals
battalions arrived in France on 7 November 1915. By 1 July 1916, they had suffered 140 deaths
on active service.
1 July 1916 was the
first day of the Battle of the Somme. On
this one day, the Pals Battalions lost 225 men.
Another 32 were wounded on 1 July and died of their wounds after 1 July.
1 July did not mark
the day when the Liverpool Pals Battalions suffered their greatest casualties. They suffered their largest
number of dead on 30 July 1916 when trying to take the village of
Guillemont. An appalling 450 men from the
Liverpool Pals Battalions were killed on that terrible day.
The book “A Singular Day On The Somme – The Casualties
of the Liverpool Pals on 1 July 1916”, lists the names of EVERY man who died on
the first day of the Battle of the Somme - 1 July 1916.
A Singular Day says this about Alfred Pearson.
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PEARSON Alfred Corporal No 16332 18th Battalion Aged 23 Alfred Pearson
was born on 5 May 1893 at 12 Stockbridge St, Everton, Liverpool and was baptised
on 12 July that year on St Saviour’s Church Everton. He was the son of Thomas and Jane Pearson,
who lived at 69Granton Rd Anfield Liverpool during the war. When he enlisted
in Liverpool on 2 September 1914 Alfred was employed as a teacher at Boaler Street
School. His enlistment paperwork includes
the following: height 6 foot, weight 160 pounds, complexion brown, hair
brown, eyes brown, religion Church of England. On 19 June 1915 he was appointed paid Lance
Corporal and promoted to the rank of Corporal on 1 September. On 7 November1915 Alfred sailed for France with
his Battalion on board the SS Invicta.
He was struck by shrapnel on the nose on 12 January 1916 and treated
for three days by a Field Ambulance. Alfred was killed
in action on 1 July 1916 with A Company and has no known grave, being
commemorated on the walls at Thiepval Memorial in France. |
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