Frank Radcliffe 14506 Kings Liverpool Regiment

[janeb]

Frank Radcliffe was a stretcher bearer in France in WW1 and died in action on 14/05/1916
He is buried in CCWG in Cambrin France

Does anyone have any information on what the Regiment was doing in the area at the time and are there any war diaries anywhere that I could research?
I guess this may mean a visit to a War Museum sometime

Thanks for any help

Jane

[promenade]

Hello Jane,

Hopefully you will find the following of interest. If you send me a PM I will forward you a copy of the page from the original war diary for 14 May 1916.

No 14506 Private Frank Radcliffe kia 14/5/16 with 4 KLR

Frank Radcliffe, who was born in Liverpool, about 1892 enlisted there on 2 September 1914 as Private No 14506 and was posted to the 4th Battalion King's (Liverpool) Regt. After a period of training in the UK part of the Battalion (28 officers and 700 men) sailed for Le Havre, France from Southampton on 5 March 1915 on board the SS Golden Eagle; they had travelled to Southampton by three trains from Princes St Station, Edinburgh the previous day. The second part of the Battalion (7 officers and 284 men) followed on a later vessel arriving on 6 March. On 7 March the Battalion, in its entirety, entrained for the Front.
Unfortunately Frank's enlistment papers have been lost and his medal index card gives his date of entry in France as 4/3/15 (a generic date for all of the original men of 4 KLR). However there is a newspaper report (Liverpool Express 29/5/16) of his death on 14 May 1916. He was described as being 24 years old and prior to his enlistment was employed by the White Star Line. He lived with his parents at 269 Fountains Rd, Liverpool. Frank, who specialised as a stretcher bearer, was killed whilst rescuing a comrade. Examination of the war diary shows that on 14 May 1916 the Battalion was in trenches in the left subsection if the Cuinchy sector. The weather was described as dull. During the day six men were wounded and four men killed by a heavy Trench Mortar bombardment on the right company. Private Radcliffe now lies in Cambrin Military Cemetery Row F Grave 28. An examination of a personal database of transcriptions of 738 war memorials in the Merseyside area does not reveal any potential matches.

This is almost certainly him in the census returns:-

1911 Census RG14PN22446 RG78PN1323 RD455 SD6 ED3 SN142
Frank Radcliffe
Age: 19
Occupation : no employment listed
Address: 192 Fountains Rd, Liverpool - the dwelling had 4 rooms
Estimated Birth Year: 1892
Where born: Liverpool
Father's Name: Mr J Radcliffe, 49, dock porter, b. Liverpool
Mother's Name: Mrs Radcliffe, 48, b. Liverpool
John Radcliffe 25, porter, b. Liverpool
Florence Radcliffe 17, b. Liverpool
Louisa Radcliffe 14, b. Liverpool
Alfred Radcliffe 10, b. Liverpool
Elise Radcliffe 6, b. Liverpool

1901 Census Class: RG13; Piece: 3465; Folio: 130; Page: 17.
Frank Radcliffe
Age: 9
Address: 64 Pugin St, Kirkdale, Liverpool
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1892
Relation: Son
Father's Name:John Radcliffe, 42, gin porter, b. Liverpool
Mother's Name: Sarah Radcliffe, 39, b. Liverpool
Where born: Liverpool
Sarah A Radcliffe 17, employee at sweet printing works, b. Liverpool
John Radcliffe 15, general office boy, b. Liverpool
William Radcliffe 12, b. Liverpool
Florence Radcliffe 6, b. Liverpool
Louisa Radcliffe 4, b. Liverpool
Alf Radcliffe 1, b. Liverpool

I would like to also like to point out that this may be my last posting as there has been a decision to limit the access to the site to those who are not members of the Liverpool & SW Lancs FHS. I am a military historian with little or no interest in genealogy but who can answer in more detail than most queries on the Liverpool Regt during the Great War. Denying full access to people like me who have amassed huge amounts of information and knowledge can only diminish the forum. On behalf of others who also have information to share I would urge the Committee to reconsider or amend their decision.

Thank You

Joe Devereux
USA

[janeb]

Hello Joe

Many thanks for such a quick and full reply - and the first photo I have seen of him in uniform
I have sent a pm to receive any other information you may have as I am building information on his life
Frank was my great uncle and my grandmother's favourite brother
I have visited his grave several times and have a copy of a letter he sent home from France as well as one from his COs wife sent to his mother when she visited his grave in the 1920s.


Jane

[janeb]

Just a big thank you to KathyD for sending the news article on Frank's death
Another piece in the jigsaw

Jane

[Mark Abbott]

I would echo Joe's plea. Over the years he has contributed far more to the Forum than he has taken from it; a net contributor. His detailed answer to Jane's post is a prime example. I am aware of the HUGE amount of infromation he has on the Liverpool Regiment; his exclusion is OUR loss.

To prevent individuals like Joe having access to the Forum will make it a far poorer place and I too as a member, would urge the Committee to reconsider.

Mark Abbott

[janeb]

Just a quick update
I now have located Frank's "Dead Man's Penny" which if fantastic
I will attach a picture of it if someone tells me ho to do it
Thanks again to all who have helped me again

[MaryA]

That is wonderful that you have the Dead Mans Penny. Instructions to upload a photograph are here https://www.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/ ... =16&t=9817

[janeb]

OK hopefully this is it
http://s1028.photobucket.com/user/janem ... ent&page=1

[MaryA]

Wonderful, was it in the family? or did it turn up on a website?

[janeb]

Long story but when I discovered such things existed last year on Antiques Road Show I enquired in the family and found a distant cousin in Australia who found it in her father's effects after he died. He was a nephew ( as was my mother of Frank. The memorial plaque is still in Australia. I have also found two others for great uncles from my father's side of the family which is amazing.

[daggers]

There is another Liverpool link with the memorial plaque. The designer was Edward Carter Preston, whose initials are just above the lion's right forefoot. He lived and worked locally and among many other things designed some of the scupltures in the Anglican Cathedral.

D

[janeb]

thanks Daggers - i knew the name Edward Carter Preston as I had found him when researching a plaque for my paternal great uncle Frederick Charles Purton, but I had not realised he came from Liverpool or that he had designed the sculptures in the Anglican cathedral.