Thomas Henry Lovelady - Accident or SIW ? 1/7th King's Liverpool

[amymaria28]

Hello all,

I hope you're well.

I'm fairly new to researching my family history, but was wondering if anyone could help me solve this mystery.

I am researching Thomas Henry Lovelady, also listed as Pte T.H. Lovelady, No. 4832 and he served in 1/7th Kings Liverpool Btn

When looking at his service records, it's noted that on 20th June 1916 he was wounded in action (GSW to the abdomen), taken to 37 CCS and subsequently died of his wounds on 21st June 1916 at 9:35am.

I have managed to look at the War Diaries for the 1/7th Btn, however 1916 seems a bit thin on the ground in regards to records. All that is noted from 13th June - 25th June 1916 is: "Usual Trench Routine".

Furthermore, I have looked at the records for the 37 CCS, and the following is listed for 20th June:

"Admissions 46, including 3 officers and 3 SIW cases, one of which was also Mental."

I have also looked into the Bootle Times and Liverpool Echo newspaper archives, and he is only briefly mentioned in the latter on 4th July noting:

"Private Arnold Hulme, KLR, aged 23 and Pte Thomas Henry Lovelady, KLR, aged 19, have died of wounds."

 

My question is this: is it likely that Thomas Henry's wounds were potentially self inflicted, or were the result of an accident? My personal suspicion is that it is more the latter, simply based on the fact that I doubt his name would be in the paper had it been self-inflicted. I also doubt that he would be entitled to a pension/medals. Furthermore, when I looked at Pte Hulme's service record, it seems that he suffered a GSW to the leg on 3rd June 1916 and wasn't sent to the same CCS as Thomas - so not likely that he was one of the 3 admitted on 20th June to 37. I'm not aware of the procedure of how SIW were recorded, particularly if the soldier in question died of his injuries, so any light shed on this would be helpful! 

 

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this and any information you can give will be very much appreciated !

Best,

Amy

[charlie962]

On 28/11/2024 at 21:51, amymaria28 said:

Furthermore, I have looked at the records for the 37 CCS, and the following is listed for 20th June:

What does 1st/3rd WLancs FA diary show?** He was admitted there first.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354870

PS, welcome to the Forum.

Charlie

**puzzled..the diary shows them having a horseshow...

Here's diary on Ancestry

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/60779/images/43112_2918_0-00337?treeid=&personid=&queryId=7cd9714a-7591-481e-a029-56e5b3f4ceb0&usePUB=true&_phsrc=qgl1119&_phstart=successSource&pId=523059

Edited Friday at 23:37 by charlie962
Spelink

[amymaria28]

17 hours ago, charlie962 said:

What does 1st/3rd WLancs FA diary show?** He was admitted there first.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354870

PS, welcome to the Forum.

Charlie

**puzzled..the diary shoes them having a horseshow...

Here's diary on Ancestry

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/60779/images/43112_2918_0-00337?treeid=&personid=&queryId=7cd9714a-7591-481e-a029-56e5b3f4ceb0&usePUB=true&_phsrc=qgl1119&_phstart=successSource&pId=523059

Hi Charlie,

 

Thanks for taking the time to have a look at this.

I had briefly looked at that war diary before also, and was just as puzzled as you!

 

It seems that the plot thickens...

 

Do you think that there's much chance that something may have been recorded incorrectly?

 

Thanks!

Amy

Edited Friday at 15:17 by amymaria28

[DavidOwen]

I would hazard to suggest that an abdomen wound as being less likely to be SIW, not least because it would be physically difficult to do with a rifle.

GSW can mean anything from gunshot to shrapnel - so he could have been the victim of shelling. 

Tagging @davidbohl as a KLR expert

[davidbohl]

18 hours ago, amymaria28 said:

I have also looked into the Bootle Times and Liverpool Echo newspaper archives, and he is only briefly mentioned in the latter on 4th July noting:

"Private Arnold Hulme, KLR, aged 23 and Pte Thomas Henry Lovelady, KLR, aged 19, have died of wounds."

There is another chap Forfar buried in the same cemetery, DOW on the same day, he might reveal another clue https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/75393/alfred-forfar/

From the BNA

 

[amymaria28]

Hi @DavidOwen and @davidbohl,

 

Thanks so much for taking some time to look at this!

50 minutes ago, DavidOwen said:

I would hazard to suggest that an abdomen wound as being less likely to be SIW, not least because it would be physically difficult to do with a rifle.

GSW can mean anything from gunshot to shrapnel - so he could have been the victim of shelling. 

@DavidOwen, totally agree with this, I did think myself that it would be a bit difficult to do an SIW in the abdomen, although I wasn't aware that it didn't necessarily reflect just a gunshot wound - so this is really useful to know! When looking at the War Diary for the 1/7th, there's nothing else mentioned other than the fact that there was just a usual trench routine - do you know if it would it be likely to have been recorded in there if there was any shelling, or just particularly heavy shelling occurring?

 

@davidbohl thank you so much for suggesting this guy to me ! I've managed to have a look on the Echo's archives and this has come up. Seems as though whilst repairing some wires he was wounded. I guess maybe having a look at the 9th Bn war diaries might be worth looking at to see if anything is mentioned in regards to if they were with the 1/7th?

 

Best,

Amy

 

Edited Friday at 16:11 by amymaria28

[charlie962]

4 minutes ago, amymaria28 said:

to if they were with the 1/7th

Brigaded together at that time. 165 Brigade, 55th Division.

There are some 55th Division records kept at Liverpool I believe?

[charlie962]

Forfar has a surviving record. He too went to 1/3 WLancs FA before going to 37 CCS. Timing slightly different.

But his record clearly says wounded in action.

Courtesy Findmypast 

 

Edited Friday at 16:23 by charlie962

[DavidOwen]

Happy to have helped, that is what the Forum does (and rather well too).

Looking likely it may have been shelling that caused the wound.

[amymaria28]

From looking at the War Diaries for the 9th, it mentions that:

20th: Enemy quiet. Weather fine. 10th Liverpool Scottish relieved 8th IRISH on our right. Trenches in this sector are rather wide but pretty good. 1 O.R. wounded.

21st: There was slight shelling and T. M. Bombs were fired on our Communication Trenches otherwise enemy was quiet. Weather fine. 2/Lt. WATSON H. joined battalion as reinforcements.

(https://www.9thkings.co.uk/1-9Diary1916Q2.html)

This is the copy of the war diary for the 7th in June 1916: 

Just seems strange to me that a death of an OR would be omitted as it's something different to 'Usual Trench Routine', as well as nothing being noted in the CCS record or the WLFA record.

Edited Friday at 16:43 by amymaria28

[DavidOwen]

They may not have been aware of his death at the time as it occurred elsewhere (the CCS)

[Ken Lees]

The amount of detail recorded in the War Diary was a matter for the adjutant and the Commanding Officer. Of all the 55th Division diaries, the 1/7th King's is the most frustratingly brief.

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

6 hours ago, amymaria28 said:

This is the copy of the war diary for the 7th in June 1916: 

Hi @amymaria28 , I am curious to know where you found the WD of the 1/7th  KLR for June 1916. I downloaded the WD covering that period from NA some time ago, and found that it went straight from February 1916 to July 1916.

My interest in what was happening to the 1/7th KLR at that period is that my grandfather was in the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, who were also in the 55th (West Lancashire) Division, though the 164th Brigade, rather than the 165th Brigade. The 1/7th KLR were, of course, in the 165th Brigade, along with the 1/5th, 1/6th, and 1/9th KLR. The 164th and 165th Brigades were working very closely together in June 1916, in that it was decided that they would jointly carry out a Special Raid (including the use of gas) on the German front. All four of the 165th Brigade battalions were involved, plus the 2/5th LF and 1/4th LNL from the 164th Brigade, and the 1/10th King's Liverpool (166th Brigade) were also involved.

The raid took place on 28 June 1916, so after Private Lovelady had already died of wounds.

The reason I am mentioning the raid here is that the men who were selected,or "volunteered" to take part in it left the trenches and were given special training in Riviere in advance of the raid. My grandfather left a detailed memoir of his experiences in the war, and it is from that memoir that I know this. He does not tell us the precise date when the training began, but his account puts it in the first part of June 1916. The 164th Brigade WD has an entry for 12 June 1916 "Special Work commenced in the Line", but this must refer to the installation of gas equipment in the front line rather than the training at Riviere. I am not aware of there being any record of this training, but there were certainly casualties in the course of the training. I understand that a lot of it would have been training in the use of bombs, and my GF describes a bombing accident on 25 June 1916 involving at least two men of the 2/5th LF, though I don't think that any of the six men who were wounded on that occasion died. My GF was called on to find replacements for the casualties, and reluctantly sent Private J. Clare, "one of (his) best bombers", who joined the raiding party on 27 June 1916, and unfortunately was one of those who was killed the following day.

If you are interested reports of the raid can be found in the Divisional WD WO95-2988-4_1, and the WDs of the 164th and 165th Brigades WO95-2920-1 and WO95-2025-1.

I can see from the reports that the 1/7th KLR fielded 68 ORs for the raid. It does not seem improbable that some may have been accidentally wounded during the training, maybe even fatally.

Meanwhile, back in the front line during June 1916 my GF, and also the WDs. occasionally mention shelling, though nothing specific on 19 June 1916. However on 13 June 1916 the 165th Brigade WD entry reads "Very little shelling", suggesting that it was taken as read that there would be some. So it is also possible that Private Lovelady could have been wounded by a "normal" incident of shelling in the front line, though, as @DavidOwen says, it would not necessarily have been realised that the wound would be fatal. 

On 28/11/2024 at 21:46, charlie962 said:

What does 1st/3rd WLancs FA diary show?** He was admitted there first.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354870

PS, welcome to the Forum.

Charlie

**puzzled..the diary shoes them having a horseshow...

It will be noted that the 1/3rd West Lancs Field Ambulance WD entry for 20 June 1916 mentions that a move to Beaumetz was cancelled "owing to special work", which I understand refers to the special raid and ancillary work in installing equipment to deploy gas in the front line trenches, which was also mentioned in the entry for 14 June 1916, including using the code word (or euphemism?) "water bottles" for gas cylinders, a cryptonym which my GF also refers to in his memoir. 

And yes, my GF also refers to the Divisional Horse Show, though he has it as happening on 19 June 1916, rather than 17 and 18 June as in the 1/3rd West Lancs FA; the 2/5th LF Transport seem to have done rather better than the FA, with 1st prizes for Officer's Charger, Jumping and Pack Pony, 3rd for Cooker, and 4th for Pack Mule!

[charlie962]

12 minutes ago, A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy said:

straight from February 1916 to July 1916.

It appears after December 1916 !!

Here it is on Ancestry:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/60779/images/43112_2927_1-00091?treeid=&personid=&queryId=4e902c6e-0998-4f06-bc2f-1b505a365af7&usePUB=true&_phsrc=qgl1127&_phstart=successSource&pId=528969

Edited Friday at 23:34 by charlie962

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

11 hours ago, charlie962 said:

It appears after December 1916 !!

Thank you - I'm not a member of Ancestry, but finally found it in the NA version tucked deep in amongst the 1917 sheets!

[amymaria28]

Hi @A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy, I'm glad that Charlie managed to point you in the right direction for the War Diary - when I first looked through it I struggled to find anything too ! It seems like the actual cataloguing of the document has gotten slightly confused...

Thank you so much for providing such a thorough reply to my question, as your information has certainly added colour to a rather murky picture. Of course, anything could have happened in regards to ordinary shelling, and like you say, his death may not have necessarily been recorded due to this.

It would be fascinating to know if he had been chosen to be part of that raid though - although he had only been in the field for less than three months at that point too so I wonder if his inexperience would have held him back in that regard.

 

Thanks so much again!

Best,

Amy