203097 Rifleman John James Corkish, 5th Battalion, King's Liverpool Regiment.
- Amanda T
- May 24, 2020
- 5 min read
Identification
There were 2 John J Corkish records on the CWGC database but one was from Douglas and the other from Liverpool.
Family Information
John J Corkish was born on May 7th 1878 and baptised on 29th December 1881 in the Church of St George, Walton on the Hill (Liverpool) at the same time as his brother Wilfred. His parents were Margaret Ann (nee Curphey) and John James Corkish, a policeman, both originally from the Isle of Man. The baptism record shows that they lived in Fairy Street (which no longer exists.)
The 1881 census shows they still lived on Fairy Street (This was in the Everton area of Liverpool) and the family consisted of John J Corkish age 25 occupation Police Constable, born Isle of Man Ramsey. Margaret A Corkish (wife) age 27 born IOM Ramsey. Children: John J Corkish age 2 and Wilfred A . Corkish aged 1, both sons were born in Liverpool. Also at their house was Thomas Clague brother in law. Police constable.
The 1891 census shows the family were living in Faraday Street, Everton. This street still exists. It would seem that Margaret's brother/brother-in-law Thomas Clague lived next door and was also a policeman from the Isle of Man, his son Louis was enumerated at the house of the Corkish family.
John Corkish senior died in 1898, at the time of the 1901 census his widow Margaret and one of her daughters was a visitor at a house in Everton and 6 more of her children were at home including John James who was 22 years old and a grocer, apparently employing his brother Charles (aged 16) as a grocer’s assistant.
John Corkish (our soldier) married Edith Ann Donkin on the 3rd February 1903. By the time of the 1911 census they were living in Parkgate, Cheshire, John was still a grocer and they had three daughters, Edith Sybil Fletcher Corkish born in 1904, Gladys Louise Ridley Corkish born 1906 and May Goodwin Corkish born 1910.
I have been told by a member of his family tree that John called himself a master grocer for a while but then went bankrupt and went to live in Marlborough Road, Wallasey an work as an insurance salesman.
Sadly, their daughter May died in 1914 aged just 4 years.
Military Information
John's service papers have not survived so we do not have many details about his military service.
His medal card shows that he was a private in the Liverpool Regiment and his number was 203097. He was entitled to the Victory Medal and British War Medal, the lack of a date of entry tells us that he didn’t go overseas before 1st Jan 1916.
In fact, the medal roll shows that John was in the 5th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment, a territorial battalion, which gives us a clue to when he joined up. Before early 1917 the Territorial Forces had a different numbering system – the fact that John only has a 6-digit number tells us that he was conscripted in 1917 or later.
This extract from the Battalion War Diary shows that John was killed during a major attack
Extracted from 1/5 KLR War Diary Vlamertinghe Tuesday 18/9/17 X Day. Battalion Moved up to trenches right sub-sector Potijze for the night. Sick nil.
Wednesday 19/9/17 Y Day. Battalion moved up to the forming up place in front of Pommern Castle for the attack the next morning. Supporting the 7th KLR.
Thursday 20/9/17 Z Day. The Battalion attacked at 5.40am passing through the 7th KLR and taking the Green Line, consolidating this position which ran from Hill 37 on the left to Zevencote on the right. Casualties: officers - 4 killed, 5 wounded ; Other Ranks - 41 killed, 7 died of wounds, 7 missing and 114 wounded.
The following has been transcribed from the Regimental History, Everard Wyrall:-
THE BATTLE OF THE MENIN ROAD RIDGE: 20TH 25TH SEPTEMBER 1917 "At the beginning of September," said Sir Douglas Haig, "the weather gradually improved, and artillery and other preparations for my next attack proceeded steadily. Both the extent of the preparations required, however, and the need to give the ground time to recover from the heavy rain of August, rendered a considerable interval unavoidable before the new advance could be undertaken. The 20th of September was therefore chosen for the date of our attack, and before that day our preparations had been completed." The front selected for the attack extended from the Ypres - Comines Canal, just north of Hollebeke, to the Ypres - Staden Railway north of Langemarck - a distance of just over eight miles. The average depth of the operations was one thousand yards, widening to the depth of a mile in the neighbourhood of the Menin Road. "Zero" hour for the attack was fixed at 5.40 a.m. The particular sectors of the front of special interest to the King's Regiment were the Reutelbeek sector (south of the Polygon Wood) into which the 4th King's of the 33rd Division moved on the 24th of September; the line immediately south east of St. Julien (from which the King's men of the 55th Division, as well as other troops of that division, attacked the enemy at "Zero" hour), and the Langemarck sector in which the I 2th Battalion (20th Division) were in support on the 23rd of September. The King's men of the 55th Division were, however, the only battalions of the regiment which went forward to the attack at "zero" hour. After the Battle of Pilkem the 55th Division had been relieved, and the three brigades moved back to the Tournehem-Recques-Nordausques area for training. The remainder of August and the first fortnight of September were thus spent. . . The 165th Brigade was to attack with the 1/7th King's on the right and the 1/9th King's on the left; the 1/5th and 1/6th King's right and left support respectively. There were three objectives: Red Line, Dotted Line, Yellow and Green Lines. The 1/7th and 1/9th were to capture the Red and Yellow Lines, and the 1/5th and 1/6th the Green Line. Every effort was to be made to capture Hill 37.”
CWGC records show that John Corkish’s remains were located after the war, in an unmarked grave, and identified by means of his identity disc. He was exhumed and reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery.
He is also commemorated on the war memorial at Ballaugh, Isle of Man. His mother had returned to the Isle of Man before 1911. This notice was printed in a local Ramsey newspaper:
RIFLEMAN J.J. CORKISH
Mrs Corkish, of Blackwood, Ballaugh, has received word that her eldest son Rifleman John James Corkish, of the King's Liverpool Rifles, was killed in action in France on the 20th September. He was a son of the late Mr J.J. Corkish of the Liverpool Police.
His wife Edith, living at 107 Upper Stanhope St with their 3 daughters, received a widow's pension and dependents allowance of 26/3 per week.
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