Corporal Robert Isherwood 2232, 7th Bn The King's Liverpool Regiment

Identification

There were 4 CWGC results for Robert Isherwood, one of them was in the King's Liverpool Regiment and the 'other information' gave his address as Gwendoline Street, very close to St James' church

Family information

Robert Isherwood was born in Bootle at 6am on 22nd August 1875 to parents Peter and Mary Ann Isherwood. They lived at 44 Howe St, Bootle and Robert and his sister Florence were baptised together on 26th Sept 1875 in St John’s Church, Bootle. Peter Isherwood was a Labourer.

By the age of 15 Robert was working as a dock labourer with his father who was a stevedore foreman.

By the time of the 1901 census his father had become a joiner and Robert was once again working with him as a carpenter’s labourer.

On Christmas Eve 1901 Robert Isherwood married Isabella Gutcher in St Matthew’s Church, Bootle. Their daughter Isabella Mary Isherwood was born on 8th December 1902 and her mother died just 11 days later.

Robert’s mother Mary Ann died 16th November 1910.

At the time of the 1911 census Robert and his daughter Isabella were living at 15 St James Place, this had been the public house run by Robert’s father but he was retired and it was in the hands of Robert’s brother in law Barwise Edkin Wood and his wife (Robert’s sister) Agnes. Robert was a merchant seaman with the rating of A.B. (able seaman). Crew lists show that he was away for months at a time on ships such as the SS Empress of Britain earning £4/5s a month. Isabella lived with her aunt Agnes, uncle Barwise and younger cousin Roderick.

Despite the fact that as a merchant sailor, a man over 30 and the widowed father of a daughter he wasn’t expected to serve in the army, Robert Isherwood volunteered for the Territorial Force on 11th August 1914, just days after war was declared. He was living at 69 Windsor Street, his sister’s house.

Military Service

On 5th August 1914, the day after Britain declared war on Germany, Lord Kitchener became Secretary of State for War. He realised that the British Army was far too small and on the 7th August the first call for volunteers was made. Kitchener created the ‘New Army’ to be created from volunteers and also allowed the Territorial Force (created for home defence) to expand and volunteer for overseas service.

Between 4th August and 12th September 1914 almost half a million men volunteered, one of them was Robert Isherwood. His service papers tell us that Robert was 38 years old and taller than average at 5 feet 10 inches. He was examined on the 3rd February 1915 and found fit for field services.

Robert volunteered on 11th August 1914, clearly responding to the very early calls, he enlisted in the Territorial Force of the King’s Liverpool Regiment. As a volunteer, he would have been able to choose which regiment he joined, the territorials were popular in Liverpool, similar to the modern Territorial Army they consisted of men who undertook a certain amount of training each year and received a stipend, in return for which they would automatically be called up in time of national emergency. At the outbreak of war the TF were mobilised but for home service only, each man had to sign an agreement to serve overseas, Robert will have signed this at the time of his enlistment.

Robert was posted as a private to the 7th Battalion (also the 1/7th Battalion) and was promoted to Lance Corporal on 12th November 1914.

The battalion war diary shows that in March 1915 the 7th Bn were at a training camp in Canterbury.

On 7th March they travelled by train to Southampton where they embarked on two ships for France. Most of the battalion – 20 officers and 680 men – sailed on the SS Golden Eagle, arriving at Le Havre at 7am on 8th March and moving to Red Camp. The rest of the battalion sailed on the ‘Manchester Importer’ but couldn’t disembark until later due to tides, they arrived at camp at 10pm.

On 12th March they moved to Verdun where they spent several weeks training and digging trenches. The weather was bitterly cold and they were sometimes marching through blizzards.

The battalion spent March and April in trench rotation at Bethune and Annequin (moving between the front line trenches, the support line trenches, the reserve trenches then out of the line for rest) . They spent much of their time training but were also subject to some enemy shelling, attacks and suffered several casualties.

On the 8th May 1915 Robert Isherwood was promoted to Corporal, on this day the Battalion moved to Le Conture where they were billeted in an orchard, they arrived at 4am and at 5am were in reserve for an attack, they moved to Richebourg St Vaast where they were given fresh billets on 11th May.

On 15th May the Regiment was part of a large attack on the German lines, on 16th May 1915 the attack continued, the diary records “attempted to send up reinforcements, but they were wiped out by machine gun fire. About 200 yards of enemy’s trenches surrendered roughly 250 men. Our casualties heavy 9 officers killed 0 missing, four wounded and about 220 other ranks killed, wounded and missing.”

Robert Isherwood was among the missing from this attack. He was later assumed to have been killed on this date. His body was not recovered and his name is inscribed on Le Touret Memorial.

His family would have been notified that he was missing, then later that his death was being presumed for official purposes. They will have received a memorial scroll and plaque plus his medals – the trio of the 1915 Star, the Allied Victory Medal and the British War Medal. These medals were inscribed with the soldier’s name, rank, battalion and number and sent out to the next of kin automatically.

Death and commemoration

On 16th May 1915 Robert Isherwood was reported wounded and missing.

His death was later presumed to have happened on or since that date. He had been overseas for only 3 three months. He was 37 years old.

Robert has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in France.

click here to see the CWGC entry for Robert Isherwood (opens in new window)

Le Touret Memorial, image by Velvet - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31311897

War Diary for the 7th KLR on 15-16th May 1915

15th May – the regiment moved into front line during the afternoon. Attack started at 11:30pm. A & B Companies in attack moved over parapet about 10:45 and waited. Attack successful, German line carried. Half D company took up ammunition later.

16th May – attack continued, attempted to send up reinforcements but they were wiped out by machine gun fire. About 200 yards of enemy’s trenches surrendered roughly 250 men. Our own casualties heavy 9 officers killed, 0 missing, 4 wounded and about 220 other ranks killed missing or wounded. Line A subjected to heavy artillery bombardment at different times throughout the day.

Forms completed by Robert’s sister Agnes show that his father had also predeceased him and the form was countersigned by Colin Dawson, vicar of St James’s Church and brother to another of the men named on the memorial.

Several papers in the file show that Robert's daughter Isabella, now orphaned, lived with her aunt Agnes Wood at 69 Windsor Street and, as her guardian, Agnes received Isabella's pension of 5 shillings a week which was the ‘motherless child’ rate.

A newspaper report from 1920 shows that Agnes Wood and Barwise Wood were divorced after he went to sea and she set up home with another man, Isabella is not mentioned in the article.