Corporal George J Harker 17613

George James Harker

There was only one George J Harker in the CWGC database and he was in the King's (Liverpool) Regiment so I am satisfied that it is the right man.

George James Harker was born on 1st December 1891 in Liverpool. He was baptised on 27th January 1892 in St Catherine's Church, Edge Hill. His parents were Edward Harker (a time keeper) and Beatrice Alice, they lived at 60 Albert Road, Spekeland (this is right by Edge Hill train station and Edward was a railway time keeper)

Source: Ancestry.co.uk parish records Liverpool baptisms.

In the 1901 census the whole family (including a 19 day old baby who had no name yet!) were enumerated at the house of Beatrice Alice's parents

Source: 1901 census Ancestry.co.uk

The 1911 census record shows the family living at 107 Upper Stanhope Street, Beatrice's mother and siblings were with them. George J Harker was working as a railway Clerk, his father was a railway timekeeper and his brothers worked as a railway crane boy and railway number taker. His uncle was also a railway porter.  Sadly we can see that the baby on the previous census did not survive.

Source: 1911 census ancestry.co.uk

The following images show the railway company record of employment for George James Harker at Brunswick Station. The first page shows his date of birth 1st Dec 1891, he was appointed 14/11/1910 and his rates of pay are recorded:

14/11/1910 it was  14/-

  15/1/1912 in increased to 16/-

a1/7/1912 'new scale 17/6 19 years of age'

16/12/1912 it increased to 21/-

 the second page records that he left the position because

he was killed in action 28th March 1916

source: Ancestry.co.uk

Brunswick Goods Station source: yoliverpool.com

There are actually two medal cards for George, they both have the same regimental number but different middle initials. There is a notation on each card to this effect and the  original card (on the left) has a note that the correct initials G J are authorised for the medals.
The card also shows that he entered the theatre of war (1) France on 7th November 1915.

Many pages of George Harker's service records have survived. This is his attestation paper which shows that he signed up on 11st Sept 1914 for the duration of the war.

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

Information extracted from the other papers shows that he was posted at home from 11/9/14 to 6/11/15 then posted to France on 7/11/15

His medical papers shows that George was 5ft 5 inches tall and weighed 126 lbs. He had a fresh complexion, dark brown eyes and hair. His only distinguishing mark was a mole on his left arm. This paper also states that on enlistment he was in the 19th service battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment.

A further paper tells us he was in number 2 company of the 19th service battalion. He was in a bit of trouble on 11/8/15 at Belton Park for 'improper conduct in the ranks' and was given 3 days CB

The pension form completed by his mother in May 1919 shows that his father died in July 1918, the rest of his family were listed as next of kin with his mother and siblings at 41 Coltart Street.

2 of his brothers were also enlisted; Corporal Edward Harker 308589 and Pte Edgar Harker  R.A.M.C.

UK Soldiers died in the Great War 1914-1919

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

Name:	George James Harker
Birth Place:	Liverpool
Residence:	Liverpool
Death Date:	28 Mar 1918
Death Location:	France & Flanders
Enlistment Location:	Liverpool
Rank:	Corporal
Regiment:	King's (Liverpool Regiment)
Battalion:	19th Battalion
Number:	17613
Type of Casualty:	Killed in action
Theatre of War:	Western European Theatre

 

 

click here to see the cwgc database entry for George J Harker

Private Matthew Thomas Hamilton 14502

Matthew Thomas Hamilton

There are a few interesting points to note about Matthew Hamilton. First is that he is the brother of another name on the memorial Frederick Hamilton and I believe that this supports my identification of these men - as brothers of course they would both have been on the same church memorial.

Thanks to a member on Ancestry making their tree and photos public we have a photo of Matthew, they did not have any information about his brother though.

Private Matthew Thomas Hamilton 14502

According to his baptismal record (below) Matthew Thomas Hamilton was born on 15th April 1895 to parents William (a blacksmith) and Margaret. They lived at 84 Rathbone Street and Matthew was baptised on 16th June 1895 in St Michael's church.

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

In the 1901 census Matthew and his family were living at 94 Rathbone Street and his father William was a blacksmith's striker.

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

At the time of the 1911 census Matthew was single and living with his parents and siblings at 10 Sand Street (which ran between St James' Street and Rathbone St) He was working as a chemist's porter for J Thompsons Ltd (his brother John also worked for this company as a warehouse porter)

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

Photo of Matthew Thomas Hamilton (source: public member photo, Ancestry.co.uk)

Photo of Matthew Thomas Hamilton (source: public member photo, Ancestry.co.uk)

Photo of the grave of Matthew Thomas Hamilton (source: public member photo, Ancestry.co.uk)

The medal card for Matthew shows that he was a private in the Liverpool Regiment with the regimental number 14502.
He entered the theatre of war: France on 4th March 1915 and earned the Victory medal and the British War medal.

Source: Ancestry.co.uk

His entry in UK Soldiers died in the Great War gives the following information:

Name: Matthew Thomas Hamilton Birth Place: Liverpool Residence: Liverpool Death Date: 3 Jan 1916 Death Location: France & Flanders Enlistment Location: Liverpool Rank: Private Regiment: King's (Liverpool Regiment) Battalion: 4th Battalion Number: 14502 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: Western European Theatre Source: Ancestry.co.uk Click here to open a window for the CWGC database entry for Matthew Thomas Hamilton I hope to be able to get to the archives soon to get copies of the newspaper & Liverpool Worthies references.

John Campbell

Unfortunately, John Campbell is a common name; restricting a search of the 1911 census to the name John Campbell (without a middle name) and a year of birth 1880-1900 and born in Liverpool gives 20 results, the national roll of dead for the first world war shows 2 John Campbells from Liverpool were killed in the army and 2 in the navy. The CWGC database shows 1 John Campbell and 2 J Campbells in the King's (Liverpool) Regiment but we have no way of knowing if this was his regiment if he was even in the army.

Although it would be possible to identify the most likely names from these possibilities, it would all be guesswork without more information - perhaps there will be something in the church records that could help narrow it down but until I can get to the archives this will have to wait.

Private Frederick Hamilton 879, 200051

Frederick Hamilton

I have taken my main information for this soldier from a pension record. This record shows that Frederick Hamilton was born in 1892 and died 3rd Feb 1919. He died in Liverpool Workhouse Hospital *(which was also a military hospital at the time) on 1st Feb 1919 of peneumonia but the fact that he has no record in the CWGC database suggests that it was not related to his service.

Then I found records for a Frederick Hamilton in the census returns etc and this Frederick seems to have been born in 1891 (baptism record confirms this)

However, the pension record shows that he married his wife Emily in 1915. Parish records show the marriage of Frederick Hamilton and Emily Humphries in April 1915, Frederick was 23 at the time and his father was William Owen Hamilton, a Smith's striker by occupation. This information ties both the records together, they are for the same man.

There was another Frederick Hamilton born in Liverpool (1889) but the evidence points to the 1891 man because he has no record on the CWGC and 'our' Frederick seems to have died after the war and at home (his death was registered in 1919 in Liverpool)

Family information

Frederick Hamilton was born on 23rd October 1891 and baptised in the Church of St Michael, Liverpool on 20th December 1891. (see baptism record below) his parents were William Hamilton (a striker) and Margaret, they lived at 2 Dalton's Buildings.

source: Ancestry.co.uk

In the 1901 census return Frederick was 9 years old and living with his parents, his 3 brothers and one sister at 94 Rathbone street. His father's occupation was Blacksmith's striker.

Frederick's mother died in 1902

In the 1911 census  Frederick was 19, single and living with his father, who hadn't remarried. Due to a mistake made filling in the form we know that Frederick's parents were married for 13 years and had a total of 8 children, 2 of whom died.

Frederick was 19 and his occupation was listed as Boot Salesman in Lewis's (a large department store)
His siblings were:
William Alfred Owen Hamilton aged 21 occupation boiler maker
John Hamilton 17 occupation Warehouse Porter
Matthew Thomas Hamilton 15 Chemists porter
Marguerite Adriana Hamilton 13 school
Arthur Neil Hamilton 9 school

They were living at 10 Sand Street which was close to St James and was in fact cleared for the Anglican Cathedral.

Frederick was married at the Holy Trinity Church in Liverpool on 12th April 1915 to Emily Humphries. (Holy Trinity was a few hundred yards from St James Church)

The certificate shows that Frederick was 23, lived at 11 Beaufort Street and was a boot salesman. His father William Owen Hamilton was a Smith's striker.

Emily Humphries was 22 and lived at 11 Beaufort Street, her father Alfred Humphries was a boiler maker's labourer.

Military Information

A single page survives from Frederick's service papers but it gives us a lot of information. It is the widow's pension application form, it gives his date of  birth as 1892 but other details show that it is the correct man.

source: Ancestry.co.uk

This record shows that they had one son born in 1917, birth records show that this was Frederick Hamilton, registered July-Sept 1917 in Liverpool. We know this is the correct child as the mother's maiden name was recorded.

The address on this record in 297 Mill Street, one end of which is right by St James' Church.

From the regimental number on the pension form we can match this medal card to Frederick. Showing that he was a Private in the Liverpool Regiment with the regimental numbers 879. The 5th Batallion of the KLR was Territorial Force and when the TF was renumbered in 1917 he was given the number 200051. The medal card shows that he served overseas but did not embark for a theatre of war before 1st Jan 1916 as he was not eligible for the 1914-1915 star. The 5th Bn landed at Le Havre in February 1915 so Frederick must have been part of a later reinforcement of the battalion.

Crown Copyright

Death and Commemoration

The death certificate for Frederick Hamilton states that he died on 1st February 1919 in the Workhouse Infirmary, Toxteth Park (a military hospital at the time). He died of pneumonia after 5 days illness. The occupation on his death certificate is Corporal 1/5 King's Liverpool Regiment (Boot Salesman) which does not make it clear whether he was discharged from the army or not. 

The informant was his wife Emily, resident 297 Mill Street, Toxteth Park.

www.toxtethparkcemeteryinscriptions.co.uk gives the following information about a private gravestone for Frederick:

Large upright sand-stone, pointed top.

  In 

 loving memory of 

 Cpl Frederick HAMILTON,

 5th Kings Liverpool Regt, 

 beloved husband of Emily HAMILTON, 

 died 1st Feb. 1919. 

 *Duty nobly done.* 

 Also of Emily, 

 wife of James KELLY, 

 and relict of the above 

 Frederick HAMILTON, 

 died 3rd June 1927, 

 aged 34 years.

Robert D Corran 2289, 421911, 240630

Robert Dawson Corran

Identification

The CWGC database had only one R D Corran and research showed that he was from Liverpool.

Family information

Born in Liverpool in 1894 to parents Robert Corran and Helen Corran (formerly Dawson) he was baptised on 4th Dec that year in Holy Trinity Church, Toxteth Park. The family address on the baptism record was 74 Upper Hill Street and Robert Senior's occupation was stevedore.

(A stevedore is a dock worker who loads and unloads ships)

The 1901 census shows the family were living at 5 Great George Street. Robert was still a stevedore and his wife (listed as Ellen) was a 'sweet confectioner dealer' They had three sons (our soldier being the eldest at 6) and one servant.

  

The 1911 census shows that Robert Senior had taken over his wife's job, he was listed here as a 'retail confectioner shopkeeper' and Louie Corran a 'relative' and assistant shopkeeper was living with them. They had moved to 119 Great George St and stated that they worked at home so probably were living over their shop.

At this time Robert Dawson Corran was 16 and working as a clerk for a barrister. He had another two younger siblings and the census shows that the Corran’s had not lost any of their 6 children.

At the time of his death, Robert Corran was engaged to Edie Rutherglen.

Military Information

Robert D Corran's medal roll entry shows that he served as a private in the Liverpool Regiment with the number 2289 then in the Liverpool Regiment as acting corporal with the number 240630 and also as an acting corporal with the Royal Engineers number 431911.

He received the1915 star as a private with the Kings Liverpool Regiment as he first entered the theatre of war (Western Europe) with this regiment on 25th February 1915. It also records that he died of wounds 19th Sept 1918.

Death and Commemoration

 Information from UK Soldiers died in the Great War:

Name:	Robert Dawson Corran
Death Date:	14 Sep 1918
Death Location:	France & Flanders
Enlistment Location:	Liverpool
Rank:	A/2/Corporal
Regiment:	Corps of Royal Engineers
Number:	431911
Type of Casualty:	Died of wounds
Theatre of War:	Western European Theatre
Comments:	Formerly 246630, Liverpool Regt. (3rd Field Sur. Coy., R.E.)

Robert Dawson Corran was buried in grave I.A.3 of Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manacourt. His headstone records that he was a 2^nd Corporal.

click here to see his entry in the CWGC database

There are a few minor discrepancies about his rank and date of death between records. We can be certain that they all pertain to the same soldier as the regimental numbers all match. The discrepancies are small and can be explained by the difficult job of recording the field promotions, dates of injury and dates of death for so many men in this late stage of the war.

His family and Fiancée placed the following notices in the Liverpool newspapers:

25^th and 26^th September 1918

KILLED IN ACTIONCORRAN – September 14, killed in action, aged 24 years, ROBERT DAWSON (Bob) Corpl, R.E. eldest and dearly-beloved son of Robert and Helen Corran. 13 Howard-drive, Grassendale.Mourn not for him, nor lay your heart within that lonely grave,Think you those narrow bounds could hold that spirit pure and brave?Earth’s uniform, discarded now, beneath the sod is laid;He had his marching orders – as a soldier, he obeyed. CORRAN – In loving memory of my dear BOB, who was killed in action September 14. (Lonely am I today, for the one I loved so dearly has for ever passed away.) – from his sorrowing Fiancée Edie Rutherglen, Grassendale Park.

You can find out more about Field Survey Companies here on The Long, Long Trail website.