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Private Clifford William Bales 16951
18th King’s Liverpool Regiment
Son
of William Ellis and Mrs N. Bales of Altys Lane, was a patrol leader in the
first Ormskirk troop of boy scouts and a keen cricketer,
Historically the first of July
1916 was one of the most important days in the history of British warfare. It
was the day that the great Somme offensive started.
When the battle eventually
subsided in the winter of 1916, the British Army had lost a total of 460,000
dead and wounded, for a relatively small territorial gain.
It was on that fateful day when
the battle was going badly, that Clifford was ordered to go up to the front
line, only to lose his life ‘going over the top’.
He was in the middle of shaving
when the order came, so he gave his shaving gear to his friend Tom Rosbotham for
safe keeping, but he was not to need it again.
Clifford died on that day, the 1st
July 1916, aged 21. He was short of the German line when he was wounded by rifle
fire, but before he could be rescued, was caught in a shrapnel bombardment.
Internment is in Danzig Alley
British Cemetery, Mametz, France. This can be found on the D64, three Km. East
of Albert.
The photograph is of the
compiler of this remembrance site, taken at his graveside on the 29th
May 1989, during the visit that year.
