WW1 Casualty: Private 40601 Isaac Edward Hayes - Private 40601 Isaac Edward Hayes
| Unit/Regiment |
8th Bn., South Lancashire Regiment |
| Date of Death |
16/07/1917 |
Age at Death |
21 |
Burial/Memorial
& Reference |
Menin Road South Military Cemetery
I T 14 |
| Census Details |
1901 Census -
Living at 2, Golden Court, Prescot. Ephraim Hayes (37), his wife Elizabeth (26), and their children Isaac (5), Richard (3) and Margaret (1).
1911 Census -
The Hayes family now lived at 113, Kemble Street, Prescot. Ephraim and Elizabeth had been married for 16 years, producing 9 children, all of whom were still living.
Isaac, now aged 14, was employed as a Coal Miner (Labourer), working below ground |
| Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations |
Birth Registered Q2/1896, Prescot, 8b, 710 |
| SDGW - Where Born |
Prescot, Lancs |
| Enlisted |
Prescot |
| How Died |
Died of Wounds |
Theatre of War |
France & Flanders |
| Notes |
As part of the research into this man, I obtained a photograph of his headstone which showed him as 'T Hayes' - he had been incorrectly commemorated for over 80 years! I communicated this to CWGC and I am pleased to say that in an ensuing round of maintenance, the stonemason corrected the error and Isaac is now correctly remembered. |
| Research Ref. No. |
P144 |
Service DetailsIsaac was born on 2nd May 1896 in Prescot, the son of Ephraim and Elizabeth Hayes.
The article shown below appeared in the Prescot Reporter on 9th March 1917. It refers to Isaac Hayes being ready to join the army on 20th of March.
Image kindly provided by Kathy Donaldson
The 8th Battalion of the South Lancashire regiment was formed soon after the outbreak of war in 1914, part of the third batch of 100,000 recruits asked for by Lord Kitchener. It was formed at Codford and trained on Salisbury Plain before embarking for France in September 1915, being initially based in Armentieres.
The battalion didn't take part in any significant operations for the rest of 1915, other than ordinary, if uncomfortable, tours of duty in the trenches of the Ploegsteert sector.
In mid-1916, the battalion prepared for its role in the Somme offensive. They were part of the reserve and did not become involved in the battle until 8th July, when they were tasked with taking the enemy trenches south of Ovillers.
They advanced at 4.am and took the German trenches without much opposition, pushing on as the day progressed into the German 2nd and 3rd lines of trenches. The battalion stayed in the line until the 17th July, when they were relieved and moved back to Senlis for a period of rest. They went back into the line on 31st at Beaumont Hamel, but this was quickly followed by an extended period out of the lines until 27th August.
The Battalion remained in the thick of the action in the Somme sector until early in September, when they moved to billets at Cramont. They were back in the line for the assault on Stuff Redoubt in late September until being relieved on 22nd October. The remainder of 1916 was again a comparatively quit time for the battalion.
1917 saw the battalion back in the line again, playing a significant role in the Battle of Messines, and ultimately arriving at a village called Beaumetx les Aires on 23rd June.
On the 8th July, they again moved to Busseboom. At this time, preparations were well in hand for the forthcoming 3rd Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele.
It seems likely that Isaac joined the battalion around this time. There is an entry in the Battalion War Diary for 10th July which reads, "11:30 pm. New draft of 1 officer (2/Lt FOULKES) and 171 OR's reported for duty". This is the only mention of reinforcement drafts that I can locate for this period.
Nearly every night throughout the month the battalion sent out patrols and lost a number of men from enemy fire, most notably on the 16th when 1 officer was killed and 27 other ranks were killed or wounded. Amongst these was Private Hayes. He is reported to have died of wounds and rests in the Menin Road South Military Cemetery.
Ephraim Hayes listed as Isaac's next of kin in the Register of Soldiers Effects
Isaac Hayes headstone at Menin Road South Cemetery.
In 1923, Emma Jane Critchley, mother of Isaac's daughter Norah, married Patrick Nulty in Prescot, and they went on to have a further five children.
Patrick was an elder brother of my grandfather, Thomas Nulty
Member Comments(0)
Please select a letter for a surname list:
|
