WW1 Casualty: Corporal 14152 John Moss - Corporal 14152 John Moss
| Unit/Regiment |
2nd Bn., South Lancashire Regiment |
| Date of Death |
03/10/1916 |
Age at Death |
37 |
Burial/Memorial
& Reference |
Thiepval Memorial
Pier and Face 7A & 7B |
| Census Details |
1901 Census
John Moss was aged 22 and lived at 24, Woodside Street, West Derby with his parents Owen and Agnes and six brothers and sisters.
His occupation is listed as 'Cycle Trade'. As he is shown on the BICC memorial, it is assumed that after 1901 he started work with BI and moved to Prescot. |
| Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations |
Not Found |
| SDGW - Where Born |
Liverpool |
| Enlisted |
Liverpool |
| How Died |
Killed in Action |
Theatre of War |
France & Flanders |
| Research Ref. No. |
P205 |
Service DetailsBorn in Mount Vernon, Liverpool, on 22nd November 1878, John Moss was already 35 years old when he attested to the South Lancashire Regiment in Liverpool on 7th September 1914. He worked as an Ironfitter and noted that he had previously served with the territorial Battalion of the Regiment. His next of kin was listed as his sister, Margaret Moss, of Eastwood Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool. He stood 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds, had a fresh complexion and brown eyes.
Private Moss joined his battalion in France on 24th May 1915 as part of a large wave of reinforcements. He was appointed to the post of Lance Corporal on 29th May 1915. The only significant action in which the battalion was involved for the remainder of that year was the attack on Bellewaarde Ridge in September.
By January of 1916, the battalion was involved in the usual trench activity around Ploegsteert, before preparing for the forthcoming battle of the Somme. The 2nd Battalion joined in the attack on the second day (2nd July) with the aim of capturing German positions south of Thiepval.
The attack started at 6.00 a.m. and although it was clear by 7.30 that the troops had entered the German positions, a violent retaliation by the defenders resulted in the battalion losing 14 officers and over 300 men killed, wounded and missing. As a result, the remnants of the battalion were withdrawn into support but soon became involved in other actions as the onslaught continued.
On 3rd October, the battalion was detailed to garrison Hessian, Zollern and other trenches in the vicinity of Stuff Redoubt.. This had been the scene of bitter fighting and the area was littered with British and German dead. In addition, heavy rain had set in by now and the whole area was a quagmire, made worse by the constant shelling.
Corporal Moss was one of 5 men of the battalion who were killed in action on this date. It seems likely that they all fell victim to the German shelling. None of their bodies were identified and they are all remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
John Moss is commemorated on the BICC Memorial and also the Electrical Fittings Department Roll of Honour
An entry in the Liverpool Daily Post, 24th October 1916
The Parish Magazine of 27th October 1916 stated 'Since the October magazine was published in which the names of 47 of our heroic dead were recorded, 7 more have fallen in the long battle of the Somme. The list then followed, including 'Corporal John Moss, 37, of the S. Lancs.'
On 10th August 1921, his sister Margaret acknowledged receipt of his medals.
Corporal Moss's Medal Index Card listing his entitlement to the 1914-1915 Star as he arrived in France on 26th May 1915, in addition to the British War Medal and Victory Medal
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