Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

Ernest HERSCHELL appears on the LIVERPOOL EXCHANGE NEWSROOM WAR MEMORIAL. The Museum of Liverpool Life refers to another soldier (Morrice) who returned to France on 5 August 1916 and joined his old Battalion in the Field as a 2nd Lieutenant. He later assumed command of 'B' Company 0f 1/6 Kings (Livepool) Regiment in the place of Lieutenant Herschell who had been wounded on 26 September (Herschell was to die of his wounds).

Birkenhead News reports in its 30th September 1916 edition: "Captain Ernest Herschell was a great rugby player. As a forward he stood high among his fellows in the middle of the nineties … For ten successive years he was in the list of prominent men north of the Trent … with ‘Flapper’ Herschell in the scrum it was much more healthy to be on his side than against him. He was a deadly tackler, and when he got the ball tucked under his arm and set the pace it was almost more than mortal man could do to bring him down." It goes on: "Having passed his fortieth year, he could have kept out of the war, but his old love to be where the strife was hottest, and his great patriotism, forced him to leave his family and home for the trenches, and he joined the Liverpool Regiment." And finishes, "Today he lies low, but I’ll warrant he did his duty. Ernest Herschell was a good fellow, and as a sportsman he could take hard knocks as generously as he gave them to his opponents , and many a hundred men had cause to remember him when his springing footsteps were prancing the enclosure of a Rugby field. Those of us who knew him are sorry for his end. Some day, perchance, I may recall the lighter side of his genial nature. At the moment we bow to the severance, and salute the name and record of one who did his bit for King and country."

Probate: HERSCHELL Ernest of Danes Hey Meols Chester captain King's Liverpool regiment died 26 September 1916 in France Probate London 22 December to Bertha Mary Herschell widow and Arnold Herschell merchant. Effects £7033 13s 4d.

Masonic :

Petitioning and Founding member of Paton Lodge No. 3738 at Southport, Lancashire on 6th November 1914. He was the founding Junior Warden. This seems a big leap to take considering initiation had only been 2 years previous.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley