Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

7 June - 11 July 1917. The plan at Messines was to blow up 19 mines in what was the largest man made explosion before Hiroshima, and utterly destroy the German front line along the Messines Ridge. The effect was to "liquify" the ground and create a mini earthquake, which coupled with the largest artillery preparation thus far of over 3 million shells would stun the defenders into submission. The plan largely worked and was initially very successful although the Germans did re-group and opportunities to develop the attack were lost. Casualties in this victory were 25,000.

Detail :

Alan enlisted to into the 10th Bn King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, The Liverpool Scottish, as Private 8998, and was posted to “C” Company, 3/10th Reserve Battalion at Oswestry. After training he left Oswestry by train, from the nearby Gobowen station as part of the 30th reinforcement draft on the 3rd January 1917, and embarked from Folkestone to Calais the following day, and sent onwards to the Infantry Base Depot at Etaples for further training before being posted to the front to join the 1/10th Bn Liverpool Scottish. When the men of the regiment were all re-numbered Alan became 358644, and was later promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.

He was killed, aged 39, on Friday 20 July 1917, while the battalion was moving up towards Poperinghe heading for the Wieltje sector of the Ypres Salient. On crossing a canal en route from Esquerdes, Alan’s platoon was hit by a retaliatory shell from the German artillery, which left eight dead and another nine wounded.

The dead were all buried in the same cemetery, Vlamerginghe New Military Cemetery, Ieper, Belgium (Alan in Grave 1.G.33), except one, Sydney Liddle from Fairfield, Liverpool, whose body was never found, and who is commemorated on the Menin Gate.

Alan’s younger brother, Arthur Victor Scaife, had been a pre-war member of the Liverpool Scottish, joining as 1406 in 1908, with his brother Henry. He was discharged on 11th February 1913, from C Company on completing his terms of engagement, usually four years. On the outbreak of war he was a Draughtsman, living in London and enlisted as a Private, 2307, in the 1/14th Battalion, London Regiment, The London Scottish, and went with the Battalion to France and Flanders on 15th September 1914. He missed the Battle of Messines on 31st October, but was wounded just after, between 19th December 1914 and 15th January 1915. He never recovered from his wounds and was discharged, and eventually died on Tuesday, 20th February 1917, five month’s to the day, before Alan, and was laid to rest at Anfield Cemetery, at A1. U. 385. (Plot 6, Row 11, Grave 385)

Another brother Henry George Rothwell Scaife re-enlisted and joined the Liverpool Scottish in “C” Company as Private 1405, on 1st April 1908, winning the team shooting competition in 1910, and would play as a forward in the battalion football team, later promoted to Lance Corporal in April 1912. The Liverpool Scottish where at camp near Lancaster when on 3rd August 1914 they were ordered back to their home depot at Fraser Street, Liverpool, to await further orders. On the 13th the men went by train from Exchange Station to camp at King’s Park, Holyrood, Edinburgh, Henry Scaife was in attendance. On the 10th October 1914 the men who had volunteered for overseas service proceeded to Tunbridge Wells, and then to the south coast to board the “S.S. Maidan” crossing the channel from Southampton to Le Havre arriving the 3rd November. This entitled Henry Scaife and his comrades to be awarded the 1914 Star, worn by those who saw active service in France/Flanders before 21st November 1914. Henry would be promoted to Corporal with “X” Company before being commissioned on 25th January 1917 as a Second Lieutenant into the 4th Battalion, The Kings Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), shown on page 1350 of the London Gazette 7th February 1917. After joining his new regiment near to Ypres Henry would have been delighted to see some of his old chums from the Liverpool Scottish, also serving with the 55th West Lancashire Division. Indeed it is impossible that he did not frequently keep in contact with his younger brother Alan, the Scotties actually relieving the 4th Kings Own on April 16th.Although he was himself wounded Henry was the only one of the three serving brothers to survive the war, and died in 1968.

Scaife, Alan Richard of (Buckingham Terrace Tuebrook Liverpool. Lance Corporal 10th (Scottish) battalion Kings Liverpool Regiment died 20th July 1917 in France. Probate 6th September to Isabella Scaife widow. Effects £955 17s 7d.

In addition to those listed above, Alan is commemorated at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Green Lane, Tuebrook, Our Lady of Lourdes and St Bernard Church, Kingsley Road, Princes Park, Liverpool, the Roll of Honour, Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum and Liverpool Institute School.

Masonic :

ALAN RICHARD SCAIFE was initiated into ARGOSY LODGE No. 3740 on 13th November 1914, proposed by W/Bro. C.W. Bridson, P.Pr.G.O., seconded by W/Bro E. Fitzgerald. He was described as being a cashier, age 36, residing at 9 Buckingham Road, Tuebrook. He was passed to the second degree on December 11th, 1914, and became a Master Mason on January 8th, 1915. His younger brother Walter James Scaife of the same address was initiated into the Argosy Lodge on March 4th 1917.

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
• Researcher : Geoff Cuthill