Early Life :

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 :

17481 Lance Sergeant Harry Alan Shipman, 19th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment), killed in action on Saturday, 30th July, 1916, aged 26 years.

His battalion trying to capture the village of Guillemont in a joint Anglo-French attack along this sector of the German front line. This was the first taste of real action for the men of the 19th Battalion, The King’s, as although the other three Liverpool Pals battalion’s had been in action on July 1st , the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Arthur’s battalion had been kept back, and mainly been used for fetching and carrying.

The battalion formed up at White Horse Trench, at the southerly edge of Trones Wood, with their objective being to pass the south end of Arrow Head Copse, and then turn in a north easterly direction and into Guillemont.

The attack started at 4.45 a.m., but the Germans had been shelling the British formation for a few hours previous, and in many cases the men would be glad to be moving at last. As they moved forward however, they were met with heavy machine gun fire from well considered German positions, and loss of life was heavy. By nightfall the British line had pushed forward no more than three hundred yards, and the three Liverpool Pals Battalions involved had lost heavily, as indeed had all units. Harry’s battalion, the 19th, had estimated casualties of eleven officers, and four hundred and thirty five men killed, wounded, or missing. Later figures would put the number who died on the day serving with the 19th Battalion as one hundred and ninety three, which included Harry. As with so many who fought in the Somme battlefield, Harry’s body was never recovered and identified, and he is therefore commemorated on the gigantic, Memorial to the Missing, at nearby Thiepval.

The Liverpool Daily Post of 18th August, 1916 has the following; Shipman - July 30, killed in action, aged 26 years - Sergeant Harry Alan Shipman, Pals’ the youngest son of Elizabeth and the late Henry Shipman of 104 Noel-street, Nottingham and Orrell park.

News of his death was also reported in the Evening Express and Liverpool Echo on the 21st August 1916, that he was killed in action on the 30th July 1916 aged 26 at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

The 1916 probate index has SHIPMAN Harry Alan of 104 Noel-street Nottingham lance-sergeant in H.M. Army died 30 July in France Administration Nottingham 13 December to Elizabeth Shipman widow. Effects £117 19s. 9d.

Harry is further commemorated on the London and North Western Railway Memorial and the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.

See also: Liverpool Pals.

Masonic :

HARRY ALAN SHIPMAN a Clerk, of 55 Endborne Road, off Orrell Lane, Liverpool was initiated into Everton Lodge No 823 on 15th July, 1914, described as a 24 year old clerk. He was passed to the degree of a fellow craft on 19th August, and raised as a master mason on 16th September. The Grand lodge certificate was issued on 20th November, 1914. His line on the contribution register shows he was "Killed in Action 30th July/16."

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