The Military Service of L/Cpl Frank Pierce

2 July 2024
By David

Frank enlisted into the army in September 1914, just five weeks after the outbreak of war with Germany. He joined his cousin Arthur Evans in the 17^th (Service) Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment. Upon enlistment he was given service number 16016 and described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 146 lbs with a 37-inch chest, grey eyes, brown hair, and a fresh complexion.

News of his enlistment was featured in the Flintshire Observer on 24 September 1914:

Family’s Good Response: Alderman and Mrs J.W.M. Evans, Pendre, have both sons and three nephews who have responded to the call "Your Country Needs You." Mr G. Neville Evans has joined the Yeomanry at Birkenhead; Mr Arthur Leslie Evans, the Corn Trade "Pals" Battalion, and is now at Prescot; Lieut. Sydney Evans is with the 2nd Liverpool Rifles at Dunfermline; Mr Frank Pierce, Insurance "Pals" Battalion, Prescot; and Mr Gerald Foulkes is coming from Canada with the Colonials.

You can read a detailed history of the battalion’s service in France in the service history of Arthur Evans.

Frank joined No.4 Company of the 17^th King’s and during training was confined to barracks on 14 August 1915 for three days for being ‘late falling in for fatigue’. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in July 1916 – no doubt to replace men who had been killed during the Somme offensive over the prior two weeks – but was killed in action just a few weeks on 30 July later during the attack on Guillemont.

One of Frank’s friends wrote home separately to describe his experiences and included a description of Frank’s death:

We were in reserve for a week just behind the line waiting for our third attack. On the night of 29th July we moved up to our position just ahead and on the right of Trones Wood. Here we took up our position in shell holes just behind the 19th, and dug ourselves in for safety, awaiting early morning when the advance was due to take place at 4.45. We were in our stations, myself being with Ossy Eyes [Pte 15985 J.O. Eyes]. Frank [16016 F.A. Pierce] and his mates were quite near, also Sam’s [15938 S.H. Thomas] gun team. We were under constant fire, but not heavy, being mostly gas shells. It would be towards one or two o’clock when poor old Sam met his fate. Our sergeant had just given us our rum ration and gone to the shell hole where the gun team were, and here, unfortunately, one gas shell found its mark, landing in the centre of the gunners. Poor lads, it wiped the whole of them out.

It was a bad start for us, but at 4.45 the boys were up – into the mist they went headed by our section commanders. We ploughed along taking shelter here and there, for they poured one continual rain of lead at us. We were suffering terrible losses but the boys kept on. When we first started the attack, I saw Frank leading his section on. He was on our right, but he disappeared into the mist. We kept pushing forward and were then held up by a German advance trench (a strong point). Here we fought for three-quarters of an hour, when the enemy saw their chance was hopeless they downed arms, hands up, and cried like children for mercy.

We took up our position in what was once the German trench – only three of us out of our section, our NCO, Ossy, and myself. Getting lost, we attached ourselves to the 19th. Here we met another of our Pals who had also got lost. He was one of Frank’s section. Then he told us the terrible news. Frank was leading his section in the charge, and unfortunately was shot through the heart. The sights were bad enough, but the shock of losing Frank and Sam as well! I can’t describe my feelings – it’s heart-breaking. They were two fine fellows, so very popular in the company, and not only were they excellent soldiers, but thorough gentlemen too!” - 15971 Lance Corporal H. Foster (who survived the war).

Another wrote:

Ossy Eyes [15985, J.O. Eyes] and I who managed to come out of this without a scratch are badly cutup over this terrible affair, and I know you, and all those who know those dear comrades of ours will be badly upset about it. Poor old Charlie [21518 C. Heath] met his death while performing a very brave act. Our battalion were in the first wave that went over, and when we advanced so far, we got orders to get down, and Charlie, who noticed a German machine-gun a few yards ahead of him, charged with one or two others to try and capture it, but was fatally hit by a bomb. Frank Pierce [16016 F.A. Pierce] was sniped through the head and Sam Thomas [15938 S.H. Thomas] was knocked out by a gas shell while going up the trenches the night previous to the attack. Gordon Pinches [21589 N.G. Pinches] was killed with a bullet, but where it caught him exactly, I could not say.” – 21646 Private C.J. Wright (recipient of the Military Medal, himself hit and killed by an aerial bomb on 8 October 1918, just a month before the Armistice).

Frank is remembered on the Thiepval memorial, which bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men who died in the Somme sector and have no known grave. He is also commemorated on the Chester Town Hall War Memorial.