Joseph Hibbert
Joseph Hibbert. 34028, Cpl. 1st Loyal North Lancs, KIA 19th April 1918, Givenchy, France.
Born at Hindley Green, Lancs. Cpl Hibbert first joined the Liverpool Regt. (33151). "Soldiers Died in the Great War" gives his address as Allithwaite.
The "Westmorland Gazette", under the heading, "CARTMEL - Killed in Action", printed the following, " HIBBERT. Corpl. Joseph. Mrs. Hibbert on Saturday received news that her husband, Corpl. Joseph Hibbert, Loyal North Lancashires, was killed in action in France on the 19th of April. He had previously been twice wounded. He was a native of Hindley Green, near Wigan. He joined up in November 1915. Prior to that he was for five years bandmaster with the White Star Line, Liverpool (The Parish Magazine says, P&O Line). An officer (Capt. A.B. Bratton ) writing of the corporal's death, says, " he had particularly distinguished himself during an attack the previous day. The men in his section had great faith in him. His death was instantaneous. His conduct during and after the attack was magnificent. He would have been strongly recommended for a decoration and promotion had he lived. He was with me a great part of the day of the attack, and I can assure you I feel his loss very deeply.""
The Parish Magazine reported that Cpl. Hibbert was killed by a shell on the night of April 19th.
The German offensive known as the Battle of the Lys, and its aftermath of offensive and counter-offensive, took place from 9th to 29th April 1918. The German 6th Army attacked between Armentières and Givenchy on 9th April, the aim being to surround Ypres. The initial offensive fell on a dispirited 2nd Portuguese Division, causing them to flee in panic. The next day Von Arnim's 4th Army attacked to the north and captured the Messines Ridge.
The 55th Division, including 1/4 and 1/5 KORLR, held firm on the south flank of the attack, performing heroically and, on 10th April, with 154th Bde, from 51st Div, held an 11,000 yd front from the La Bassée Canal to the Lawe Canal. That day the two German Armies linked for a drive to the sea and Haig issued his famous order containing the words, "With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end."
Reinforcements were rushed into the line, including French divisions.
The fighting died down in the southern sector and on the 15th, 55th Division were relieved by 1st Division, having moved from north of the Ypres Salient. Joseph Hibbert in the 1st Loyals being part of their 1st Brigade.
1/LNL took over part of the line from the La Bassée Canal northwards. The enemy attacked on the 18th, with an artillery barrage beginning at 4.15am and infantry assaulting from the north at 8am, capturing the main trench-line. The Loyal's "C" and "D" Companies counter-attacked strongly (see the officer's comments above) and drove the Germans out of their recently gained positions, except for a few outposts, which were cleared next day by the 1st Northamptonshires. The Battalion was relieved on 23rd - 24th April.
The 1st Loyals lost 2 officers and 46 men killed in this period.
The enemy attack was held, after an advance of ten miles, at the terrible cost of 20,000 allied lives
There is a vivid description of the 1st Division's action in, "On the Front Line: True World War 1 Stories." edited by C.B. Purdom, in the chapter entitled, "Stand To on Givenchy Road" by L/Cpl. Thomas Owen.
The Priory morning service on 28th April 1918 was organised as a Memorial Service to Joseph Hibbert and Matthew Henry Pattinson.
The CWGC had no record of Joseph. I queried this and, on 2nd May 1998, I received a letter notifying me that he qualified for war grave status and that his name was to be inscribed on the Loos Memorial to the Missing. The letter also stated that his wife was Mrs. Sarah E. Hibbert, Brook Cottage, Garstang.
Further research has revealed that Joseph was the son of John and Mary Jane Hibbert of Atherton Road, Hindley Green, one of six children, the 1901 census gives his age as sixteen and occupation as organist and music teacher. (This link leads to a mention in "The Wigan Observerver.") The rest of the family were working in the cotton industry. In 1911 he is living with his wife and his eleven year old brother-in-law, Frank Hulme, at Tarn Cottage, Greenodd and is a musician with the White Star Line. He probably moved to the Cartmel area in the years before the war as he is named on both Cartmel and Allithwaite Memorials.