Pte
Francis Estcourt Liverton

Informations sur naissance

Date de naissance:
10/03/1900
Lieu de naissance:
Dannevirke, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

Informations générales

Profession:
Employé des chemins de fer

Informations service militaire

Pays:
New Zealand
Force armée:
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Rang:
Private
Numéro de service:
39543
Incorporation date:
14/10/1916
Incorporation nom de lieu:
Ohakune, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
Unités:
 —  Otago Regiment, 3rd Bn.  (Dernière unité connue)

Informations sur décès

Date de décès:
23/11/1917
Lieu de décès:
Bois du Polygone, Zonnebeke, Belgique
Cause du décès:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Âge:
17

Cimetière

Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood
Parcelle: I
Rangée: A
Tombe: 13

Distinctions et médailles 2

British War Medal
Médaille
Victory Medal
Médaille

Points d'intérêt 3

#1 Lieu de naissance
#2 Lieu d'enrôlement
#3 Lieu du décès (approximatif)

Mon histoire

Francis Estcourt Liverton served in the 10th Company of the Otago Regiment 3rd Battalion, part of the 4th New Zealand Brigade, of the New Zealand Division. Francis was only 17 when he was killed in Flanders Fields. He lied about his age to enlist in the army, stating he was a railway clerk born on 19 October 1896, while he was in fact born on 10 March 1900. Notwithstanding being a minor, Francis was taken on and embarked for the Western front.

On the night of November 14th-15th men of the New Zealand Division relieved the 21st Division in the frontlines. Their sector extended from the Reutelbeek on the right to Noordemdhoek on the left, just East of Polygon Wood. The 4th New Zealand Brigade relieved the 21st Battalion in the left sub-sector. On 21 November 1917 the Otago Regiment 3rd Battalion moved into the line, on the right flank of the Brigade. The 4th and 8th Companies held the frontline, while the 10th Company remained in support; the 14th Company was held in reserve for counter-attacking purposes. Heavy rain fell all night and considerable work was required to effect drainage of the trenches.

There was intermittent German shelling throughout the 22nd and the 23rd of November. On the 23rd the New Zealand artillery carried out a test barrage on the German lines. The barrage was followed by harassing fire. The German artillery consequently responded by shelling the back areas.

Private Francis Estcourt Liverton was killed in action on the 23rd of November 1917. It’s highly likely he fell due to the German shelling on the back areas, as the 10th Company was in support behind the frontline. Francis Estcourt Liverton was buried near the Butte in Polygon Wood. His remains were reinterred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood, after the war.

Sources 5

"The Official History of the Otago Regiment, N.Z.E.F. in the Great War 1914-1918", Byrne A.E., Dunedin, Wilkie & Co, Ltd, pg. 260-261.
Sources utilisées
Auckland Cenotaph
http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C8848?n=liverton&ordinal=1&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch%2F
Sources utilisées
CWGC
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/480337/LIVERTON,%20FRANCIS%20ESTCOURT
Sources utilisées
NZEF-project
http://nzef.adfa.edu.au/search
Sources utilisées
The Long, Long Trail
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/
Sources utilisées