When war was declared in September 1914, the Club called an extraordinary meeting and cancelled all fixtures, and recommended all members ‘join some military organisation’. The fourteen members killed in action listed on the Plaque are:

H Dalzell
J E Grimshaw
J Livingstone
G L Lovell
H M Morriss
A R Penny
G Pollard
W B Saul
A C Sawyer
W S Standring
S S Walker
T C Walker
J V White
E Wood

They include:

Lance Corporal John Edward Grimshaw, Lancashire Fusiliers, died on 18th September 1915 at Gallipoli and is commemorated on the Helles War Memorial. He was a former first team captain.

Private Jacob Livingstone, Manchester Regiment, died aged 25 on 9th December 1917 and is buried at the Bethune Town Cemetery, France. Son of Lewis and Dorah Livingstone of 11 Arnside Road, Southport.

The Southport Visiter reported that he was also known as Jack, and had lived at 13 Saunders Street too. He was drafted out to Egypt after joining the army, and after 15 months service there he was sent to France where he had been for about 9 months. He was a prominent member of the Southport Liberal Club and the Olympic Rugby Team.

Second Lieutenant Hubert Marmaduke Morris, 1st/2nd Bn. attd. 15th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers died aged 26 on 17th August 1918 and is buried at Terlinchun British Cemetery, Wimille, on the northern outskirts of Boulogne. Eldest son of Ada and the late Arthur Moritz, of Manchester; stepson of Mr. S. M. Harris, of 21, Saunders St., Southport.

The Southport Visiter reported that Sec-Lieut Morris died at the 14th General Hospital, France from serious wounds on August 16th (note different dates of death given by various records). He was also reported as the eldest son of Mr & Mrs S M Harris of Pyrmont, 2 Albany Road, Southport, and as having joined the Manchester University OTC immediately on the outbreak of war becoming impatient at the length of time which would elapse before he got his commission, he, with other of his friends joined the Public Schools Battalion, which was then being formed, as a private.

He trained with the battalion, which was afterwards the 20th Batallion, Royal Fusiliers, and went to France the following September, 1915 going through various engagements before being wounded – shot through the arm – at the taking of High Wood. Hospitalised at Etaples, he recovered sufficiently to be transferred to the 17th Royal Fusiliers and went through actions on the Somme before being wounded severely in the right arm and sent over to England for treatment.

On rejoining he was transferred to the 7th Royal Fusiliers, and returning to France was sent down for his commission and transferred to the 6th Cadet Battalion at Balliol College, and then gazetted to the Lancashire Fusiliers with which battalion he was serving at the time of his death. He had been seriously wounded in the abdomen, his left knee shot through and shattered, and a portion of his thigh had been carried away with shrapnel.

His brother Hector, who joined up on 5th August, the day after war broke out, had been twice wounded, and was with the British Expeditionary Force in Italy at the time of Sec-Lieut Morris’s death.

Corporal William B Saul, 5th Btn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers died in Egypt 10th March 1918 aged 33 and is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. Son of Joseph and Maria Saul of Windermere, Westmorland, and husband of Marguerite S Saul of 102 Princes Road, Liverpool. Also commemorated on Holy Trinity Church Memorial. Born in Bowness, Westmorland he enlisted in Southport and was formerly in the King’s Liverpool Regiment.

The Southport Visiter reported that Corporal Saul was the eldest son of Mr Joseph Saul, formerly an auctioneer in Southport, and that he was for many years in the Mounted Infantry at Southport, and was the first man of the National Reserve to volunteer in the district for active service at the front.

Private A E Sawyer, Manchester Regiment died on 30th May 1917 and is buried in Duke Street Cemetery, Southport.

Second Lieutenant William Shuttleworth Standring, East Lancashire Regiment, died aged 21 in the Battle of the Somme on 30th July 1916 and is buried in Guillemont Road Cemetery. Son of Robert and Alice Standring of 110 Windsor Road, Southport.

The Southport Visiter reported that Sec-Lieut Standring was the son of Mr Robert Standring, Conservative Agent for the Southport Division. He was educated at Rochdale Secondary School and Merchant Taylors School, and was a popular member of Southport Rugby Football Club, and a former member of the Merchant Taylors Football and Cricket Clubs. Sec-Lieut Standring was mobilised at the outbreak of war as a member of the West Lancashire ASC in which he was a Corporal. He received his commission in the 14th King’s Liverpool Regiment in June 1915. In June 1916 he was transferred to the East Lancashire Regiment and on arrival at the front was attached to another battalion of the King’s. Before he went to the front he performed valuable service as instructor at various camps.

Major J Peck of the King’s wrote to Mr Standring in August 1916 stating he was “very sorry indeed” that that he was unable to give out any definite information about his son. He believed Sec-Lieut Standring had been slightly wounded on 30th July, about 8am, while trying to reach battalion headquarters with two orderlies to report the situation of his company and that one of the orderlies was also wounded at the same time. When the uninjured orderly returned to the company to report the casualties it was under attack, and it was not until 10.30 that an officer was able to search the ground where Sec-Lieut Standring fell but could not find him and concluded that he had gone back to the dressing station. Major Peck said that he had learnt nothing from the dressing station and fancied that he cannot have reached it.

The following year on 29th December 1917 the Visiter confirmed that Sec-Lieut Standring was with the King’s during their attack on Guillemont in July 1916. When the advance was made his company pushed forward and found themselves in the air and in consequence of those on each side having been held up by wire entanglements he was sent back with two runners by the officer in command for the purpose of inquiring whether they were to hold or retire. One of his men was killed immediately, as the whole area was swept by machine-gun fire and schrapnel. He himself was wounded and, taking shelter in a shell hole, he dispatched the second runner back for further instructions. The company eventually made it’s way back to the lines, but nothing was heard of Sec-Lieut Standring. It was assumed that he had made his way back to a dressing station. When the ground was retaken some days afterwards a search was made, but until the following letter was received no definite information reached his family.

Mr Robert Standring received the following letter from the War Office:

“Sir;- I am directed to inform you that it has been reported by the officer commanding a Graves Regulation Unit working in France, that the grave of Second-Lieut. W S Standring 12th Batt. East Lancashire Regiment, has been located about 2000 yards to the south of Guillemont.

This report, it will be seen, definitely confirms the conclusion to which the Army Council had already come as notified to you in the letter of 1st April 1917.

I am again to express their sympathy with you and to say that should you so so desire, the officers name can now be inserted in the official casualties lists. I am to ask you to be good enough to communicate your wishes in this respect.”

The East Lancashire’s Regimental History records that William Shuttleworth Standring was born in 1895, was the son of Robert and Alice Standring of 110 Windsor Road, Southport. He was commissioned as a Sec-Lieut. in the 12th East Lancashire Regiment on the 23rd May 1915. On his arrival in France he was sent to No. 30 Base Depot and then posted to the 17th Battalion, arriving with a draft of four other officers, on 27th July 1916, when the battalion was in bivouacs in Happy Valley, on the Somme. Only three days later, on the 30th July 1916, he died, during the Battle of Guillemont, whilst the 17th Battalion was in support of the 19th and 20th Battalions. During the attack on the village some objectives were taken, but other unsuccessful assaults left flanks exposed. Severe enfilading machine gun fire from the village of Guillemont and from Trones Wood made the objectives impossible. Sec-Lieut. Standring was slightly wounded at about 8am on his way to Battalion HQ and was treated at the local field ambulance. However, he must have been hit again, this time fatally, whilst trying to return to his company.

Second Lieutenant Thomas Cartmel Walker, Manchester Regiment, died aged 20 on 6th June 1915 at Gallipoli and is buried at Redoubt Cemetery, Helles. Son of Thomas and Mary Walker of 23 Gloucester Road, Birkdale.

The Southport Visiter reported on 17th June 1915 that the son of Mrs T A Walker of Wyborne Gate, Westcliffe Road was killed in action in the Dardanelles and that as recently as May 10th his brother Basil S Walker* had been killed in action near Ypres. Sec.-Lieut. Walker, who was 20 years of age in March 1915,was educated at Mostyn House, Parkgate and at Rugby, and had passed his entrance examination to King’s College. Cambridgehis entrance examination to King’s College. Cambridge.

*Note Second-Lieutenant Basil Scarisbrick Walker may be the S S Walker commemorated on the SRFC plaque, the initials possibly having been incorrectly inscribed. Sec.-Lieut. B S Walker served in 5th Battalion (Earl of Chester’s Territorial), Cheshire Regiment, died on 9th May 1915 and is buried at Divisional Cemetery, Dickebusch Road, Vlamertinghe, Belgium. Also commemorated on the Holy Trinity Church and Hesketh Golf Club Memorials.

A Southport player who survived, Walter Paton, is recorded as captaining a side during the war in the Seventh Brigade of the King’s Regiment, Liverpool.