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Edwin George Massey was a member of the Marlborough Old Boys football team that won the I Zingari league Challenge Cup in 1914. Here are photographs of his gold medal.  George was born at West Kirby Wirral in 1891, his father Thomas Massey owned a company in Liverpool, Martindales, making boot polish, grate blacking and ink. George had a younger brother Thomas Philp Massey (Philp being a family name) usually called Phil both educated at Calday Grange Grammar School. There is no indication that George ever attended Marlborough in Liverpool. It seems likely he connected with the Marlborough Old Boys team either during his 6 year apprenticeship with Brown & Rawcliffe, a firm of Lithographers in Liverpool, or his four years serving in the Territorial Army with the Liverpool Scottish. On the 14th September 1914 both George and Phil joined the army. George as Private 17655 in the 1st/5th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment, a regular army unit due to his 4 years service with the Territorials. Phil was enlisted in the 19th (Service) Battalion (City Pals) King’s Liverpool Regiment, as Private 21705. On the 3rd of March 1915 George was transferred to the same regiment as his brother. They served right through the war, including at the Battle of Passchendaele, until on the 31st August 1918 when, during the “Hundred Days” allied advance to Victory, they were both killed on the same day near Ecoust, France. Their father Thomas Massey was living at Linden House, 53 St Helen’s Road, Ormskirk, when he received news of his son's deaths. Details were hard to come by officially so he placed an advertisement in the Liverpool Echo asking if anyone had information as to what actually happened to them. He had two replies from men who had been with the brothers on the day they died which, although not exactly the same, gave a good indication of the circumstances. The brothers unit was ordered to take the village of Ecoust which was easily achieved but pressing on they ran into enemy machine guns. Phil’s platoon had many new arrivals who had not seen action before and Phil as their platoon Sergeant directing them to find cover until he was shot. George meanwhile was in a group of men who went around to the left of the village and later that day he asked a soldier called Woods, who was a friend of both brothers, what had happened to Phil. He was told his brother had just been wounded as Woods believed George had suffered enough for one day. In his letter to George’s father however Woods said " I marvelled at Phil, bravest of the brave, standing on top ordering them here and there to get cover until he fell with a bullet through his back. I was pretty close at the time and as far as I could see he was killed instantly” The official records say both brothers died on the 31st August 1918, near Ecoust, France. George is buried in the Queant Road British Cemetery, Buissy, France and Phil in the Ecoust-Saint-Mein British Cemetery, Ecoust-Saint-Mein, France. |
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Edwin George Massey  Thomas Philp Massey  |
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Photograph from 1910, probably posed, showing a boot black with his foot stand advertising 'Martindales Oil Blacking'
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Thanks
to the family
of
Edwin George Massey,
particularly Allison Trimble, for assistance in
producing this page.  |
