Ringer at St Cuthbert, Darlington. Served in the 18th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. Died aged 25 on 16 December 1914 in the Hartlepool Bombardment. Buried in Darlington West Cemetery.
Corporal Liddle’s entry on the Central Council Roll of Honour, held at St Paul’s Cathedral
Corporal Liddle, the son of James and Frances Liddle, was born in Darlington and had worked as a clerk in an accountant’s office before joining the war effort. He married Clara Main, the daughter of an engineer, on 27 April 1914 at Holy Trinity Church in Darlington and the young couple moved to Sylvan Grove in the town.
Alix Liddle
Corporal Liddle was one of Britain’s first casualties of the First World War, and the first soldier to be killed on British soil for nearly two centuries. He was killed by one of the first shells fired during the Hartlepool Bombardment, a German naval attack on the seaside towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914. In total, the bombardment resulted in over 120 fatalities and almost 600 casualties, many of whom were civilians. The raid had a huge impact upon British public opinion at the time and was depicted in propaganda to encourage men to enlist and defend their country.
You can read more about Corporal Liddle’s life in this illuminating article by the Northern Echo, which includes excerpts from his private correspondence as well as his entry on the database North East at War. Corporal Liddle’s record on the Commonweath War Graves Commission can be viewed here.
CWGC’s commemoration of Private Liddle
More information about the Hartlepool Bombardment can be found in Paul Chrystal and Simon Crossley’s Hartlepool Through Time (Amberley Publishing Limited, 2013). A preview is available to read here.
Ringing has been arranged to commemorate the life of Corporal Liddle along with all those who died in the Hartlepool Bombardment.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Ringing to Remember 
Excellent article Ellen – the private correspondence was particularly interesting.
Just for information – I have now checked and where necessary updated the information on all the D&N casualties on the Central Council Roll of Honour web-site. I have for several years been helping Alan Regin by researching WW1 dead who were also ringers, or in some cases thought to be ringers and needing verification. I decided recently that having researched ringers from many other associations I should really do those who were members of my own association. All D&N casualties now have an age at death and a next of kin, although in doing my research I have also found much more on many of them. Some of the D&N members will appear in the latest list to be sent to the Ringing World.
I have also sent information detailing the events leading up to the death of George Hindmarsh Johnson, an Allendale ringer, to a gentleman who has researched all the Allendale War Dead (not just ringers) and he has updated that site. The story of G. H. Johnson is quite an interesting one and will doubtless appear on this site, maybe nearer the anniversary of his death.
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