11th July 1916, Frederick Shaw, aged 22, Kings Liverpool regt

[Flyingswan]

Hi, could anyone tell me how I can find the platoon and section my great uncle served in?
I know he was a Lance corporal in the 20th (service) battalion Kings Liverpool Regiment (4th pals). His service number was 23828.
I know he died of wounds on 11th July 1916 at no5 hospital which was set up on the racecourse in Rouen and is buried in St. Sever cemetery just next to it. I know his regiment were involved in fighting for Trones Wood in the early hours of 11th July but I'm not sure if he was wounded here or earlier and succumbed at a later date.
I'm trying to find as much about him as I can and would appreciate any help anyone could give.

[MaxD]

I'm afraid the specific information you are looking for is to all intents and purposes impossible.  A man's company and platoon are almost without exception not found on his service record and his record anyway has not survived the WW2 bombing that destroyed 60% or so of WW1 records.
The war diary for the battalion also, as was normal, names none of the rank and file that became casualties.

Given the distance of about 100 miles between Trones Wood and the hospitals in Rouen, it is highly likely that he was wounded some time before the 11 July.  The battalion sustained 75 casualties on 1 July, 30 on 2 July and was heavily shelled on 3 July, sustaining about 75 wounded during the day.  There were some 53 casualties between then and the 16th.  I would suggest that the action in the first days of  July is most likely the place/time that he was wounded and the location(s) can be established.

Do you have access to the war diary on Ancestry?  The May to August period can be downloaded for £3.50 from the National Archives: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14054580

MaxD

PS  The Liverpool Museum may have material on 4th Pals.  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liverpool-Pals-Service-Battalions-Regiment/dp/1844156419 may help in  general.  I couldn't find any 4th Pals web site.

[MaxD]

The war diary for June 1916 has a copy of the battalion Op Order and a clear sketch map of the start positions for 20 Bn's part in the first days of the Battle of the Somme.  Too big to attach, I have sent a PM.

The sketch can easily be related to the map/image at
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=49.9908&lon=2.7958&layers=101465287&right=BingHyb
The battalion's sector ran from Machine Gun Wood on their left to just short of the part wooded track in square A 16.

The attack on 1 July, in a northerly direction, runs on to the next map sheet to the north.  The enemy trenches gained were as far as the Briquetiere, best seen on this combined sheet:
http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A79558/-/collection  There were even a couple of patrols to Bernafay Wood which was not held in strength to take prisoners.

The war diary is commendably clear on the preparation for and the execution of the first 4 days of July (they were relieved on the evening of the 4th).

MaxD