ABBOTT Harry

The birth of Harry Abbotts is registered in the June Quarter 1896 under the Bromyard Registration District. His entry into Bockleton School on the 8th July 1901 records his name as Harry Abbotts. However all military documents including pension records, medal index card, soldiers effects and the CWGC database all record his surname as Abbott and his date of death as 25th September 1915. The year of death given in the following entry is therefore incorrect.

De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour:
ABBOTTS, HARRY, Private No 16814, 5th Battn. Shropshire L.I., s. of David Abbotts, of Brierley Hill, co. Stafford, and Hampton Charles, co. Hereford, by his wife, Jane (d. 19 May 1912), dau. of Richard Bedford, of Bromyard, co. Hereford; b. Hampton Charles, 4 May, 1896; educ. Bockleton National School; enlisted 3 Feb. 1914; was sent to the Front at his own repeated request, and died of wounds received in a bayonet charge at the Battle of Loos, 25 Sept. 1914. After being wounded he was removed to the trench occupied by the Durhams, where he died. Corpl. R. J. Smith wrote: “At 3 a.m. on 25 Sept. the big guns started to clear the way for the R.B.’s, O. and C.’s, Bucks and Shropshires to get over the parapet…all too eager they went before it was intended, and the R.B.’s fell to a man, principally owing to a mine being exploded. Five only crawled back. The O. and C.’s and Bucks in the middle found no support for them, but still went on with the Shropshires on the right, and gained their goal, ‘but owing to the heavy losses and no supports being forthcoming’ the ground gained had to be left again, and most of the casualties of the Shropshires happened then. Your brother managed to get back to our lines, and everything possible was done for him and others, but this was not much in the trenches in the daytime. He died at 8.30 a.m. 26 Sept. in the traverse I was in charge of.”

Harry Abbott has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial, surname spelt Abbott.