PHILLIPS Harry

Awarded Military Medal.

Harry Phillips date of death is recorded as 24th January 1918 on Soldiers Died in the Great War. The April date is undoubtedly the correct one as this is the one given in the regimental history and was the date of the action at Villers-Brettoneux when the battalion lost 138 O.R. casualties in 5 days of fighting.

1911 census shows him as aged 15, born 1896, a farm labourer.

His Family per 1911 Census, at Naunton Green:-
Father. George Phillips. Age 43, Born 1868 Kempsey. Cowman on farm.
Married 19 years.
Mother. Ellen Phillips. Age 39. Born 1872. Peopleton.
Brother. John Phillips. Age 17. Born 1894 Severn Stoke. Farm Labourer.
Brother. Albert Phillips.Age 12. Born 1899 Severn Stoke. At School
Sister. Lillian Phillips. Age 9. Born 1902. Severn Stoke. At School
Sister. Ada Phillips. Age 7. Born 190. Severn Stoke. At School
Sister. Violet Phillips. Age 2. Born 1909. Severn Stoke.

He first entered a theatre of war at Gallipoli on 19th September 1915, serving with 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment. Wounded and hospitalised in late 1917.

He was awarded a Military Medal, 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The award of the Military Medal is shown in the Supplement to the London Gazette dated 5th January 1917. This Gazette covers the period of the Somme battles, Aug-Nov. 1916. Mainly for operations in October 1916 at the Transloy Ridges and on the Ancre. Dates range from 21/8/16 to 21/10/16.

He was killed in action near Villers-Brettoneux, France, during the German 1918 Spring Offensives. In this action the first tank versus tank encouter took place. The Battalion suffered 138 Other Rank casualties between 23/4/18 and 28/4/18.

Upton News, 25th May 1918:
Pte. Harry Phillips, M.M. (second son of Mr George Phillips, of Severn Stoke), of the Worcestershire Regt., is officially reported killed in action on April 24th 1918. He originally enlisted in the 4th Battalion in May, 1915, and was sent with them to the Dardanelles, where he remained four months. He was withdrawn from there and sent to France with the same Battalion, where he had the good fortune to gain the Military Medal for great daring and bravery. Later he had the misfortune to get wounded very badly in the foot, and was sent in October back to a hospital in Yorkshire, whence he was discharged in January. He was Transferred to another Battalion, which went for a few weeks to Ireland, and then to France in April. He was 23 years of age, and was very highly respected in this parish.. At the Parish Church, Severn Stoke, on Sunday, the Rector (the Rev. Canon Coventry) made special references to the deceased’s excellent qualities and expressed the parochial sense of loss and of sympathy with his family.

Two different photographs of Private H. Phillips of Severn Stoke can be found in Berrow’s Worcester Journal Supplement, Saturday 27th January 1917 and Saturday 25th May 1918, available at Worcestershire Archives.

Harry Phillips has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Pozieres Memorial.