201104 PRIVATE HARRY MOWER
8TH (SERVICE) BATTALION SUFFOLK REGIMENT
KILLED IN ACTION
12TH OCTOBER 1917
AGE 24 YEARS
Harry Arthur Mower was born in the nearby village of Huntingfield during the third quarter of 1893. He and his younger sister Rosa had, from their birth experienced a very unhappy childhood. Their father, Arthur Mower, had enlisted in one of the British Army’s premier regiments, the Grenadier Guards, at the age of twenty-two in June 1886, but after two years of service he had been medically discharged, when he was found to be suffering from chronic pleurisy. He then returned to his family home in Huntingfield, where he resumed his previous occupation as a farm labourer. During the first quarter of 1893 Arthur married Laura Leech who hailed from Wangford, another of the local villages close to Halesworth. Within a short time of their marriage Harry was born, during the same year. In 1895 it appears that Arthur and Laura had settled in Blyford for it was here that their second child, Rosa, was born in the early months of that year. Almost exactly two years later Arthur died at the age of thirty-one years. After her husband’s death it appears that Laura abandoned her children as, within six months, she married a Herbert Stammers, with Harry and Rosa now in the care of the Guardians of the Blything Union who then found them homes. The census for 1901 lists Harry living with Charles Bailey and his wife Priscilla at 31 Wissett Road, Halesworth with Rosa described as a pauper child living with a family in Peasenhall. By the time of the next census in 1911 Harry remained living with the Baileys. Having left school, he had found work in one of the towns’ grocer’s shops, while Rosa remained in Peasenhall training to be a dressmaker. Very little information is available regarding Harry’s life leading up to and immediately after the start of the Great War, but it appears that he travelled to Ipswich at some time in the later months of 1915 to enlist in the army, perhaps he had volunteered prior to conscription, which was due to commence in January 1916.
His original regimental number of 3627 shows he had joined the local Territorial 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. After training he would have eventually crossed to France. On his arrival he would have served with the 4th Suffolks for some time, as from 1st March 1917 all soldiers serving under the old Territorial four-digit numbering system were issued with a new six figure number, Harry receiving his new regimental number of 201104, which fell within the block of numbers issued to the 4th Suffolks. At some time after this, possibly recovering from wounds or sickness, he may have been sent on his return to one of the Infantry Base Depots located on the French coast. He would then have been despatched to join the 8th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, possibly as a casualty replacement. His new battalion had been raised to serve in one of Lord Kitchener’s new armies, first formed at Bury St Edmunds in September 1914. After training they eventually joined the field army serving in France from July 1915.
As with several others of the Halesworth war dead, much information is speculative as, with no copies of official enlistment papers having survived the London Blitz, and with very minimal amounts of detail to be found on those records that do remain, it is almost impossible to be totally accurate regarding their service. Another source that can fill in some of the details of a particular soldier’s service is the Halesworth Times newspaper when it reports the loss of some of the residents by their loved ones. Regrettably there is no mention of Harry at all.
The only detail that can be confirmed is the day of Harry’s death: 12th October 1917. Information taken from the 8th Suffolk’s official war diaries and the regimental history published in 1928, shows that, during the days leading up to that fateful day, the battalion had been out of the line, involved in training at all levels. During the previous day, 11th October, their Commanding Officer received instructions for the battalion to prepare to support an attack on the German line in the area of the Langemarck-Poelcapple road. With some distance to cover, the battalion set off in driving rain. As they began to get closer to the start line, the German artillery, sensing something was happening, laid down a heavy artillery barrage that included many gas shells. This then compounded their suffering as, now wet to the skin from the rain, they then had to complete their march wearing the dreaded gas masks. On their arrival at their allotted positions the 8th Suffolks entered the support line trenches. Here they found that the entire trench system was flooded. They had to stand for the rest of the night with water up to their waist. At 5.25am the main attack was launched by units of their sister 55th Brigade of the 18th (Eastern) Division. Shortly after the 8th Suffolks left the support line to follow up the advance. As they moved forward, they came across wounded men from the leading battalions who, having become injured, had fallen into water-filled shell holes and drowned. As the attack continued, with those in the leading wave having suffered grievous casualties, the assault was called off, those uninjured or suffering minor wounds making their way back to the safety of the British line where, after calling the roll, it was found that the 8th Suffolks had lost in excess of fifty men confirmed dead with an unknown number of all ranks wounded or missing. In time Harry’s remains were found. He was laid to rest in Poelcappelle British cemetery, Flanders, Belgium where he remains to this day.
As previously mentioned, it had proved difficult to trace both Harry’s military service and the details of his early life and connection to Halesworth. The one piece of information that proved to be the key to the puzzle of who he was, where he had originated from and why was he listed on the town’s war memorial then became clear. On the Army’s Register of Soldiers’ Effects, Harry had named a sister, Rosa, as the sole benefactor of any monies owing in the event of his death. A copy of Rosa’s birth certificate from the National Archives named both her and Harry’s parents. The sad story of their early life became apparent. By the end of the Great War their father had been dead for over twenty years and their mother Laura had started a new life within months of her husband’s death. This included abandoning her children. The mystery of Harry’s life and loss is now solved. One of his previous guardians, either Mr or Mrs Bailey, put his name forward to be included on the Halesworth War Memorial.
On 3rd August 1919 Rosa received the final of two gratuities paid in her brother’s name. These totalled £21.19s.6d (£21.96p). She would also have been entitled to claim his medal entitlement of the British War and Victory medal pair, with his named Memorial Plaque and Scroll. His copy medal index card shows that no application had been made in the early 1920s when millions of these were being issued, but in 1939 a note on the card shows that Rosa had made a belated claim.
The location of these is unknown.
This is a copy of one of the types of
certificates that accompanied the bronze
memorial Plaque presented to the
families of those who gave their lives.