Henry Harper

Biography

• Henry Harper (Private 51574) was killed in action on the same day as two of his cousins, just two months before the end of WWI.
  
  Extract from War Diary for the 1st Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment on 10th September 1918:
  
  Objective: LOWLAND & CAVALRY TRENCHES from W18b34 to W12a00. Barrage to commence at 4am.
  Dispositions: B company on the right, C company in the centre, D company on left.
  Situation: Very heavy rain through the night. Time for barrage altered.
  5.15am : Barrage. Owing to bad weather company was unable to get into position in time.
  8.45am : Situation not coherent.
  9.00am : The company owing to the darkness were unable to get into the exact positions indicated to them and had concentrated more to the left when forming up for the attack this morning. They were also unable to start at zero (5.15am), the right company started 5:30am. From verbal reports received it is evident that the attack went in a northerly direction, rather than a N.E. one. The enemy had apparently anticipated a further attack on his position and was fully prepared to meet it. The right company met with very heavy machine gun fire from its right flank and as they had lost the barrage had to withdraw. From further verbal reports it appears that the left company went too much to its left and the enemy counter attacked and apparently captured about 20 of them.
  Casualties:
  KILLED: LT C SPRAGG & 5 other ranks
  WOUNDED: 2/LT H P SPENCER and 2/LT F MONKMAN and 36 other ranks
  MISSING: LT K E BLACK, LT H SOOBY, 2/LT RIDEOUT, 2/LT J WALKER and 138 other ranks
  Situation: Warning received during this afternoon re possible relief in the evening, after cancelled, & message received that there would be no relief but this battalion would withdraw later.
  
  The action took place in an area between Gouzeaucourt to the north, and Épehy to the south. On a Google image of the same location today you can still see the faint trace of where the Cavalry Support Trench (where B company where supposed to have been positioned) came close to the Cavalry Trench (B company's objective, a mere 100 meters away over no man's land.)