Lives of the First World War

1881 - 1916

Researched by Penny Worth, Keymer, Sussex. See my blog for more details and photos. www.keymerclaytonwarmemorials.wordpress.com Henry was born in 1881 in Clayton to William and Catherine Russell. Henry’s father was an agricultural labourer. In the 1891 census the family lived in Bonchurch Road Keymer. Henry had an older brother John. By 1901 Henry aged 20 was living in London and working as a servant. A decade later in the 1911 census he was a hall porter at a club and lived with his widowed mother in Totland Road, Brighton. Henry enlisted in Brighton and was posted to the Kings (Liverpool Regiment). The 13th (Service) Battalion was formed at Seaforth in September 1914. Henry would have gone through months of training before he left for France. His Regiment landed in Le Havre on 27th September 1915and after several re-arrangements became part of the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division on 4th April 1916. The Battle of the Somme began on 1st July 1916 and lasted until 18th November. The British planned a decisive breakthrough and to attack along a 15 mile front. A preliminary bombardment lasting 7 days was supposed to destroy the German defences but they were barely touched in places. The preparations and build up gave the Germans plenty of warning and when the troops went over the top at 7.30 that morning of 1st July they were mown down. Losses were catastrophic. By the end of the day the British had suffered approximately 60,000 casualties, of whom 20,000 were dead, their largest single loss (although figures do vary). Sixty per cent of all officers involved on the first day were killed. Only minimal advances had been made on the southern flank and that initial attack was a disastrous failure. The initial engagement was designated the Battle of Albert. In the ensuing weeks massive resources were thrown into the effort, both manpower and equipment. German resistance was tenacious and strong and led to continual attacks and counter attacks and fighting for every single village, wood and farm. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Where the British had advanced at Mametz and Montauban, the second position ran along the Bazentin Ridge on which lay the villages of Bazentin le Petit, Bazentin le Grand and Longueval. Adjacent to Longueval was Delville Wood. These villages became the objectives for the renewed British offensive. In the centre things did not go well for the 3rd Division attacking from Montauban towards Bazentin le Grand. The German wire was uncut and the defenders alert. The German defensive barrage laid down in no man’s land missed the assaulting battalions but caught the supporting waves. (Wikipedia) Henry was killed on 14th July 1916 aged 35, the first day of that battle. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to those who died on the Somme battlefields but who have no known grave. (See also Albert Wooller and Osborne Simmonds). Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial.

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