Name
Harry Woodwards
1881
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LEVERSTOCK GREEN (HOLY TRINITY) CHURCHYARD, HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, Leverstock Green Village Memorial, Leverstock Green Village School Memorial
Pre War
Harry Woodwards was born on 11 December 1880 in Leverstock Green, Herts, the son of James and Hannah Woodwards and baptised there on 13 March 1881. He was one of eight children.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at The Briars, Leverstock Green where his father was working as an agricultural labourer. They remained there in 1891 when Harry was a scholar at the Leverstock Green National School.
When he left school Harry initially worked as an agricultural labourer but by 1901 he had left the family home and joined the army (see wartime service), although his parents and two siblings were still living at Leverstock Green.
On completion of his 3 years as a serving soldier, but whilst in the reserve, he started work in North London as an attendant at an Asylum for the Insane. He married Catherine Annie Fensome in October 1909 in Bedford and on the 1911 Census they were living at 2 Brunswick Crescent, New Southgate, London and he was working as an 'An Attendant on the Insane' at Colney Heath Asylum.
Wartime Service
He had joined the army on 17 July 1900 at the age of 19, for 3 years with the colours and 9 years in Reserve and served as Private 9003, 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards. He was re-engaged at the start of the war and served in France from 11 November 1914 after a short period of retraining.
He joined the Battalion at Fleurbaix, near Armentieres, France on 19 November, one of a draft of 100 men. He reported sick at Rouen on 24 December 1914 complaining of piles and was admitted to Hospital on 4 January 1915 when he was found to be suffering from Brights Disease (chronic nephritis). He was invalided home and discharged as no longer physically fit for war service on 2 April 1915.
He resumed his occupation as an asylum assistant at the London County Asylum, however, the illness returned and he subsequently died on 13 July 1916 in Barnet, aged 35. He was given a funeral with full military honours at Leverstock Green and buried in Holy Trinity Churchyard, Leverstock Green.
Additional Information
Not in the CWGC records as discharged in 1915. His widow Catherine received a war gratuity of £5 and a pension of 13s 9d a week from 4 April 1917. His brothers-in-law George De Beger and Frederick Fensome and cousin Benjamin Oakley were also killed in the war
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, google.com/site/leverstockgreenwarmemorial, www.hemelatwar.org., www.dacorumheritage.org.uk., www.hemelheroes..com.
