Name
Martin James Izzard
1895
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
02/08/1917
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
265681
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HARLEBEKE NEW BRITISH CEMETERY
XII. C. 16.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
ALWAYS LOVINGLY REMEMBERED BY HIS FATHER, MOTHER AND SISTER
UK & Other Memorials
Letchworth Town Memorial, Church of St Nicholas Memorial, Norton, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford
Pre War
Martin James Izzard was born in Kingston-Thames in 1895 to James Peak Izzard, bookbinder, and Amy Rachel (nee Summers).
On the 1901 Census the family of parents, Winifred Amy (born 1892) and Martin were living at 92, High Road, Lee, Lewisham.
On the 1911 Census the family of Parents, Winifred (teacher) and Martin (joiner for builder) had moved to 12, Glebe Road, Letchworth. Martin was employed by Openshaw and Co.
Wartime Service
No Service Record was found. Martin enlisted as Private 2813 at Hertford (probably early Sep 1914). He would have volunteered for Overseas Service and following his training went to France on 21 Jan 1915 to the Regiment at Ypres. In 1915 the Hertfordshire, as part of 6 Brigade 2nd Division took part in the Battles of Festubert (15-25 May) and Loos (25 Sep-8 Oct). On 29 Feb 1916 the Regiment became a part of 118 Brigade 39th Division, and took part in the Battles of the Somme at Thiepval (26-28 Sep), Ancre Heights (1 Oct-11 Nov), and Ancre (13- 18 Nov).
In 1917 the Regiment had moved to the Ypres area to take part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) at the Battle of Pilkem Ridge (31 Jul 1917). They left their positions at St Julien on the Steenbeck advancing toward the German position but came across wire that had not been cut in the bombardment and so came under heavy machine gun and rifle fire from the enemy. Martin was taken as a wounded prisoner of war on 31 Jul 1917 in this action. He died of his wounds (Gun Shot Wound to lungs) on 2 Aug 1917 in Iseghem and was interred in Iseghem Communal Cemetery.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £13 10s and arrears of £3 6s 2d was paid to his father.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Dan Hill, Ellen Barnes, Jonty Wild
