Name
Harry James Bentley
27 August 1881
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
22/11/1916
35
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Leading Stoker
298302
Royal Navy
H.M. Submarine E30
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Navy Star, British War Medal and Victory medals
Mentioned in Despatches
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
16
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Stanstead Abbotts Village Memorial, Barkway Village Memorial, St Mary Magdalene Church Memorial, Barkway, Nuthampstead Plaque, St Mary Magdalene Church, Barkway
Pre War
Harry James Bentley was born on 27 August 1881 in Nuthampstead, Nr Barkway, Royston, Herts, the son of Ralph and Rebecca Bentley, and one of twelve children, although one died in infancy. He was baptised on 14 May 1882 at Barkway.
On the 1891 Census the family were living in High Street, Barkway where his father was working as an agricultural labourer. They remained there in 1901 at which time Ralph was working as a labourer on a farm.
He joined the Royal Navy on 31 August 1901 for a period of 12 years serving as a Stoker, which was then extended on 16 June 1913.
He married Ellen Ives in 1908 in Weymouth and lived at 44 Landguard Road, Eastney, Portsmouth. They had three children, Eva, Dorothy and Henry and Ellen's daughter Ethel was adopted as his own. In 1911 with Harry probably away at sea, the Census recorded Ellen living with daughters Eva, Dorothy and Ethel at 37 Lavinia Road, Gosport, Hants. Her sister in law, 23 year old Ellen Bentley, was staying with her.
His parents later lived at 26 South Street, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts.
Wartime Service
Harry was already serving with the Royal Navy as a Stoker at the outbreak of war and was promoted to Leading Stoker in May 1915. He served on board HM submarine E30 (HMS Maidstone) from 6 September 1916 and had been mentioned in despatches. He was killed in action on 22 November 1916 when E30 is thought to have hit a mine in the North Sea off Orford Ness, Suffolk.
There were no survivors from the crew of 30. His body was not recovered for burial and his name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire.
Additional Information
His widow received a pension of £1 10s a week for herself and her four children, later increased to £1 14s a week.
Brother to Ralph Bentley who served with the Bedfordshire Regiment and was killed in action in France on 15 January 1915. Two other brothers also served in the war.
(N.B. Harry's name was registered at birth and on christening records on as James Harry Bentley but on all other records was known as Harry James)
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Paul Johnson, Adrian Pitts, Terry Collins, Terry Collins
