Henry Harris

Serjeant Henry Harris, MM – South Wales Borderers, 12^th Battalion

Early Life

David Harris and Esther Jones
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church

Another soldier buried at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett, who died in service before being brought home for burial, was Henry Harris. He was born in 1881 in Swansea, the son of David Harris and Esther Jones, who had married in 1864 at St. Mary’s Church.

1881 Census

At the time of the 1881 Census, the Harris family was living at 34 Mysydd Street, Swansea. David, 45, was employed as a mariner, while Esther, 38, managed the household. Their children included David J., 15; Esther, 14; Philip J., 12; Mary Jane, 10; and James, 7, all attending school. Younger children were William G., 2, and Henry, just one month old. Also in the household was John Y. Jones, a 34-year-old labourer and lodger.

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, the family was still at 34 Mysydd Street. David, now 55, worked as a ship rigger, while Esther, 48, was still at home. Their children included David J., 25, a bookmaker; Esther, 24, a dressmaker; Philip J., 22, a blacksmith’s striker; Mary Jane, 20, a tailoress; James, 18, an apprentice painter; William G., 12; Henry, 10; and Arthur, 8, all three still at school. Esther’s widowed mother, Mary Jones, 57, was also living with them.

1901 Census

Esther is widowed by the 1901 Census, she was still at 34 Mysydd Street, aged 58, with her younger children George (William G.), 22, working as a haulier; Henry, 20, a painter; and Arthur, 18, a plaster labourer. Also, present was a boarder, Henry Rondall, 21, employed at the shipyard.

Henry Harris and Elizabeth Jane Jones
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church

In 1907, Henry married Elizabeth Jane Jones at St. Mary’s Church, Swansea.

  

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the couple were living at 34 Plymouth Street, Swansea. Henry, 30, was employed as a carter, while Elizabeth Jane was 28.

Military Service

During the First World War, Henry enlisted in the South Wales Borderers, serving with the 12th Battalion, where he rose to the rank of Serjeant.

The 12th Battalion, South Wales Borderers

The 12th Battalion was formed in March 1915 in Newport as part of Kitchener’s Army. It became part of 119th Brigade, 40th Division, which saw action on the Western Front, including the Somme (1916), Cambrai (1917), and the German Spring Offensive (1918).

The battalion endured heavy fighting and suffered significant casualties throughout its campaigns. As a Serjeant and a recipient of the Military Medal, Henry would have been at the forefront of these actions, trusted with leadership and setting an example to the men he commanded.

Death at Newcastle War Hospital

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

According to the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, Henry Harris died on 21^st June 1918, aged 37, at the War Hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

Newcastle War Hospital

Newcastle War Hospital was one of a network of military hospitals established across Britain during the First World War. Located in Staffordshire, it was designed to receive men invalided from the Western Front, as well as those who fell ill during training and home service. Like other war hospitals, it was supported by Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurses, local doctors, and military medical staff.

Patients treated there ranged from those suffering from battle wounds and gas poisoning to men with infectious diseases or long-term illnesses brought on by poor conditions at the front. For many, like Henry, the hospital represented the final stage of their war service.

Burial and Legacy

Henry Harris
St. Peters church
credit - findagrave

Following his death, Henry’s body was returned to Swansea for burial at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett, ensuring that he was laid to rest close to his family and community.

Although he did not fall on the battlefield, Henry Harris’s service with the South Wales Borderers and his death in uniform place him among Swansea’s wartime dead. His story reflects the experiences of many men whose sacrifice came not in France or Flanders, but in the hospitals of Britain. His grave at St. Peter’s remains a reminder of the breadth of sacrifice endured during the Great War.