Henry Darkes was born in Bewdley, Worcestershire, in the summer of 1877, the third child to parents Thomas and Jane Darkes, both of whom were also Bewdley born-and-bred. Whilst the name ‘Henry’ may have appeared on his birth certificate, it appears that from the very off, he was known to one-and-all simply as ‘Harry’ - so that’s the name we’ll use in his story.

At birth, Harry’s siblings were Edith who was eight years his senior, and big-brother Leonard, who was six years his senior. Harry’s dad was a casual labourer and as a young boy, Harry grew up in the family home at Court Number 1, Lax Lane, Bewdley.

When Harry was aged two, he became a big-brother himself, to twin sisters named Ann and Mary.

At the time of the 1891 Census, Harry’s family had moved – not very far granted, but more room for the growing brood was needed so they moved into number 40 Lax Lane. Whatever extra-space they’d gained from the move was taken-up pretty quickly; the family had grown again, with the arrival of another baby girl named Kate who was born in 1886, then another brother for Harry named Thomas who was born in 1887. Finally, Frederick came along in 1890.

At the time of the 1891 Census, Harry was 14 years of age and had found employment locally as an errand boy.

As Harry grew from boy to man he took up work as a painter; doubtless, some of the beautiful old buildings still found in Bewdley today would have once come under his brush at some stage in the past.

Perhaps keen for a greater challenge, or maybe spurred-on by a growing sense of duty having read newspaper reports of the war in Africa, Harry joined the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment.

Harry was by no means the first Bewdley man to make such a move; indeed, young men from all over the county of Worcestershire had been stepping-forward to defend their homeland since the first Volunteers of the Napoleonic era, either as cavalrymen or Infantrymen. In fact, the Bewdley Infantry had originally been commissioned in 1803 (being merged into the West Worcestershire Volunteer Battalion shortly afterwards).

In January 1900, Harry attested for service overseas and subsequently became part of a detachment that was sent to Africa to reinforce the 2nd Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment, which had suffered considerable losses during their actions at Slingersfontein.

Despite being massively outnumbered, the soldiers of Worcestershire had performed so valiantly in this action, that the elevated position they held so gallantly, was subsequently renamed ‘Worcester Hill’.

It appears that Harry joined up with his new Regiment in February 1900 and served with them for sixteen months, gaining promotion to Lance Corporal in the process. His duty-tour in Africa concluded in June 1901.

Records would suggest that Harry arrived back in Britain sometime during the winter months of 1901. As was normal practice for soldiers who’d left the service, he was designated as a Regular Reservist, attached to the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment (lessons had been learned during the South African War; it had become clear that the Regular Army was not capable of fighting a prolonged full-scale war without significant assistance from Regular and Militia Reserve forces).

In the next National Census (completed in 1911) Harry is confirmed as living with his parents in Lax Lane and it can be seen that he’d returned to his pre-service job as a painter. Aged 34, he was still fit and active and played football regularly for the local team ‘Bewdley Victoria’.

As soon as war was declared in 1914, Harry was quickly recalled to the Colours. He attested just a month later on the 8th of September – he wasn’t called immediately however, he remained in Bewdley, still working as a painter until mobilised in November. Later that month he joined-up with the 1st Battalion in the Neuve Chapelle and La Bassée area.

At the time Harry joined the regiment, it was part of the 24th Brigade, in the 8th Division.

It would appear that Harry’s experience in South Africa was duly recognised and he was appointed to his previously held rank almost at once - being made acting (unpaid) Lance Corporal on the 11th of December 1914.

Wounded at La Bassée

Harry was never far away from the front-line and almost inevitably, in early January 1915, he was wounded whilst fighting at La Bassée.

Around this time Harry’s battalion was still at Neuve Chapelle (near the hamlet of Petit Logis) and in a letter that he wrote home (which was subsequently published in the Kidderminster Shuttle, the newspaper most local to Bewdley) Harry tells the story of how a German sniper came so very close to ending his war:

“It made a parting in the middle I can tell you and struck the bone. Had it been a quarter of an inch lower I should not have been here to write this. I lay in the trenches all night after I was wounded, and it was awfully cold. The rain poured down in torrents and the bullets were flying round us; it was like hell itself. The enemy’s trenches were only about one hundred yards away from where we were. We had been in the trenches three days and nights, with the water up to our middle…the strain of fighting day after day, the guns, and the work in the trenches is very severe.”

Harry was transported to Boulogne and found room on the hospital ship ‘St. Patrick’. The one-time GWR cross-channel steamer had been converted for war-use and had 180 places for stretchers and 250 place for sitting wounded, she also had just 28 cots, so bed space would have been at a premium. With the type of injury that Harry was suffering (sepsis in a bullet wound to the head) it’s likely that he’d have been left on a stretcher and found space somewhere below deck.

Having safely crossed the channel on the St. Patrick, Harry was then transported up to London, where he was taken to the University College Hospital in Gower Street. He remained there, under treatment, for ten days – being sent for recuperative rest on the 23rd of January 1915.

While convalescing, Harry was promoted to full Lance Corporal (on the 26th of March 1915) and he returned to his unit around five weeks later. Just a week after his return to service, on the 10th of May 1915, he was promoted once again – to Corporal (albeit on an unpaid basis).

May ’15 to March ‘16

At around the time of this unpaid promotion, Harry would have taken part in the Battle of Aubers (also referred to as the Battle of Aubers Ridge). This was a British offensive launched in May 1915 as part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois (a Franco-British offensive intended to exploit a perceived weakening of the German line due to their redeployment of troops to the Eastern Front). The attack was an unmitigated disaster on the part of the British, with no ground gained, no tactical advantage won and extremely heavy losses suffered (more than ten times the number of German casualties).

Having survived that debacle, Harry would then have been involved in the action at Bois Grenier; a diversionary attack carried out to draw attention away from the main British offensive in the Battle of Loos (and the major French offensives in Artois and Champagne on the same day – the 25th of September 1915). This attack achieved its objective but once again, at a terrible human cost: 16 Officers were killed, 28 were wounded and 6 were missing, in addition, 157 Oher Ranks were killed, 770 were wounded and 356 were reported as missing.

Harry had done well to come-through these actions unscathed. 

In March 1916, Harry’s acting promotion was ratified and he was made a full (paid) Corporal – a couple of months later, he was granted home-leave and he returned to Bewdley to spend time with his sweetheart Fan Lancett and his family.

The Somme

Once back in France, Harry was fortunate insomuch that the 24th Brigade and his 1st Battalion Worcestershire, weren't directly involved in the Battle of the Somme's opening-day madness... 

On the 1st of July 1916, he was in billets nervously awaiting the order to move-out, whilst all the time, able to hear the distant sounds of the most thunderous barrage of the war so far. He would most probably also have seen casualties being brought back from the front in their droves and may even have heard some rumours of how the ill-fated ‘first day’ was developing into chaos.

Eventually, the order came - they were to be part of an attack to seize the German-held and heavily fortified village of Contalmaison some thirty miles northeast of Amiens.

Harry’s battalion progressed slowly through a maze of crowded trenches, some of which had only that morning been seized from the Germans who were now shelling them as a prelude to a potential counter. 

Harry’s ‘C’ Company was to be at the vanguard of the forthcoming attack, alongside their oppos’ from ‘B’ Company with both ‘A’ and ‘D’ companies in reserve. They awaited the signal to move forward in one of the recently captured, under fire trenches, which had been given the name ‘Shelter Alley’ – although how much shelter it actually provided is questionable…

To the right of Harry’s starting position, in the adjoining trench, were two battalions of 52nd brigade: the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers and the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers.

British High Command ordered the attack in at 01:30 hours on the morning of the 7th of July 1916. Not long after the whistle had blown, the Northumberland Fusilier’s advance was halted by withering German defensive fire. However, elements of the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers drove-on and reached the German held ‘Pearl Alley’ trench – some even reaching the village of Contalmaison itself.

Meanwhile, ‘B’ company of the 1st Worcestershire advanced to the trench junction with Pearl Alley just as dawn broke. It was at this time that the German counter-attack swarmed forward in an attempt to retake their lost trenches.

Along with remnants of the 10th Lancashire battalion, the Worcesters were drawn into a short but extremely brutal battle to hold their positions. It quickly became apparent that the village of Contalmaison wouldn’t be taken as quickly as was first thought…

Further attacks went in from the 9th Duke of Wellington’s and the 12th Manchesters, supported by the 1st Worcesters. Although some progress was made, German counterattacks forced them back, with the Worcesters providing rear-guard defensive cover with small arms and grenades, allowing the Duke of Wellington’s and Manchesters to get back to British lines with minimal further loss.

In the fog of war, the situation became somewhat confused.

British High Command then ordered the 24th Brigade to attack again, to the south of Contalmaison, resulting in Harry’s ‘C’ company, along with their fellow ‘B’ Company going-in from the Pearl Alley trench at 10:00 hours. Despite raking defensive fire from the German machine gunners, the Worcesters battled their way through to the outlying houses and following a brutal period of hand-to-hand fighting, secured a large section of the village in front of the fortified church.

Just before midday, Harry’s company joined up with their mates in ‘B’ company and began to consolidate their gains before the inevitable German counter-attack could come back at them. When the Germans did counter, further hand-to-hand fighting ensued.

Harry received a second head wound in this action and in a letter written to his brother sometime later, he describes the fighting at Contalmaison:

“I am contented to think I am out of the roar of the guns…you could fairly feel the ground rock beneath your feet and the poor devils who gave themselves up didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Some of our own men went mad through it, let alone the Germans.

“I am afraid we lost a lot of our battalion…we made two charges but retired as they had so many machine guns fixed in the old house and the church and nothing could live under it. We had the final at night. How we got there I don’t know. I heard the order to get over and that is all…I had just got over when I felt something sting across my forehead and felt the blood running down my face and I had to come out, but I was in time to hear the Allemand (sic) shouting ‘Kamerad’ as our chaps got to work with the bayonet…”

(This letter was also subsequently printed in the Kidderminster Shuttle.)

So, Harry was out of the fight for a second time due to wounds received in action. 

In this action, the 1st Worcestershire lost 5 Officers and 32 Other Ranks killed and had 8 Officers and 213 Other Ranks wounded (including Corporal 'Harry' Darkes). 

Harry was taken-back to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station at Bray-sur-Somme and then, by ambulance train, to hospital in Boulogne. Following treatment and recuperation, he rejoined ‘C’ Company on the 16th of September.

Just a month later, Harry was wounded for the third time when attacking a German position near Gueudecourt, on the Transloy Ridge. This time Harry was transported to the 48th Casualty Clearing Station at ‘Grovetown’ on the Somme before being hospitalised in Etaples.

Harry rejoined his battalion once again, on the 1st of December 1916.

It’s little wonder that by this stage, Harry’s general health appears to have been on the wane. In addition to the long-term effects from the numerous wounds he’d already suffered in battle, life in the cold, wet, mud-filled trenches was always going to be testing for a man in his early-forties.

In 1916, as a bitterly cold January turned into an extremely wet February, Harry began to suffer debilitating muscle pains which required hospital treatment; his mental state at this time - having been through what he had - can only be guessed at. 

Meanwhile, the war dragged on... 

The 1st Battalion Worcestershire was in action in-and-around the villages of Moislains and Haut Allaines in the Somme Valley, an area dominated by the German positions dug-in on its western ridge.

On the 4th of March 1917 the British stormed these positions. The 1st Worcestershire (with Harry back in the fold) was at the vanguard of the attack, flanked on their left by the 2nd Northamptonshire and to their right by the 2nd Royal Berkshire. The German front line was overrun, and the 1st Worcestershire achieved their primary objective relatively cheaply – furthermore, they also seized their second objective, the ‘Fritz’ trench. With their tails-up, the battalion advanced even further and also managed to take the third German defensive line.

However, knowing the German capacity for lightening counterattack, and realising their vulnerability in such an advanced position, the Worcesters fell-back to the Fritz trench, and made ready for the inevitable German counter-thrust.

Before it came, the Germans laid-down a terrific artillery barrage. This was followed by a swarm of German infantry, all of whom fought desperately to retake their lost positions, using small-arms, bayonet and hand grenades. Despite the ferocity of the German counterattack, the 1st Worcestershire managed to keep the enemy at bay thanks to expert use of the Lee Enfield .303 and murderous Lewis Gun fire.

Having blunted the German thrust, the 1st Worcestershire was then relieved by the 2nd West Yorkshire, before withdrawing to positions in the rear.

The counterattacking German infantry had been fearsome in their approach, however, the vast majority of casualties suffered by the 1st Worcestershire in that action were from German shell fire. Six Officers and 44 Other Ranks were killed, and Corporal Harry Darkes was amongst the 4 Officers and 358 Other Ranks that were recorded as being wounded.

The regimental diary notes that the day after the attack, there was a heavy snowstorm…

Harry died of his wounds in the 48th Casualty Clearing Station at Bray-sur-Somme on the 8th of March 1917. He was aged 42. He was buried in the cemetery next to the hutted Casualty Clearing Station - which today is known as the Bray Military Cemetery.

The land was first used as a cemetery in April 1916 by fighting units and field ambulances.

In September 1916, the front-line having been pushed further east, it was used by the XIV Corps Main Dressing Station and in 1917, the 5th, 38th and 48th Casualty Clearing Stations came forward and used it. This is when Harry Darkes was interred.

In March 1918, both the village of Bray and the cemetery fell into German hands, but were retaken by the 40th Australian Battalion on the 24th of August; as a result, in the following few days, the cemetery was used again.

Following the Armistice, graves were brought in from the battlefields immediately north and south of the village and in 1924, further isolated graves were also brought in.

Bray Military Cemetery now contains 874 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 127 of which are unidentified.

27 of the identified casualties interred at this cemetery served with the Worcestershire Regiment - along with Harry, seven of them in the 1st Battalion; Harry would have known them all well and would have considered them pals. 

Following Harry’s passing, his personal effects were sent to his fiancé Fan Lancett.

Fan (short for Fanny) was a Bewdley girl herself; she lived just a few doors down from Harry in Lax Lane.

Harry’s Boer War service is recorded on the Bewdley Boer War memorial in the Town Council chambers.

His name also appears on the Bewdley War Memorial located on the east wall of St Anne's Church, facing down Load Street, towards the bridge. The Memorial lists the names of all the men of the town who died in the Great War of 1914-1918. 

On the anniversary of Harry’s death in 1918, his family published a poem in the Kidderminster Shuttle:

“One of the best that God could lend ~ A loving brother and faithful friend ~ We miss him and mourn him in silence unseen ~ And dwell on the memories of days that have been ~ Sleep on, dear brother, in your distant grave ~ Your life for your country you nobly gave ~ No friends were near you to say good-bye ~ But in God’s keeping now you lie.”

"Silently mourned by his mother, sisters and brothers".

Another memorial-notice in the same newspaper read:

"Lovingly remembered by Fan"

Rest In Peace Henry 'Harry' Darkes ~ Your bravery will never be forgotten ~ Your sacrifice will be remembered For Evermore.

Acknowledgements:  The Great War Forum; especially the extremely knowledgeable Dr. Simon Fielding whose earlier research and writing underpinned this story.