HARRY WALTER HERBERT EARLEY 41887 R.E

[dwickens]

Harry,s   M.I.C  shows qualifying date as (3)  Egypt 12/7/15

SUSSEX DAILY  NEWS  WEDNESDAY  29TH NOVEMBER 1916

The sad news of the death of Sapper  H.Earley ,  Beeding ,was conveyed to his parents by a section officer in the following letter

I was your sons section officer in France when he was hit on the 22nd, I myself was slightly wounded the same day. Doubtless you have been informed that your son died of wounds received while performing his duty. I regret his loss as a good sapper and I sympathize with you in the sad loss of your son.

You might be interested to know the circumstances under which your son was hit. He was conducting an infantry carrying party who were  taking stores along the front line to a dug-out being built  the  R.E,s. and  was hit by several splinters from a German trench morter shell.

It may be of some consolation for you to know he died painlessly as he lost consciousness almost immediately. He died about half an hour after reaching the dressing station . The fatal wound was a fractured skull , the piece of shell entering near the left ear.

Sapper   Earley   enlisted in August 1914 . He went to Gallipoli and took part in the landings at Cape  Helles  and  Suvla Bay. He was wounded in the leg and after that was buried in a trench mined by the Turks.  He was then sent to Malta , and after recovering from this wound contracted dysentery and was sent to England.

Returning to his Depot,   He was attached to the G.P.O , Repairing telegraph wires broken by the gale  last March.  He was then sent to France and was on the Electrical staff at the R.O.W , Rouen.

He was in operations at the Somme and at the time of his death was in a Field Company,  R.E  Sapper  Earley was 21 years last May  and the eleventh old boy of   Beeding  School to make the full sacrifice.

Harry was an Electricians mate at Shoreham cement works and lived at Dacre gardens next to  the cement works.

I worked there also and the story always  fascinated  me having seen war memorial many times on walks , I lived in  Steyning 3 miles away my wife lived in Beeding before we were married , Next to war memorial

What R.E regiment would he have been in at Gallipoli, Can anyone tell me any more about Harry

I found out his brother Lewis Hedley was m.i.d and had  m.b.e  for w.w.2 mine sweeper works but also served in w.w.1

dave

[brianmorris547]

Dave

The easy part is his time in France. He is mentioned on a Field Return of 130 Field Co RE 22/11/1916 as wounded. War Diary available on Ancestry (Page 219/626). Register of Soldier's Effects shows that he died at No 1 Canadian CCS on that day. 130 FC was 25 Div. I am reading RE Gallipoli War Diaries at the moment and will look out for him.

Brian

EDIT Two Field Companies of 11 Northern Div RE disembarked in Alex on 12/07/1915 from the SS Knight Templar, 67 FC and 68 FC before going on to Lemnos and Suvla Bay. The remaining FC, 86 disembarked there on 18/07/1915. The Gallipoli WDs are on Ancestry under Royal Engineers 11 Division, other ranks are not named in 67 and 68 FCs. The WD for 67 FC records before landing at Suvla, 29 to 31/07/1915 "Visited Helles, went round defences". It does not say if this was just the CO or the whole Company.