Pte
Harry Dobbs
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1893 |
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Place of birth: Torrisholme, Morecambe, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Bottler |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 18489 |
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Enlistment place: Derby, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Grenadier Guards, 1st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 10/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Pascal Trench, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 24 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 9A |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal — 01/09/1919 |
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British War Medal Medal — 28/02/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 28/02/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Harry Dobbs was born in 1893 in Torrisholme, a suburb of Morecambe, Lancashire. He was the second son of Emily and James Dobbs. The family moved a couple of times, due to James Albert’s job as a railway signalman. By 1911 they lived in Derby, Derbyshire, where Harry worked as a boiler tester in a local Brewery. Harry enlisted in 1914 in Derby and served with the Grenadier Guards, 1st Battalion, part of the 3rd Guards Brigade, of the Guards Division on the Western front from March 1915 onwards.
On 8 October 1917 the 1st Grenadier Guards moved to the Wood 15 area. The entire 3rd Guards Brigade was lying in divisional reserve, while the 1st and 2nd Guards Brigades attacked German positions at Houthulst Forest on the following day. During the Battle Harry’s Battalion helped carrying the wounded from Verte House to the village of Boezinge. On the 10th the 1st Grenadier Guards moved up and relieved the 1st Irish Guards in support. Battalion Headquarters were at Vee Bend and the men occupied positions at Pascal Trench.
Private Harry Dobbs, 24-years old, might have been killed during the relief, leaving behind his wife Lillian and their 3-year old son, James Albert. Harry has no known grave and is remembered on panel 9A of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 8 October 1917 the 1st Grenadier Guards moved to the Wood 15 area. The entire 3rd Guards Brigade was lying in divisional reserve, while the 1st and 2nd Guards Brigades attacked German positions at Houthulst Forest on the following day. During the Battle Harry’s Battalion helped carrying the wounded from Verte House to the village of Boezinge. On the 10th the 1st Grenadier Guards moved up and relieved the 1st Irish Guards in support. Battalion Headquarters were at Vee Bend and the men occupied positions at Pascal Trench.
Private Harry Dobbs, 24-years old, might have been killed during the relief, leaving behind his wife Lillian and their 3-year old son, James Albert. Harry has no known grave and is remembered on panel 9A of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 5
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 126-127. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1630058/dobbs,-harry/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary Grenadier Guards, 1st Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |