Pte
Henry Osborne Mace

Information about birth

Year of birth:
1887
Place of birth:
Brand Green, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

General information

Last known residence:
Burnham, Rochester, England, United Kingdom
Profession:
Labourer

Army information

Country:
England, United Kingdom
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
G/24740
Enlistment place:
Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 10th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
21/09/1917
Place of death:
Jute Cottages, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
30

Memorial

Tyne Cot Memorial
Panel: 107A

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 3

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place

My story

Private Henry Osborne Mace, a former labourer from Burnham, Kent, was enlisted with the 10th Battalion Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 123th Brigade, 41st Division. He took part in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. The 10th Battalion first saw action on 31 July 1917 during the opening battle. On 20 September they were back in the line in front of Geluvelt. They moved to the assembly area with HQ in Hedge Street tunnels. When the attack commenced they moved forward to the Old British Frontline. During the evening the battalion received orders to reinforce but later the order was cancelled.
The next morning a new attack was launched by the 20th Bn. Durham Light Infantry on the left. As they came up level with the 10th Royal West Kent, the latter joined in. Some progress was made but due to machine gun fire the Durhams and Royal West Kents were brought to a halt. They had to dig in just in front of the Bassevillebeek in a line, short of Joist Trench (which had been the objective) but in level with Tower Hamlets. Counter attacks in the afternoon and evening were repulsed. Private Henry Osborne Mace lost his life during this attack and is now remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Sources 5

"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018, p. 88
Sources used
Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/
Sources used
Atkinson T., The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919, London, Simpkin Marshall Hamilton Kent & Co LTD, 1924, pp. 288-291
Sources used
CWGC
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/833761/henry-osborne-mace/
Sources used
War Diary 10th Bn Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), September 1917
http://www.nmarchive.com/
Sources used