Pte
Henry Osborne Mace
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1887 |
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Place of birth: Brand Green, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Burnham, Rochester, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Labourer |
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: G/24740 |
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Enlistment place: Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — The Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), 10th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 21/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Jute Cottages, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 30 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 107A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
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.
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
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"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018, p. 88 Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Sources used |
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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 |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/833761/henry-osborne-mace/ Sources used |
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War Diary 10th Bn Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), September 1917 http://www.nmarchive.com/ Sources used |