Sgt
Henry Gramlich
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1887 |
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Place of birth: Leyton, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 23 Hornsey Park Road, Hornsey, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Postal Clerk |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Sergeant |
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Service number: 370881 |
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Units: — London Regiment, 2/8th Bn. (Post Office Rifles) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 20/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Hübner Farm, Langemarck, 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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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 54U |
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 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Henry Gramlich was born in 1887 in Leyton, Essex, near London, the eldest son in the family of Charles and Elizabeth Gramlich. According to the 1901 census, he had three brothers and three sisters. In 1911, Henry rented a room in Hornsey. He worked as a postal clerk. After joining the army, he was assigned to the 2/8th Battalion of the London Regiment, also known as the Post Office Rifles and part of the 174th Brigade of the 58th Division.
In August 1917 the Post Office Rifles moved to Belgium, where they were to be engaged at the Battle of Passchendaele. In September they held a shell-hole outpost line near Alberta just north of the ruins of St. Julien. In the night of the 19th-20th September the battalion assembled on a taped line for the attack on the Wurst Farm Ridge, east of St. Julien. Several attempts to capture the ridge had already failed, with only casualties to show for it. The difficulties were increased by the wretched state of the terrain. The Steenbeek stream, and its irrigation canals in front of the German positions, had become a wide swamp due to incessant shelling. The landscape was honeycombed with waterlogged shell holes, with only one duckboard path leading to the starting position. Beyond the duckboard path in no man's land lay a sodden plain, every inch of which had been ploughed over by shells. The attack on 20 September began at 05.40. Instead of a frontal assault on the entire ridge, the 2/8th London Regiment penetrated the north side of the ridge, where they concentrated their attack on three German strongholds: Marine View, Genoa Farm and the strongly fortified position of Hübner Farm. Once these fell, the German front line on the north side of the ridge gave way and other battalions were able to roll up the defences on the ridge and eventually capture Wurst Farm on the south side.
Although the Post Office Rifles achieved their objectives, casualties were high. More than half of the battalion became casualties. Of the 430 men who attacked on 20 September, 100 were killed and 138 wounded. Henry Gramlich, aged 30, and now promoted to sergeant, fell on 20 September 1917. To this day, he has no known grave. Henry is commemorated on the Menin Gate.
In August 1917 the Post Office Rifles moved to Belgium, where they were to be engaged at the Battle of Passchendaele. In September they held a shell-hole outpost line near Alberta just north of the ruins of St. Julien. In the night of the 19th-20th September the battalion assembled on a taped line for the attack on the Wurst Farm Ridge, east of St. Julien. Several attempts to capture the ridge had already failed, with only casualties to show for it. The difficulties were increased by the wretched state of the terrain. The Steenbeek stream, and its irrigation canals in front of the German positions, had become a wide swamp due to incessant shelling. The landscape was honeycombed with waterlogged shell holes, with only one duckboard path leading to the starting position. Beyond the duckboard path in no man's land lay a sodden plain, every inch of which had been ploughed over by shells. The attack on 20 September began at 05.40. Instead of a frontal assault on the entire ridge, the 2/8th London Regiment penetrated the north side of the ridge, where they concentrated their attack on three German strongholds: Marine View, Genoa Farm and the strongly fortified position of Hübner Farm. Once these fell, the German front line on the north side of the ridge gave way and other battalions were able to roll up the defences on the ridge and eventually capture Wurst Farm on the south side.
Although the Post Office Rifles achieved their objectives, casualties were high. More than half of the battalion became casualties. Of the 430 men who attacked on 20 September, 100 were killed and 138 wounded. Henry Gramlich, aged 30, and now promoted to sergeant, fell on 20 September 1917. To this day, he has no known grave. Henry is commemorated on the Menin Gate.
Sources 8
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2/8 London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) (The National Archives, Kew (TNA) WO 95/3006/3). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 84-85. Sources used |
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Post Office Rifles, The 8th Battalion, City of London Regiment, 1914 to 1918, (Gale & Polden,Ltd.,Wellington Works, 1919), 22-24. Sources used |
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Soldier' Effects Records (Nationa Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
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UK, World War I Service Medal and Awards Rolls, 1914-1920(The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/931529 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1416211 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=2bf8a0fa-84d3-4960-853f-70a4494d4ab9 |