2nd Lt
Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 10/02/1897 |
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Place of birth: Eccles, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 119 Albany Road, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Articled accountant |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Second Lieutenant |
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Enlistment date: 08/08/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Holborn, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Rifles, 7th Bn. (Attached) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Potsdam, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 140 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops, a former articled accountant, was born on 10 February 1897 in Eccles, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. Before the war he lived in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. On 8 August 1915 he joined at the Inns of Court Regiment officers training course at Holborn, London. Harry was gazetted on 26 October 1916 and served in the 4th Bn. Princess Victoria’s (Royal Irish Fusiliers). After landing in France on 9 January 1917 he was attached to the 7th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles, part of the 48th Brigade, of the 16th (Irish) Division.
After having seen action in the Battle of Messines, the 16th (Irish) Division moved to the Ypres area, where it participated in the Battle of Passchendaele. On 16 August 1917 it was to attack German positions to the West of Zonnebeke, with the 48th and 49th Brigades. In anticipation of the attack, Battalions of both Brigades occupied positions on the Frezenberg Ridge. The 7th Royal Irish Rifles were on the right Divisional flank and went over the top at 4.45 a.m. Going towards Potsdam, they came under machine-gun fire from Pillboxes on the Ypres-Roulers Railroad and from Borry Farm and Potsdam. The machine-guns at Potsdam even kept in action while the barrage passed over them. The crossfire immediately caused heavy casualties and all officers were lost before the first objective had been reached. The advance on the right flank went a bit better and several Pillboxes were taken along the Railroad, but the attack soon came to a standstill along the whole line. Reinforcements were to no avail and the 7th Royal Irish Rifles were forced to dig in, in front of Potsdam. During the afternoon the Germans launched a counterattack and with both flanks in the air the men of the 16th (Irish) Division were forced to withdraw to the Frezenberg.
Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops, aged 20, was killed in action near the Ypres-Roulers Railroad on August 16th, 1917. Lance Corporal C. Campbell, a witness, describes his death as follows: “During the action in front of Ypres on 16th August, 1917, I was close to 2/Lt. H.A.M. Hoops, 7th Royal Irish Rifles. About 12 noon on the above date a saw Mr. Hoops shot through the forehead by a sniper. He was killed instantly. His body remained at the spot where he was killed as it was impossible to remove it.” His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops has no known grave and is remembered on panel 140 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
After having seen action in the Battle of Messines, the 16th (Irish) Division moved to the Ypres area, where it participated in the Battle of Passchendaele. On 16 August 1917 it was to attack German positions to the West of Zonnebeke, with the 48th and 49th Brigades. In anticipation of the attack, Battalions of both Brigades occupied positions on the Frezenberg Ridge. The 7th Royal Irish Rifles were on the right Divisional flank and went over the top at 4.45 a.m. Going towards Potsdam, they came under machine-gun fire from Pillboxes on the Ypres-Roulers Railroad and from Borry Farm and Potsdam. The machine-guns at Potsdam even kept in action while the barrage passed over them. The crossfire immediately caused heavy casualties and all officers were lost before the first objective had been reached. The advance on the right flank went a bit better and several Pillboxes were taken along the Railroad, but the attack soon came to a standstill along the whole line. Reinforcements were to no avail and the 7th Royal Irish Rifles were forced to dig in, in front of Potsdam. During the afternoon the Germans launched a counterattack and with both flanks in the air the men of the 16th (Irish) Division were forced to withdraw to the Frezenberg.
Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops, aged 20, was killed in action near the Ypres-Roulers Railroad on August 16th, 1917. Lance Corporal C. Campbell, a witness, describes his death as follows: “During the action in front of Ypres on 16th August, 1917, I was close to 2/Lt. H.A.M. Hoops, 7th Royal Irish Rifles. About 12 noon on the above date a saw Mr. Hoops shot through the forehead by a sniper. He was killed instantly. His body remained at the spot where he was killed as it was impossible to remove it.” His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Harry Albert Mostyn Hoops has no known grave and is remembered on panel 140 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 6
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7 Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1975/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 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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Falls, C., The Royal Irish Rifles in the great war: the history of the first seven battalions (Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd, 1925), 108-110. Sources used |
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Imperial War Museums, HU 115876 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205301508 Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. The Third Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London: Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 52-53. Sources used |
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Melville Henry Massue, de Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-1919: a Biographical Record of All Members of His Majesty's Naval and Military Forces Who Have Fallen in the War (Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2010), 3: 86. 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/837177 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=99a8215e-6c1b-4435-ab96-8b9fa4b4105c |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2542152 |