Name
Harry Shepherd
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
25/08/1918
40
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
290413
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ST. SEVER CEMETERY EXTENSION, ROUEN
Plot Q.IV, Row L, Grave 9.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Watford Borough Roll of Honour, St Michael and All Angels Church Memorial, Watford, Not on the Rickmansworth memorials
Pre War
Harry was the son of Henry and the late Jane (nee Payne) Shepherd and born in Rickmansworth. His birth was registered in the first quarter of 1878 and he was baptised on 3 February 1878 at All Saints, Croxley Green.
Harry’s parents married in 1877. Jane died in 1884 in Rickmansworth, aged 27, and was buried 1 September at St Mary’s, Rickmansworth; Henry died in 1921 in Hemel Hempstead.
Harry married Annie Laura Fowler on 14 July 1901 at St Thomas’, Westminster. Annie, was born in Rickmansworth.
On the 1881 Census, aged 3 he lived in Rickmansworth, with his parents and one sibling. On the 1891 Census, a scholar aged 13, he lived in Rickmansworth High Street, with his widowed father and two siblings. His father was a butcher. On the 1901 Census, he worked as a journeyman butcher aged 23, and boarded in Northwood, Middx. On the 1911 Census, a butcher’s assistant aged 32, he lived at 298 Hagden Lane, Watford, with his wife and their two children, Dora aged 8 and Vera aged 6 months.
He is recorded as enlisting in Watford.
Wartime Service
Private Harry Shepherd was in the 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. He had previously served in the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion with the same service number.
He died of wounds and is buried at Rouen where a number of hospitals were located during the war.
He was entitled to the Victory and British War medals, and died of wounds received in action.
The 1st Bedfordshires were part of the 15th Brigade and 5th Division. In the period immediately before his death, Harry’s Battalion was involved in the battle of Albert during the second battles of the Somme (1918). On 20th August the Battalion moved forward from billets at Sailly du Bois to Bucquoy. On 21st August the Battalion moved to the offensive. Two officers and 46 other ranks were killed or wounded. On 23rd August they attacked again near Achiet le Petit. All objectives were taken but with heavy losses; 10 officers and 129 other ranks were either killed or wounded.
Additional Information
There is a brief article about and a death announcement for Harry in the West Herts and Watford Observer dated 14 September 1918; plus an In Memoriam in the issue dated 30 August 1919. His widow remarried on 21 August 1920 at St Michael’s, Watford, to Herbert Church.
Acknowledgments
Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk), Malcolm Lennox, Brian Thomson
