Henry Bolton
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | Not known |
| Place of Birth | Leeds, England |
| Death | 12 Aug 1916 |
| Place of Death | Mouquet Farm, Poziéres |
| Age at Enlistment | 30 years, 6 months |
| Description | 5'6"(1.67m) tall; 140 lbs (63.5 Kg) weight; ruddy complexion, brown eyes, and dark brown hair |
| Occupation | engine driver |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | William street, Armadale |
| Next of Kin | Friend Mr Richard Beattie |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 590 |
| Date of Enlistment | 25 Sep 1914 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion C Company / 4th Brigade, 1st Division at Gallipoli; 4th Division in France |
| Date of Embarkation | 24 Dec 1914 - 1 Feb 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A40 Ceramic |
| Fate | Missing in Action, later confirmed Killed in Action 12 Aug 1916, Mouquet Farm |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (Armadale panel) Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
Friend of Richard Beattie and his wife.
War Service
An original member of the 16th Battalion's E Company, he trained at Blackboy Hill camp until 21 Nov when the battalion entrained for Fremantle where it boarded two Australian coastal steamers, the "Indarra" and the "Dimboola" which carried them to Port Melbourne, arriving a week later. On arrival they proceeded to the Broadmeadows camp where the 4th Brigade were assembling. On 22 Dec 1914 the battalion embarked on the "Ceramic" at Port Melbourne's Railway Pier along with the 15th Battalion and some 4th Brigade artillery men. After a brief pause in Albany to form a convoy, they sailed on 31 Dec 1914 for Egypt.
Arrived at Alexandria in Egypt early morning of 1st Feb 1915, and the troops disembarked two days later and travelled by train to Zeitoun near Cairo, before marching to their base at Heliopolis where two days later they reformed into a four Rifle Company Battalion configuration. On 11 April the battalion travelled by train to Alexandria where the majority boarded Landed at Gallipoli in the late afternoon of 25 April 1915. Involved in battles at Bloody Angle, and Hill 971 on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Became ill on Gallipoli Peninsula with enteritis and spent 19 Aug 1915 to 9 Mar 1916 in hospitals from Mudros (3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital) to the Church Lane Military Hospital in Tooting, England (via the HMHS Aquitania) before rejoining his unit at Tel-el-Kebir.
Unit travelled to France aboard the HMT Canada arriving 9 Jun 1916.
The Sun (Kalgoorlie) 8 Oct 1916 reported that Henry had been Killed in Action, after previously being recorded as missing.
No known grave. Commemorated on Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Red Cross records (1DRL/0428) show that....
"he was killed on the 12th of August coming out of the trenches, when being relieved, passing down the reserve trench." One informant told that he had been lying asleep in a dugout when killed by a shell."
Henry's will records his share holding in oil companies such as: Galacian Oil, Land and Royalties Trust; Galacian Standard; and Romanian Oil.
"Worked at the brickyard. He has no relatives here but was held in much esteem by his mates. He enlisted in the early stages of the war, fought through the Gallipoli campaign, and was killed last year in the fighting in France. He was a sergeant when he fell in action."[1]
References
- ↑ "The Drill of the Foot-Hills" (PDF) (1917). Western Australia. Mar 1917. p. 7. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via State Library of Western Australia.