Harry Stanley Rouse

A Rifleman with 8th Bn., Harry died on 30th of July 1915 at the age of 23.

Harry was born at Croydon on 19 August 1892, a son of Henry Lewin and Ada Rouse. He was baptised at Wortwell, Norfolk, on 14 November 1892. From 6 September 1897 to 9 September 1904 Harry was a pupil at Wortwell School.

In 1901 his family lived at The Dove Inn, Dove Street, Wortwell, where is father was the publican. By 1911 Harry’s mother had died and his father was still living at the Dove Inn, Wortwell. Later his father married Alice Valiant, and they lived at River View, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad. 

In 1914 Harry volunteered to join the Army and enlisted at Saint Paul’s Churchyard, London. He joined the Rifle Brigade, possibly because his brother Maurice was already serving with that regiment. He was posted to the 8th Battalion and arrived in France with the Battalion on 19 May 1915. He served with D Company.  

On 27 July 1915 the Battalion took over trenches from the 7th Rifle Brigade, at Hooge. The strength of the Battalion was 24 officers and 745 other ranks. D Company moved into position S.3 on the right of Zouave Wood. At about 3.15 a.m. the Germans attacked and because of concerns about a possible attack the whole of the British font line were already ‘standing to.’ The German artillery laid down a heavy bombardment for two or three minutes and this was followed by a dense smoke screen which preceded the use of ‘liquid-fire’. Under cover of the flames German bombers were able to move forward through the ‘Crater’ position, and the centre of the 8th Battalion’s line, and begin throwing hand grenades into the British positions. 

From the beginning the men in Zouave Wood were subject to violent bombardment and all communication was lost. By 12 noon the only organised Company left was D Company and their Captain was ordered to make a counter-attack on a two platoon front and, at the same time the company were to make a bombing attack up the Strand trench. The Battalion War Diary continues:

At 2.45 p.m. exactly the counter-attack started. D Company on the right advanced as if on parade. The enemy’s rifle and machine-gun fire had apparently not been in any way silenced by the bombardment. The whole ground was absolutely swept by bullets. The attack was brought to a complete standstill halfway towards its objective and no reinforcements could reach it. . . The second counter-attack had failed. 

At 3 p.m. the Battalion was taken out of action and had suffered the following casualties:
Officers 6 killed, 3 missing, almost certainly killed
Other ranks 80 killed, 237 wounded, 132 missing most of whom were believed to be killed

D Company’s other ranks casualties were:

27 killed in action, including Harry, 1 died of wounds, 7 wounded and missing, 8 missing, 56 Wounded 

Harry’s brother Maurice served in the Rifle Brigade from 1913 to 1916, when he was discharged because of wounds. His father served in the Royal Navy from 1873 to 1893 and, age 58, was allowed to join the Army in 1916 and served for two years with the Army Service Corps.