Denzil Mitford Heriz-Smith

A Lieutenant with A Company, 6th Bn., Denzil died on 17th of February 1917 at the age of 23. 

Denzil was born at Filey, Yorkshire, on 21 February 1894, a son of Charles Mitford Heriz-Smith and Marion Heriz-Smith. In 1901 his family lived at The Bungalows, Pot Kilns, Great Cornard, Suffolk. In 1911 his family lived at 31 Bushmead Avenue, Bedford. Later they lived at Four Winds, Kessingland Beach, Lowestoft. 

He was educated at Bedford School, from 1904, where, when Head of the School, in 1914, he received from Lord Roberts a special prize, personally presented to him by the Field-Marshal, "for the best all-round boy in the school." He was also Captain of Gymnasium and a member of the 1st XV and the Shooting VIII. 

He entered at Queens' College, Cambridge, with the intention of taking Holy Orders.

On 16 September 1914 he enlisted in the 19th (2nd Public Schools) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. He was granted a commission in the Northamptonshire Regiment on 4 December 1914. He was posted to the 6th Battalion and went to France, to join the Battalion, on 17 December, 1915, arriving with the Battalion, at Buire, on 22 December. He joined A Company and entered the trenches, for the first time, on 24 December. 

He took part on the attack on the Somme on 1 July 1916 and, on 14 July 1916, fought at Trones Wood, being the only officer of A Company that was not wounded and one of only two officers of the Battalion that came through that day without injury. 

Denzil was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 February 1917 and was one of the very few remaining original officers of his battalion when he died. 

In part of the description of the events of 17 February 1917 the Battalion War Diary has:

The first two waves of the centre company (A) got over Grandcourt Trench with little opposition, but were them met by heavy machine-gun and trench mortar fire from their left, a large body of Germans holding the (illegible) in the Boom Ravine about R.11.C.5.3. It was necessary to clear this point before advancing: during these operations A/Captain MCWHA (sic) and Lieutenant Heriz-Smith became casualties. 

During this attack the Battalion lost 5 officers, including Denzil, and 103 other ranks killed.

Denzil was severely wounded on February 17th and died before reaching the dressing station.

His Commanding Officer, Major Podmore wrote (printed in The Broad Arrow 21 March 1917, page 20):—

"I cannot speak too highly of your son's coolness and gallantry in action, and of the affection with which his men regarded him. He had been through two actions in July with distinction and came through unscathed and it is indeed bad luck that his wounds this time should be so severe that he died before reaching the dressing station. He died doing his duty and leading his men to victory, as he would have wished"

Another officer wrote: “He was one of the very few remaining original officers of the battalion at the time of his death. He had been through many fights unscathed and I think no other officer in the battalion has a bigger record of battles, but now we have lost him;” and the Chaplain wrote “I cannot say what a loss he is to us.” 

While another officer, present at the battle, wrote: “He did splendidly in the battle getting right forward with his platoon. He was a great sportsman and a true English gentleman.”

His school paper, the Ouzel, published an article in his memory which included these words: “His service in the School will be remembered with gratitude and affection. He had many accomplishments and one single purpose – to do his duty. A love of peace and home, he would have devoted his life to work for his country in the highest service of all."

The Northampton Independent of 14 April 1917 has the following letter and comment:

From the Front, April 5.

Seeing about the late Denzil Heriz-Smith’s death in your last week’s paper, I thought it would interest you to know that of the four that fetched him out of the barrage, two of us, Privates Whyman and Silvester of “D” Company, 6th Northants, are still here. I am sorry to say that the others are killed. We got him to our Regimental Doctor. After that four more took him to the R.A.M.C. station. We had to carry him about 700 yards to safety. We have also written to the late Lieutenant Smith’s family.

3/10297 Pte. Whyman, “D” Company. 11608 Pte. Silvester, “D” Company.

It will be remembered that the bereaved father of the gallant officer (Mr. C. M. Heriz-Smith of St. George’s Lodge, Bedford) who has thus lost his only son, wrote to me concerning these gallant stretcher bearers in the hope of tracing them and added: “Their names will, I suppose, never be known but they offer farther prove of their gallantry and fearlessness of our Northamptonshire fellows, and my heart goes out to them for their devotion and bravery.

Denzil's letters and diaries are recorded in the 2007 book From Bedford to The Somme, The Letters and Diaries by OB Tim Machin. His letters and diaries, as well as his original memorial cross, are on display at Bedford School. 

Denzil is commemorated on a number of war memorials:

Mullion Parish Church, Cornwall
Saint Edmund's Church War Memorial, Kessingland
Bedford School War Memorial
Saint Andrew's War Memorial, Bedford

Until 2000 Bedford School offered a bursary, in Denzil's memory, to 'aid any boy from the school who is desirous of entering into Holy Orders in the Church of England to enter a university or theological college for that purpose.'    

There are numerous references to Denzil on the internet, but see especially: northamptonshire regiment 6th battalion - Soldiers and their units - The Great War (1914-1918) Forum (greatwarforum.org)