Henry George William Howell

A Corporal with 1/5th Bn., Henry died on 12th of August 1915 at the age of 32. 

Henry was born at Pulham Market, Norfolk, in 1883, a son of Henry Edwin and Emma Howell. In 1891 his family lived at 41 Theatre Street, East Dereham. In 1901 his family lived at 39 A Thistle Terrace, Theatre Street, East Dereham, and Henry worked as a railway porter. This was still their address in 1911 and Henry worked as a general labourer. Later his family lived at 7 Beresford Road, Lowestoft.

Henry volunteered and enlisted in the Army at East Dereham. He joined the Norfolk Regiment and served with the 1/5th Battalion. This was the notorious 'Vanished Battalion'. 

The Battalion arrived at Gallipoli on 6 August 1915 and on 12 August they were committed to an attack at Anafarta, near Suvla Bay. This was Brigade attack and the evidence of the other battalions in the attack is that some of the Norfolk men advanced further ahead than the rest of the line. Subsequent accounts, and the discovery of a mass grave of 180 men, of which 122 were the 'lost' Norfolks, indicated that the missing men had been surrounded and killed by Turkish soldiers. 

Henry was among those missing on 12 August. Many of the records for these men are inaccurate: some date died rather than killed in action; others give various dates of death up to, and including, 28 August.