Harry Riches

A Private with the 2nd Battalion, Harry died on 15th of November 1916 at the age of 33.

Harry was born at Hardley, Norfolk, on 22 October 1883, a son of Harry and Esther Riches. He was baptised at Hardley on 25 November 1883. In 1891 his family lived at The Street, Hardley, and in 1901 they lived at Valley Farm, South Elmham, and Henry was a farm labourer. By 1911 they were living at Primrose Cottage, Carlton Colville, and Henry worked as a coal porter.

In 1912 Harry married Mabel Christine Pearson at Mutford. In 1917 Mabel lived at White House Farm Cottages, Oulton Broad, and later at 7 Sycamore Avenue, Oulton Broad. In 1922 she married Arthur Thacker.  

Harry enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 31980. In 1916 he went to France to join the 2nd Battalion. 

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 2nd Battalion’s attack at Serre on 13 November 1916:

At 5 a.m. the first wave floundered forward into No Man’s Land – in reality, a sea of mud in which movement was barely possible. Three quarters of an hour later the attack began. The mist which hung about the low ground thickened as the smoke of the barrage increased, making direction extremely difficult to maintain. Within a very short time all the officers in the leading companies had fallen, and owing to lack of leaders no real progress was made. In spite of the atrocious weather conditions prevailing, portions of the leading Suffolk companies actually reached the German second line. But all was in vain, and the battalion having been reorganised in its original front line, remained there for the rest of the day, marching back to Courcelles the next morning. Their casualties numbered 272, including eleven officers.  

It seems that Harry was among those wounded on 13 November. He died from his wounds at No 26 General Hospital, Etaples, on 15 November.