Harry Woodwards

HARRY WOODWARDS

Harry the sixth of seven children born to parents Hanna and James was born in Leverstock Green on 11th December 1880 and baptised 13th March 1881 in the village church.

James an agricultural labourer, originally from Wheathampstead and local girl Hanna Bennett, married in the village church in the winter of 1867.

Hanna's sister Rachael would also have a sad loss as her son Benjamin Oakley was also killed during the war.

The Woodwards family home was the Briars, this house still stands today in the middle of the village, Harry also attended the village school and upon leaving took an agricultural job for a few years before following his brother Robert into the army, enlisting for 12 years at St Georges Barracks London with the 1^st Battalion Grenadier Guards on 17^th July 1900, aged 19 years. 3 years was spent as a serving soldier and 9 years on 1^st class army reserve. On completion of his first period of service in 1912 Harry re-engaged for a further four years in the reserve as this would give him an army pension.

Whilst working in North London as an attendant at an asylum for the insane, Harry married Catherine Annie Fensome at St Martin’s church Bedford on 24^th October 1909

Harry was mobilised for war service on 4^th August 1914 and went through three months of retraining before posted overseas, arriving in France on 11^th November 1914 with the 1st battalion Grenadier Guards. The Grenadier Guards serving at the front received from England 133 men on the 12th of November and a further 100 men on the 20th, Harry would have been among these soldiers.

After reporting sick Harry was sent to the British base at Rouen on Christmas Eve that December and returned to England on 3^rd January where he was diagnosed with having Nephritis a week later. Finally discharged from the army on 2^nd April 1915 as no longer physically fit.

This photo is of staff to the Colney Heath Asylum was dated 1915. The man seated on the right end of the photo has what looks like an army emergence issue uniform, this was only used during 1915 to cope with the large numbers of enlisting soldiers.

After his discharge from the army Harry returned to his old job at the asylum, living in New Southgate in Barnet. This could have been the Colney Heath Asylum in New Southgate as it was just a few minuets walk away. Here his condition worsened and finally on 13^th July 1916 aged 35 Harry died. Cause of death was Chronic Nephritis, a disease of the kidney.

The Gazette paper carried an artical on Harry's death and subsequent burial at Leverstock Green Church, under the heading.

MILITARY FUNERAL

The death has occurred of Mr Harry Woodward

Of 2 Brunswick Crescent. New Southgate

Who was a native of Leverstock Green

And a brother of Mrs De Beger also

Of the same village. Deceased was employed

At the London Asylum for ten years

And having formally served in the 1^st Grenadier

Guards was called up for service at the

Beginning of the war and spent some time in

France. He was taken seriously ill out their

And had to be sent home to hospital being

Subsequently invalid out of the Army. And

In due course resumed his occupation at the

Asylum. He fell ill again however and died

After a long and painful illness. The funeral

Took place at Leverstock Green with Military

Honours. Among those present being five

Representatives of the Asylum staff. A rather

Pretty and touching scene was enacted at the

Funeral when the children of the village school

Were placed in rows, the little ones at the front

And the taller ones behind, while the cortege

Was passing into the church.

By the time Harry had died his brother in law, George De Beger, his cousin Benjamin Oakley and his wife’s Brother Frederick Fensome had all been killed in the war.

Harry was remembered on the order of service for the parish church at Easter 1919 and named on the school memorial the village and on his grave in Leverstock Green church.