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Henry Wilkinson (1895-1980)


Officer with 10th and 8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, prisoner of war


Henry Wilkinson was born in Gateshead in 1895 to Henry and Frances Wilkinson. He went on to work as a civil servant (clerk) with the General Post Office (GPO) at Edinburgh. On 5 August 1914, he enlisted as a private in the 4th Royal Scots at Edinburgh. Six weeks into his military training, Henry was recommended for a temporary commission for the period of the war. His referees were his local rector at Gateshead, Henry Spencer Stephenson, and his former headmaster at Gateshead Secondary School, W Walton.

Henry was passed fit at Edinburgh Castle on 3 October 1914, he was 19 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed 149lbs. As a second lieutenant in Kitchener’s New Army, he was ordered to report to the 17th Service Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (DLI) at Barnard Castle, County Durham on 20 March 1915.

The medal index card shows that Henry entered France on 21 November 1915. He joined 10th Battalion, DLI, who were in the Ypres area of Belgium at that time. On 4 February 1917, Wilkinson was promoted to lieutenant, and then on 27 October that year, to acting captain.
10 DLI was disbanded on 3 February 1918. Wilkinson reverted to lieutenant and was transferred to the 8th Battalion. By the end of May, he had once again been made an acting captain in charge of a company.

At 1am on 27 May, the Germans began a heavy bombardment, including gas shells. An attack followed at 4:30 am. According to the battalion war diary, written by Lieutenant Philip Kirkup (brother of Constance Kirkup), B and D Companies were completely surrounded. C Company was in battle position but had already suffered heavy casualties from the bombardment. It goes on to say that ‘there is no information available regarding the fighting of any other company as all officers are missing and practically all other ranks’. Henry Wilkinson was one of these officers. His memoir begins the day before on 26 May:
‘…at 11 pm, we received information that the Bosches would attack at 4 am on the following day, their attack to be preceded by three hours intensive bombardment. We could not take this seriously, as the place was so exceptionally quiet, but nevertheless, all preparations were made – as a reserve company we had not much to do’.

The barrage occurred as reported in the official war diary. At 2am, Wilkinson ‘visited the H.Q. post, and Williams, at great risk, saw some of the others. The barrage was undoubtedly heavy, and we knew that this was no ordinary attack, but a repetition of the recent March and April attacks. At 4am the attack must have commenced, for the barrage began slowly to creep towards us. At 5.15am it passed us, leaving us in peace, and in ignorance of what had happened to our… front and support lines. We weren’t long in doubt, the advance of the Bosches in liberal open order told its own tale!’

Wilkinson and another officer gathered what men they could and managed to hold the Germans for half an hour, when they became outflanked and retreated. On reaching the battalion headquarters, Wilkinson ordered the rest of the men to go on, whilst he checked the area, finding no one, he went to follow his men. The route was now under heavy fire, so he went another way ‘…when I eventually reached the light railway which I intended to follow, I ran headlong into a party of 5 boches. It was then 6.15 am. Resistance was hopeless. The usual procedure was followed, and I was quickly deprived of all my kit, including pocket book, diary, tobacco, whisky, etc. and sent back with a guard’. This began Wilkinson’s long, slow, journey to Germany.

The first camp Wilkinson arrived at was Rastatt on 9 June. However, it wasn’t long before he and other prisoners were moved on. In his memoir entry for 25 June ‘…after at least one false start the train steamed away from Rastatt Station at 8am we learnt that our destination was Stralsund, on the Baltic, and did not look forward to three days in another 4th class carriage’. They arrived at Stralsund at 6:30am on 27 June, then by small ferry to the island of Danholm. This is where he remained for the rest of the war.

Wilkinson threw himself into camp life, taking part in sports and classes, drawing (Durham County Record Office holds his sketchbook from this time) and reading. A library was set up by two other prisoners, and Wilkinson kept a record of all the books he read in the camp.
News of the armistice didn’t reach the camp until 12 November, but it was the early hours of 14 December before Wilkinson began his journey home. He was sent via Denmark where he spent Christmas Day, finally leaving for England on Boxing Day. On Monday 30 December, the ship made its way up the Humber Estuary to Hull. They entrained for Ripon where Wilkinson says there were many forms to fill in and he wired his father. He managed to get his railway warrant in time to catch the 7:20 pm train but had a long wait at Darlington, and wired his father again. On arrival at Newcastle station, he found no one waiting for him. He walked home to find everyone in bed. You can find the link to read the memoir at the bottom of this page.

Henry Wilkinson relinquished his commission on 19 March 1919, retaining the rank of lieutenant.

Henry married Dorothy Margaret Rigby Wills in Wolstanton, Staffordshire, on 29 December 1920. In his memoir, he frequently refers to writing to, and receiving letters from Dolly. By 1921, they had moved to Donaghadee, County Down, a port town near Belfast that received mail ships, where Henry continued his work with the General Post Office. On 22 May of that year, he wrote to the War Office to ask if he would be eligible to join the Regular Army Reserve of Officers (RARO) while continuing to work for the GPO. He was appointed as lieutenant, class I, to the RARO on 12 January 1922 and later, due to his age, became class II. In 1935, now living in Harrow, Middlesex, Henry wrote to the War Office to resign his commission with the RARO.

It is thought that, whilst living in Northern Ireland, Henry and Dorothy had a daughter, Elspeth (possibly Margaret Elspeth), born around 1921. The family believe that she contracted meningitis, and died aged 9, whilst the family were living in Middlesex.

On the 1939 register, Henry and Dorothy were living in Wembley. Henry had left the GPO and was working as a senior clerk for the Metropolitan Police. Dorothy also worked for them for in the canteen. According to family legend, during the Second World War, Henry was an aide to Winston Churchill, and accompanied him to the Atlantic Conference with President Roosevelt.

In 1951, Henry was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List.

Dorothy died in March 1958, by which time the couple were living in the Lake District. In 1959, Henry remarried, to Rose Hamilton. He died in Penrith on 28 September 1980. Rose died in 1984.


Sources:
Officers service records, held at The National Archives, Kew, London: WO 339/10544
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1064473
Family

Personal diary (DCRO D/DLI 7/773/1) http://www.durhamrecordoffice.org.uk/Pages/AdvancedSearchCatalogueDetail.aspx?SearchType=Param&SearchID=10f16814-fc82-4978-897b-a40a9cdace30&Page=2&ItemID=680373#ref171349

8th Battalion war diary (TNA WO 95/2842/2-4) http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C14055748

Prisoners of the First World War ICRC [International Red Cross] Historical Archives http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/2760613/3/2/

Civil Parish: Durham Castle and Precincts

Birth date: 6-Feb-1895

Death date: 28-Sept-1980

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 345 Alexandra Road, Gateshead (1901, 1911 Census)
Hillside House, Duncombe Hill, Honor Oak Park, London SE23 (28-Aug-1920 Service Records)
32 Alliance Avenue, Belfast (1920 Service Records)
8 Princess Gardens, Donaghadee, Co Down, N. Ireland (01-Jun-1921 Service Records)
22 Langley Road, Harrow, Middlesex (04-Oct-1935 Service Records)
King’s Court, King’s Drive, Wembley (1939 Register)
Herga Court, Sudbury Hill, Harrow (1951-57 Electoral Register)
Eusemere Lodge, Pooley Bridge, Westmorland (1958 Probate)
East Larches, Beacon Edge, Penrith (1980 Probate)

Education: Gateshead Grammar School

Employment: Civil servant, Accountant General’s Department, General Post Office
Senior Clerk, Metropolitan Police (1939 register)

Family: Son of Henry and Frances Wilkinson, father was a school master, sister Daisy was a typist (1911 Census)
Married Dorothy Margaret Rigby Wills 29-Dec-1920
Daughter, Elspeth, born c.1921, died aged 9
Married Rose Hamilton, nee Purdie 1959

Military service:

5-Aug-1914 Enlisted, Private, 4th Royal Scots (Edinburgh)
15-Mar-1915 Temporary commission, Second Lieutenant, 17th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
Transferred to 10th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
4-Feb-1917 Promoted to Lieutenant
27-Oct-1917 Acting Captain
3-Feb-1918 10th Battalion disbanded
4-Feb-1918 Transferred to 8th Battalion, Durham Light infantry, reverting to rank of Lieutenant
26-Apr-1918 Acting Captain
25-May-1918 (London Gazette) Mentioned in Despatches
27-May-1918 Taken prisoner of war
30-Dec-1918 Arrived home on release from camp
19-Mar-1919 Relinquished commission
10-Feb-1922 to 07-Oct-1935 Regular Army Reserve of Officers

Medal(s): 15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal

Gender: Male

Contributed by Durham County Record Office | MJE, Darlington | David G, family member