Person

Born in Bishop Auckland in June 1883 Henry, known as Harry, was one of six children born to one time bookseller John Guy and his wife Mary Isabella Guy nee Heslop. By 1901, the Guy family were all living in George Street, Bishop Auckland. Ten years later, only John, the oldest sibling and the two youngest, William and Isabella, were still living with their parents. The 1911 census shows Henry, who had served with the 2nd Durhams at some time, and his older brother, Charles Henry, working as iron pounders in a blast furnace near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. In February 1912 they both travelled to Canada to join younger brothers, Herbert and William, in Toronto, Ontario.

Henry found a job as a moulder and, just before Christmas 1914, he travelled to Port Arthur, Ontario to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). His brother Herbert, who had enlisted three months earlier, had given their mother as his next of kin. Harry gave his father John, then living in Witton Park, as his next of kin. He became Private 38058 and was posted to the 12th Battalion which embarked for England in September 1915 on board the SS Missanabie.

Just weeks after arrival at Shorncliffe Camp, Kent, Harry found himself in the barracks hospital with influenza. At the start of 1916, he was in hospital in Cambridge being treated for gonorrhoea. June 1916 saw him posted to the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, newly converted to an infantry battalion. He joined them in France as part of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division at the Somme.

Harry was wounded in his right arm by a rifle bullet near Courcelette, Somme, France on 15 September 1916. Whilst on his way back to base, he was hit by a piece of shrapnel which pierced his steel helmet and lodged in his skull. Treated at No 3 Stationary Hospital, he was invalided to England on the Hospital Ship Andrew a week later. Unconscious for eight to ten days, Harry was first treated at hospital in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and then convalescence at Epsom, Surrey.

Returning to France in March 1917, Harry was posted to the newly organised 4th Canadian Labour Battalion and promoted to corporal. These labour battalions were tasked to work in rear areas using men not fit for service in the trenches and were redesignated as 2nd Canadian Infantry Works Battalion a year later.

Harry occasionally had headaches and attacks of dizziness and, on 1 January 1919, he had a seizure which led to him being treated at Etaples, France and then being evacuated to the Military Hospital at Colchester, Essex. He was then invalided to Canada in June 1919. While a patient at hospital in Toronto in August 1919, he had an operation to replace the missing bone from his head wound with a graft from his seventh rib. This operation was deemed successful. Harry was finally discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 23 December 1919 as medically unfit and went to live with his brother, William, and his wife and children in Toronto.

There is no information about his death.

Civil Parish: Bishop Auckland

Birth date: 21-Jun-1883

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 8 George Street, Bishop Auckland (1901 census)
57 Mulgrave Street, Crosby, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire (1911 census)
73 Wolseley Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1914 enlistment papers)
83 Gilbert Avenue, Toronto , Ontario, Canada (1920 Canadian census)

Religion: Church of England

Employment: Iron pounder at blast furnace (1911 census)
Moulder (1914 enlistment papers)
Labourer (1920 Canadian census)

Family: Parents: John Guy, Mary Isabella Guy nee Heslop
Siblings: John Guy, Charles Guy, Herbert Guy, William Guy, Isabella Guy

Military service:

38058
Private
Corporal
12th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
4th Canadian Labour Battalion
2nd Canadian Infantry Works Battalion

Medal(s): 1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal

Gender: Male

Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham