Corporal Henry Thomas Jarvis
(1877 – 24 August 1915)
7th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment
Service Number 15293

 Henry Thomas was born in Chorley in Staffordshire, and lived in Burntwood, Staffordshire. The son of William and Eliza Jarvis, Henry was baptized at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Farewell on 21 October 1877. His father William was a miner and, in due course, Henry too became a miner.  

Henry married Nellie Judson at St Mary’s Church, Stafford, in the third quarter of 1905 and later in the year they had twin daughters, Florence Nellie and Gladys May, who were baptized at Gentleshaw Christ Church on 8 December 1905. A third daughter Emily Eva was born in 1912 and baptized at Christ Church, Burntwood, on 13 October 1912. At the time of the 1911 census, the family was living at The Laurels in Longdon and Henry was working as a miner, working underground as a fireman, detecting for gas before the other miners went to the seam.  

The 7th (Service) Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment was formed at Lichfield in August 1914 as part of Kitchener’s First New Army (K1). It then moved to Grantham to join the 33rd Brigade of the 11th (Northern) Division. In April 1915 the 7th Battalion moved to Frensham and in July 1915 they mobilised for war. They embarked from Liverpool and on 7 August 1915 landed at Gallipoli. They then engaged the Turkish forces in a number of actions. In December 1915, those that survived were evacuated to Imbros, the result of the Battalion’s heavy losses from combat, disease and extreme weather. 

The death of Henry Thomas Jarvis was reported in the 17 September 1915 edition of the Lichfield Mercury:

 In his book “South Staffords at War: August 1914 – December 1915, Volume 2”, Andrew Thornton – who has researched the Staffordshire Territorials extensively – provided this update on that article in the Lichfield Mercury: 

15293 Acting Corporal Henry Thomas Jarvis was born at Chorley in 1877 and married Nellie Jarvis. He had disembarked at Cape Helles on 21 July 1915 and took part in the assault landing at Suvla on 7 August. Jarvis died at sea on board a hospital ship on 24 August 1915 of wounds received during the fighting for Lala Baba two days previously. Although the newspaper report indicates that he was buried on Malta, Jarvis was in fact laid to rest on the island of Lemnos and his grave is at East Mudros Military Cemetery: Plot II, Row H, Grave 136. His entry in the Register of Soldier’s Effects states that he died of wounds at Alexandria, which is incorrect. Henry Jarvis is also commemorated on the memorial tablet inside Christ Church at Burntwood and on the memorials at the Burntwood Memorial Institute. 

Corporal Henry Thomas Jarvis is buried at EAST MUDROS MILITARY CEMETERY on the Greek island of Lemnos: the cemetery/memorial reference is II. H. 136. 

The 11th (Northern) Division – Move to Gallipoli – April 1915

 On 4 April 1915, the 11th (Northern) Division began to move from its training areas to its concentration area at Witley and Frensham, where final training was carried out. On 31 May 1915, the Division was inspected by King George V on Hankley Common, and on 30th June the Division began to embark at Liverpool for the Dardenelles. The bulk of the Division sailed on the RMS Aquitania and the RMS Empress of Britain. The Aquitania reached Mudros on 10th July, and by 28th July the Division had concentrated at Imbros. 

Battles of Suvla - Capture of Karakol Dagh – 7th August 1915 - British victory.  

The 34th Infantry Brigade of 11th (Northern) Division experienced a chaotic landing at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli. The first troops ashore during the evening of 6th August were from the 11th Manchester Regiment, and they moved off into the hills of the Kiretche Tepe Ridge as the 9th Lancashire Fusiliers, 8th Northumberland Fusiliers and 5th Dorsetshire Regiment waited to join them, stuck on sand banks in the bay. The final troops did not disembark until 5.00 a.m. on 7th August. 

Moving off the beachhead, 11th Manchester Regiment cleared the Turkish post at Ghazi Baba before turning north to assail the western end of the Kiretche Tepe Ridge, known as the Karakol Dagh. Here they encountered serious opposition from the Turkish garrison occupying the position before clearing them, mostly by bayonet. Advancing across the Karakol Gap to the main part of the Kiretche Tepe Ridge, by noon the following day the troops were around 2 miles inland. 

Battles of Suvla - Battle of Scimitar Hill – 21st August 1915 - Turkish victory.
Battles of Suvla - Attack on Hill 60 – 21st August 1915 - Turkish victory.  

The final British offensive at Suvla, the Battle of Scimitar Hill was also the largest single-day attack mounted by the Allies at Gallipoli. The purpose of the attack was to remove the immediate Turkish threat from the exposed Suvla Bay landing site, and to link with the ANZAC sectors to the south. Launched on 21st August 1915, to coincide with the simultaneous attack on Hill 60, it was a costly failure. 

11th (Northern) Division, in IX Corps, occupying trenches right of Yilghin Burnu (Chocholate Hills) were on the right of the line during the attack, with their objectives being positions to the north and south of Hetman Chair. On the right, 5th Dorsetshire Regiment and 9th Lancashire Fusiliers of 34th Infantry Brigade advanced and captured the trenches between Hetman Chair and Kazla Chair (Aire Klavak) without difficulty or a great deal of opposition. They then dug-in awaiting the link up with the Indian troops from Anzac Bay advancing on their right.  

However, 32nd Infantry Brigade on the left became disorientated in the mist and smoke and attacked too far north of their objective, Hetman Chair, moving to the left where 29th Division were attacking Scimitar Hill. The failure of 32nd Infantry Brigade to attack their allocated positions, meant that the Turkish artillery and machine-guns on Hetman Chair were able to direct their fire on both them and 86th Brigade of 29th Division, attacking the right flank of Scimitar Hill. 

33rd Infantry Brigade were sent up in support, but they too became disorientated and made the same mistake, coming under fire on the left of Hetman Chair. When the arrival of the reserve forces of 2nd Mounted Division failed to capture the positions, the attack was called off, and the front line remained between Green Hill and Scimitar Hill for the remainder of the campaign, until the evacuation on 20th December. 

Evacuation from Suvla – 19th December 1915 - British success. 

The failure of the August attacks, combined with high casualty rates from sickness, meant that by December 1915 the size of the Allied forces on the Gallipoli peninsula was growing ever weaker. Political pressure, and the need for reserves on the Western Front following the Somme offensive, meant that they were unlikely to be reinforced and the decision was taken to carry out a full evacuation of all the Allied forces from Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove on the night of 19th – 20th December 1915. At the time of the evacuation, 11th (Northern) Division were occupying the extreme left of the line and were evacuated from Suvla Point. The evacuation was conducted effectively, with no casualties, and “every gun, trench mortar, cart and animal” was withdrawn safely. Overall, the evacuation was carried out successfully with almost no casualties, the rearguard burning the stores and equipment that could not be taken.

Picture 2

Reference, item and source

1.     Extract from the 17 September 1915 edition of the Lichfield Mercury © Lichfield Mercury and Find My Past
2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission certificate commemorating 15293 Corporal Henry Thomas Jarvis © Commonwealth War Graves Commission