| Regiment | Rank | Service No | Place of Birth | Date of Death | Age | Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st South Staffs | Private | 16132 | Coseley | 26 Nov 1915 | 24 | Hampstead Cemetery, London |
Genealogical Data
Birth of Harry Darby registered September quarter 1891 at Wolverhampton.
1901 Census
3 Providence Row, Coseley, Staffordshire.
William Darby (41, Coal Miner Underground, born Coseley), his wife Lizzie (40, born Rowley), and their 7 children: Joseph (19, Iron Moulder, born Coseley), William (17, Iron Moulder, born Coseley), Annie (15, Packer, born Coseley), Mary (13, Domestic, born Coseley), Harry (11, Scholar, born Coseley), Leonard (7, Scholar, born Coseley), and Albert (1, born Coseley).
1911 Census
3 Providence Row, Coseley, Staffordshire.
William Darby (51, Coal Miner (above ground), born Coseley), his wife Lizzie (50, born Coseley), and 6 of their 8 surviving children of 11: Mary (24, Packer, born Coseley), Harry (22, Moulder, born Coseley), Leonard (17, Moulder, born Coseley), Albert (11, born Coseley), and Ethel (6, born Coseley).
Marriage of Harold Darby and Edith A. Hatfield registered in September quarter 1915 in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Personal Life
Harry arrived in France on 18th May 1915 as reinforcement to the 1st South Staffs who already had 350 men killed in the Battles of 1st Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge and Festubert.
Cause of Death
Harry died in Hampstead Military Hospital on 26th November 1915 and was buried in Hampstead Cemetery, London. Harry’s Soldier’s papers were amongst the 66% destroyed during the blitz of World War 2, so we do not know the circumstances of his injuries, especially as he had been evacuated back to England. On the balance of probabilities it is likely that he would have been wounded on 25th September 1915 at the Battle of Loos. The 1st South Staffs had 126 men killed on this day, and at least twice that number wounded. This would have been Harry’s first real action as the 1st South Staffs had been relatively quiet since Harry arrived.
Lest Woodsetton Forget 