Henry Terry

Henry Terry was with the battalion on Gallipoli and in Egypt. He returned with the battalion to France on 1 July 1916. He fought in the Battle of Thiepval, Messines and 3rd Ypres. During the Battle of Broodseinde 4 October 1917 he won a DCM for gallantry. Henry fought with the battalion during the last hundred days of WW1. On 4 November 1918 after taking Sebourg, the men were well looked after by the villagers but the battle was not over. They moved forward towards the ridge beyond Sebourg without any artillery support and the enemy was waiting. The enemy laid down heavy machine gun fire and also attempted a local counter attack, which was beaten off. The engagement was costly for the battalion with over 50 men dead and many wounded. Henry was moved back to Cambrai and 22 CCS where he died on 5 November 1918. A telegram to HQ at Lichfield dated 14 November 1918 noted that - CSM H Terry, Gunshot wound to head, back and legs, 9 Notts and Derbys. He was buried in Cambrai East Military Cemetery II.A.9.

DCM citation - Terry Henry; Sergeant 12367, London Gazette 4/3/1918. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. he took command of two platoons in an attack on Poelcapelle on 4/10/1917, and when the leading troops had lost direction he regained it and led his men forward. He attacked a gun emplacement from which a machine gun was firing and scattered the crew. He captured his objective and took command of the company when the officers became casualties. All through the day he exposed himself fearlessly while directing the consolidation and attending the wounded. When the company was being relieved he went about under heavy shell fire directing parties by the safest routes and helped to carry in three wounded men. His courage and example were of the highest order. The C.O. noted that when the company reached an enemy concrete emplacement, occupied by two machine guns on top and two on the flanks, Corporal Greaves and Sergeant Terry, seeing that there was no time to deal with it in any other way rushed forward and threw a bomb inside. Five men inside surrendered but in the rush a further twenty ran back. Corporal Greaves won a Victoria Cross for this and possibly CSM Terry deserved the same. In memoriam published 5th November 1919 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “TERRY. – In loving memory of C.S.M. Harry Terry, D.C.M., 9th Sherwood Foresters, died of wounds November 5th, 1918. Too dearly loved to be forgotten. – Loving mother, father, brother and sisters.” Above is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918 Soldiers Died in the Great War - Terry Henry, born Nottingham, enlisted Nottingham, 12367, CSM, died of wounds, France and Flanders, 5/11/18, DCM