Reeves, Henry Thomas S. (aka Harry)

Summary

Father: Charles REEVES
Mother: Rose SPENCER

Birth: 1890, Upton Grey in Hampshire
Birth Source: FreeBMD and Census

Death: 26 August 1916, Belgium
Death Source: CGWC

Spouse1:

Narrative

Henry Reeves is the eldest of six known children (all boys) of Charles Reeves and his wife Rose (nee SPENCER). He was born at Upton Grey in Hampshire. The birth of Henry Thomas S Reeves is noted by FreeBMD in the Basingstoke Registration District during the third quarter of 1890.

The 1891 census shows Henry as an 8 month old child living in the home of his parents at Lower Farm Cottages in Preston Candover, Hampshire.

On the 1901 census, Henry is again found in the parental home, now in the Parish of Herriard, Hampshire. The place name is indistinctly written, perhaps Narker Green. (See Research Note 1.) He is now ten years old, the eldest of five children in the household.

At the time of the 1911 census, Henry was still living in his parents home at Bydean Cottage, Froxfield, Hampshire. At 20 years of age he is the eldest of the six children. He is working as a Coal Porter for a Coal Merchant.

Henry's place of birth is consistenty recorded on all three census returns as Upton Grey, Hampshire.

"Soldier Died in the Great War" notes that as Harry Reeves he enlisted in the British Army at Alton, Hampshire but no date is recorded. He served with the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment.

It is believed that Henry's death is that recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website as simply H T Reeves.  He was serving as Private 22607 of the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment and died in August 1916.

His grave is at the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm), just south of Ypres in the modern day province of West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders), Belgium (ISO 3166-2 BE-VWV). The CWGC site has no further identifying information for this individual, but see Research Note 2 below.

Henry's scarifice, along with that of his younger brother Charles is recorded on the War Memorial at Froxfield Green outside the church of St Peter-on-the-Green and also on the Great War Memorial within the Parish Church of St Peter, High Cross, Froxfield.

Research Notes

(1) Although the place name on the 1901 census is not easily discernable, the next but one schedule is for Lea Farm. A Lee Farm can be seen on a contemporary map from the National Library of Scotland's collection http://maps.nls.uk/view/101168795 and zoomed in
http://maps.nls.uk/view/101168795#zoom=5&lat=3282&lon=7767&layers=BT

(2) Appears on the CWGC site as simply H T Reeves, with no additional information.
      Appears in GRO Index to War Deaths 1914-1921 Army (Other Ranks) page 3013 as Harry T Reeves.
      Appears in "Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919" (at Ancesry.com) as Harry Thomas Reeves.
      Appears on Medal Card as Henry T Reeves.
The regiment and regimental number are consistent across all four of these records, leaving little doubt Henry & Harry are the same individual.

Sources

Birth:        FreeBMD, 1890, September quarter, Basingstoke Registration District
Baptism:  
Marriage:
Death:      GRO Index to War Deaths 1914-1921 Army (Other Ranks) page 3013
                 CWGC http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/490519/REEVES,%20H%20T

1891 Census: RG12, Piece 0960, Folio 81f, Page 5
1901 Census: RG13, Piece 1111, Folio 54r, Page 10
1911 Census: RG14, Piece 06188, Reg.Dist. 106 (Petersfield), Sub Dist. 2 (East Meon), Enum.Dist. 06, Schedule 49

Froxfield Green War Memorial, Hampshire - photograph -http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3359507
St Peter' Church memorial, High Cross, Froxfield, Hampshire - photograph - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1183466


From Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 at Ancestry.com,
Original data: British and Irish Military Databases. The Naval and Military Press Ltd.

First name(s) HARRY THOMAS
Last name REEVES
Service number 22607
Rank PRIVATE
Regiment Hampshire Regiment
Battalion 1st Battalion.
Birth place -
Residence PETERSFIELD, HANTS
Enlistment place ALTON, HANTS
Death year 1916
Death day 26
Death month 8
Cause of death Killed in action
Death place France & Flanders
Theatre of war Western European Theatre