Born in 1896 at Chigwell, son of Luke (Domestic Gardener) and Charlotte Maria Brown. 1901: With his family at Manor House Lodge Chigwell. 1911: A Garden Boy, living with his family at 8 Brunel Terrace, Brunel Road, Woodford Bridge (Chigwell). He enlisted at Woodford and was allocated to 1st Essex Battalion.
The Battalion was assembled east of Monchy at dawn on 14th April 1917, preparing to attack Hill 100 (Infantry Hill). They began advancing behind a creeping barrage at 05.30, and by 06.30 they had taken the hill and were digging in. Unfortunately nobody was aware that the Germans had planned an attack of their own on 14th April, and so had large numbers of troops concealed in Du Sart and Du Vert Woods.
As the Essex men were consolidating, a ferocious bombardment began which all but destroyed the town of Monchy, and the following ground attack between 06.30 and 07.30 overwhelmed both the positions of the Essex and Newfoundland Battalions. A survivor - Private Gregory - reported that the Essex men put down such a rate of rapid fire that their rifles became too hot to handle. They were overwhelmed from the left when their ammunition ran out.
It was reported that “D” Company who were in the area of the Du Vert Woods withstood the German counter attack until early evening, for a time holding the enemy at a distance of 50 yards. “D” Company was either killed or captured, the survivors being those who surrendered.
At the start of the morning the Battalion had 31 Officers and 892 Other Ranks. By the end of the day, 17 Officers and 644 Ranks were dead, wounded, or missing. Harry Brown was among those missing on a day when 1 Essex had been rendered ineffective as a fighting unit. Subsequently some of the wounded returned, new drafts of men arrived and the Battalion was rebuilt.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com