His Family

Henry’s parents, Henry and Phoebe Maria (née Dickinson) worked as an engineer and dressmaker, and came from Gravesend (Milton) and Bow (London, was Middlesex then). They were married at St Alphege, ¹ Greenwich on 21st June, 1890 at the ages of 29 and 28.

Almost two years into their marriage, Henry was born on 9th June, 1892. He was to be followed by two brothers: Ernest John, born in 1894, and Percy, in 1899. All births were in Plumstead, Southeast London (then Kent), at the family home although it does seem that the family had undocumented ties with Greenwich as Ernest was baptised at St. Alphege’s, as was Henry on July 17th, 1892.

The family moved house a number of times ² but were always to be found in Plumstead. Henry Senior’s work as an engineer, or ‘Steam Engine Fitter’ was at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich; ³ the Arsenal adjoins Plumstead.

As the boys grew up, Percy was to follow his father’s footsteps and was an engineering apprentice. ⁴ His brother Ernest John is recorded in 1911 as a ‘Railway Clerk (unemployed)’. Henry’s occupation is seen in the Census of 1911 where he is described as a ’Pupil Teacher’ at the age of 18.

Henry’s school—and presumably that of his brothers—was Bloomfield Road Higher Elementary School, South Woolwich. He had stayed in school after the usual leaving age and would have been paid a small salary to work alongside a class teacher as a pupil teacher, learning the trade. His later Student Record on entry to college gives his pupil teacher school as the Senior Mixed School, Plumstead. This source also tells us that he finished his time there (1911) as an assistant teacher, though this contradicts the job title of pupil teacher from the census. As a pupil teacher, the school headteacher would have given him further training and lessons before or after the school day for at least one and a half hours. We also know that Henry would have received training on a day-release and evening class basis, at a Pupil Teacher Training Centre: he had several qualifications granted by one of these institutions. His main examination pass, however, was the Preliminary Examination for the Certificate, which he gained in 1911.

Introduced in 1907, the examination was in two parts; compulsory subjects in Part 1 needed to be passed before continuing onto the second part. In Part 2 there were further compulsory subjects and a wider range of other subjects from which the student could choose three options, from: Elementary Science, Elementary Mathematics, and Foreign Languages. Henry presumably took these challenges in his stride and, in the September of 1911, he left home for two years of study. There is a separate article on Teaching and Training here.

A Family at War

It wasn’t only Henry who would have direct involvement in the war. Percy, an engineering apprentice by trade, joined the Royal Engineers.⁷ Middle brother, Ernest, also joined the Army. Although we have no military records of him, he does have a military grave in Plumstead Cemetery⁸ and the headstone tells us that he became a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps (Regimental Number 1742).

Most of Henry’s Army papers were amongst those destroyed in the Blitz and so we have to try to piece together his military history from what remains and other sources.

He joined the 1/14th Battalion London Regiment (‘London Scottish’) in August 1914.⁹ After training, he was posted to France and landed there, according to his Medal Index Card, on 24th November, 1914. The Battalion had been in France since September 16th. The War Diary says, ‘Nov. 28th A draft of 5 officers and 187 other ranks arrived from England.’

It is often difficult to imagine what time at the front consisted of: how was time spent? The following is a thumbnail sketch of Henry’s war, taken from the handwritten daily Battalion War Diary.

He had joined the rest of the fighting unit at Hazebrouck, near the French–Beligian border, 20 miles southwest of Ypres. On December 3rd he and the troops of the 14th London Scottish were inspected by His Majesty George V. On 21st December, the unit had moved 16 miles southeast to Givenchy/Cuinchy, just outside Lens where Henry would enter front line trenches for the first time. They were to be in this general area for the rest of Henry’s war, moving in and out of the front line to relieve other units before they were in turn relieved. There were minor engagements and light casualties through to the end of April, but nothing on the scale of ‘going over the top’.

At the outset of May, there was an attack made at Rue de Bois—again in the same area—with light casualties but other sections suffered very heavy losses. Throughout the rest of May and the first half of June Henry would have played a waiting game: his Battalion was in reserve, ready to move up and provide reinforcements should the need arise.

Through the second half of June and on into September, there were more cycles of front-line to billets to Reserve. On September 25th, things would change and Henry would have his first experience of what it was to go over the top.

There was to be a major offensive at Vermelles, just to the south, with C (Henry’s) and D Companies as front-line reserves. At 6.57am the Battalion was given a message ‘London Scottish. Don’t move till you receive orders.’ Then, at 7.22am, ‘London Scottish. Move forward at once.’

They were expecting to advance towards an unoccupied German trench but instead faced a hail of machine-gun fire and had to take cover. Pinned down, they received a further order at 12.45pm to attack the trenches and this they did, with B and C Companies achieving their objectives by short rushes supported by machine-gun fire. The 600 Germans in the trenches, seeing the attack, ‘got up and surrendered’.

A few days of re-organising and re-fitting were followed by a move to new front-line trenches on October 5th. By the 10th, food and water were short, trenches very shallow, and attempts to improve them were arduous as Battalion numbers were low. The men were then told that they were to attack the German trenches in a few days.

Sketch of the attack area, made before the action. 14th London Scottish were to attack the centre Green Force’ area.

October 13th was the appointed day and ‘the assault was delivered at 2.00p.m.’ by A and D Company under the cover of smoke bombs ‘but owing to the strong wind, the smoke afforded very little protection.’ The men were attacking the main cross roads (centre, in the sketch map) and had to cross the La Bassée – Loos road. The German forces were dug in at the far side of the road  and the London Scottish were cut down before reaching it, only one officer managing to cross. He reconnoitred the ground and found that the Germain wire was uncut. A plan to cut the wire by hand under cover of gas bombs could not go ahead due to the wind direction and so the men stayed put until dark. Under cover of darkness, Henry’s C Company then moved in to relieve A and D Companies, and two Platoons of B Company who had gone to assist them. In the night, men from other Battalions came up to put defensive wire entanglements in place and improve trenches. ‘At 1.30am orders were received to abandon this work, as the Battalion would be shortly relieved by the 15th County of London Regt. This was accomplished by 3.0 a.m. and the Regiment withdrew to the Support Line. Casualties Estimated, Officers 3, O.R. 100.’

Though the detail is missing from the Diary, Henry was one of the 100 men who had fallen, though later details suggest it was either before or after the rush to cross the road. There must have been informal news of his death that reached home, perhaps in letters from an officer or fellow soldiers, for The Wintonian reports that he met his death by the actions of an opposite number: he ‘was killed by a sniper’. The London County Council Record of Service adds that ‘On 13th October Sergt. Henry Eason (14th Lond., Educ.) was killed while reconnoitring.’

His war was at an end.

His parents, Henry and Phoebe, had a second blow awaiting them. Just over six months later, his brother Ernest, a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps, was dead. He died on 28th April, 1916, age 23, and was buried on 3rd May. We do not know if his death was by illness, injury or accident.

Henry is remembered on the Loos Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France. The location of his grave is unknown.

Researcher and Author: John Vickers