|
George is listed at dying of wounds on 5 July 1917. He is buried at Bailleul which was home to the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 11th, 53rd, 1st Canadian and 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Stations. We do not know which one George was taken to.
The war diary for the 5th July 1917 is transcribed below along with a newspaper obituary from the Banbury Guardian on 19 Jul 1917.
War Diary
Trenches [Denys Wood] Thur 5.7.17: Quiet day with some desultory shelling. At night in continuation of operations the Right Coy (D) advanced its frontline. A covering party (1 Platoon B Coy) went out at 10.15pm. At 10.30pm 2 platoons advanced and dug themselves in, formed two posts located at O.16.b.6.4 & O.16.b.55.30. The remaining 2 platoons and HQ Coy moved up to the original frontline forming close supports.
The work was completed before daylight and the covering platoon withdrew at 3:45 AM on the 6th. Join the operation no enemy were observed by the covering party. Consequent on the operations B Coy were “pinched out” Off the frontline and were held in their original position as a reserve. The disposition was that three companies each with two platoons in frontline and two platoons in close support. D on right, A in Centre, C on the left, one Coy (B) in reserve.
During the night A&C Coys continued the work of consolidating their new positions. R.E’s came up and supervised the wiring of the new front.
Casualties – Other Ranks – 1 Killed 3 Wounded. END
Obituary
Banbury Guardian - Thursday 19th July 1917
News has been received of the death from wounds received in action on July 5th of Pte. George Harris, of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was the third son of Mr. Alfred Harris of 5 Foundary Street, Banbury, and for the past 19 years has resided to Hatton near Warwick where he was in the employ of Mr. Arkwright. He leaves a widow and four children. In a letter the chaplain of the hospital said the deceased was admitted to the hospital mortally wounded and died two hours afterwards.
|
