Person:Henry Kew (2)

was killed in the First World War at Loos Wood. It is possible that John Farrant's son in law Phillip will produce an account of Cecil's life fromthe letters Cecil wrote to his Mother during the War. Phil, AnneFarrant's Husband has made an extensive research into Cecil's Army lifeand is hoping to produce a full account in due course. Henry Cecil wasborn at 16, Talbot Terrace, North Sheen. KILLED IN ACTION - BELGIUM 1916Copies of his letters to his Mother from France are held. ElizabethFarrants husband Philip has done much research into Cecil's Army careerwith the idea of producing a book. Copies of the letters Cecil sent tohis Mother whilst he was in the army are amon therecords supporting this record.

HARRY CECIL KEW

Rifleman 38041st/16th Bn. attd. 169th T.M. Bty. , London Regt (Queen's Westminster Rifles)

who died on Sunday 10 September 1916 . Age 19 .Additional Information: Son of Mr. H. J. and Mrs. E. E. Kew, of 45, Windsor St., Uxbridge, Middx. Cemetery: THIEPVAL MEMORIALSomme, France Grave or Reference Panel Number: Pier and Face 13 CLocation: The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, off the mainBapaume to Albert road (D929). Each year a major ceremony is held at the memorial on 1 July.Visiting Information: The Panel Numbers quoted at the end of each entryrelate to the panels dedicated to the Regiment served with. In someinstances where a casualty is recorded as attached to another Regiment,his name may alternatively appear within their Regimental Panels. Pleaserefer to the on-site Memorial Register Introduction to determine thealternative panel numbers if you do not find the name within the quoted Panels.Historical Information: On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack tothe south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched anoffensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite apreliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences werebarely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losseswere catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank,the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resourcesof manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit themodest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resistedtenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battlefor every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September,Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objectiveof 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and intoNovember in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of theSomme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter. In thespring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepareddefences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significantengagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their majoroffensive in March 1918. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to theMissing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers andmen of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Sommesector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of thosecommemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial alsoserves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the jointnature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equalnumbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of thememorial. The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of thePresident of France, on 31 July 1932. The dead of other Commonwealthcountries who died on the Somme and have no known graves are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.Display Record of Commemoration <commemoration.asp?casualty=798128>

1. ↑ Roy Kew. Gedcom file
   Recorded 10 Oct 2001.
2. ↑ PRO online 1901 Census. 1901 British Census.