Harry was born Henry Emberson on 4th October to Mary Emberson probably in Chelsea or Hampstead and baptised at St Mary’s Woodham Ferrers on 16th March 1884. His mother was employed as a domestic cook at least between 1881 and 1901 in the London area. The registration of Harry’s birth has not been traced. Harry was living in Woodham Ferrers at the time of the 1891 census with his grandparents George and Maria next door to the Bell Inn and he was still living there in 1901 although by then Maria was widowed and he was working on a local farm.
Also living with George and Maria in 1891 was four year old Priscilla Emberson born in South Benfleet to Ellen Emberson on 10th October 1886 although a registration of her birth has also not been traced. She was baptised at St Mary’s on 30th August 1891 and in 1901 she was employed at the Bell Inn as a general servant.
Harry married Priscilla towards the end of 1915. The likelihood is that they were first cousins as they were both living with George and Maria as grandchildren in 1891. Priscilla gave birth to a daughter Nora Louise on 12th June 1916.
Harry joined the army as a volunteer, part of Lord Kitchener’s Second Army, and joined the 11th (Service) Battalion The Essex Regiment probably early in 1916. The Battalion was part of 18th Brigade, 6th Division. At the end of July 1916 the 6th Division was withdrawn from the Ypres Salient, having suffered 11,000 casualties, and in September it was attached to XIV Corps where it joined in the Battle of the Somme by attacking the German fortification known as the Quadrilateral. It captured this area on 18 September. They then participated in the attacks on Morval and Le Transloy before being withdrawn on 20 October and moved into Corps Reserve. Total divisional casualties on the Somme were 277 officers and 6,640 other ranks.
In November the division moved to the relatively quiet La Bassée sector, and in March 1917 it went to the Loos sector where it conducted operations and trench raids around Hill 70.The battalion was involved in such raids on 4th June which is where Harry was probably wounded. He would have been transferred to the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station based at Bethune where he died of his wounds. He was buried at the Bethune Town War Cemetery which contains 3,004 Commonwealth burials from the Great War all but eleven identified.
He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Priscilla married George Moore in 1920 and they lived at Chapel Row, Woodham Ferrers. She died towards the end of 1972 aged 86. Harry’s mother Mary died in February 1952 and was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard on 13th February aged 89.