Harry was born to Alfred and Adelaide Grant in Kilburn in 1891. Alfred had married Adelaide Elizabeth Louisa Martin at Gravesend in the middle of 1883. Harry Grant was born at Kilburn in 1891 the couples’ fourth child.
He enlisted, aged 18, in the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment at Gravesend in October 1907 but deserted in March the following year.
Harry re-enlisted now as Private 9888 William Harry Thorn in the 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Own (West Riding Regiment) by 1911, a regular infantry battalion based at Candahar Military Barracks, South Tedworth, Hampshire and this is where the mystery deepens. William Henry Thorn had been born to Alfred and Adelaide in 1897 and died the following year at less than a year old. Additionally Harry’s records in some instances have the “W” added later and his record states that he served as Thorn. The probability is that he wanted to avoid being identified as the deserter Harry Grant.
His service number 9888 indicates that he joined up during the summer of 1910. Great Britain declared war on 4th August 1914 at which stage the battalion, part of 13th Brigade, 5th Division was moved from Dublin to France and Harry landed in France on 16th August. Harry and his mates were immediately thrown into the Battle of Mons which started on 21st August and from then on the battalion was involved in various battles culminating that year in the 1st Battle of Ypres 19th October until 22nd November. At some stage thereafter Harry was transferred to the 1st Battalion another regular unit which was permanently stationed in India and was subsequently attached to the 7th Bombay Field Artillery Regiment and sent to Iraq.
Iraq at that time was known as Mesopotamia and the Indian Army had suffered one of the worst defeats of the Great War when the fortress at Kut-al-Amara capitulated to the Ottomans on 29th April 1916 resulting in 13,000 troops going into captivity with vast numbers dying as a result of their neglect and maltreatment. As a result fresh troops were brought in from India presumably including the 7th Bombay Field Artillery. There were no major engagements at that time and it is likely that Harry, along with many others, succumbed to disease.
Alfred and Adelaide, by 1911, had moved to what is now South Woodham Ferrers where Alfred ran a dairy and poultry smallholding at Meadow View. Harry’s younger brother Edward was believed to have attended Hullbridge Board School which would have provided education to the age of thirteen which indicates that the family was already in South Woodham Ferrers by 1908.
Edward was killed in action in the Ypres Salient 25th September 1917.