Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Post War includes all operations in all theatres up to 31st August 1921. This excludes the campaign in Russia against the Bolsheviks. It also includes men who succombed to wounds post war and who died from various causes whilst still in the services but post war.

Detail :

The London Gazette of 3 March 1899 shows him to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the Volunteer Force, 2nd Lancashire (The St Helens) Royal Engineers (Volunteers) from 4 March. On 5 August 1900 he is promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant whilst serving with Volunteer Sections in South Africa, and this is followed up on 20 March 1901 with him being made as Supernumerary. For his service in South Africa, attached to 6 Company (Fortress) Royal Engineers, Harry was awarded The Queen’s South African Medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. On 27 March 1903 the London Gazette shows him as one of the officers of the Volunteer Section for Service in South Africa, on relinquishing their temporary Commissions, granted honorary rank in the Army, with permission to wear the uniform of their Section. This was followed two years later with the announcement, again in the London Gazette, on 3 November 1905 of his Promotion in the Volunteer Force, 2nd Lancashire (The St. Helens); from Supernumerary Lieutenant (Honorary Lieutenant in the Army), H. La T. Campbell to be Captain. Dated 4 November 1905.

On 5th September, 1906 Harry married Daisy Louise Iles at the Cotham Grove Baptist Chapel, Elmgrove Road, Cotham, Bristol. Described as a 26 year old mining engineer of "Heythorpe" Broad Green, West Derby (Liverpool). His father given as Henry Hunter Campbell. Daisy is given as age 22 of Cotham Lawn, Cotham Park, Bristol, the daughter of Samuel Iles, Provisions merchant. It was a large and popular wedding for the marriage certificate has six witnesses instead of the usual two, with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress in attendance, along with Sir Herbert and Lady Ashman. Following the wedding reception the bride and groom honeymooned in Ireland. Two years later their son Harry Kenneth was born at Prescot. Harry was a mining engineer, with his own company, Campbell and Son, and lived at 'Cotham', Seel Road, Huyton Park, then on the outskirts of Liverpool.

With the re-organisation and reforms to the Army in 1908 (known as the Haldane Reform’s) the old Volunteer’s being dispensed with and replaced by the newly formed Territorial Force, Harry was appointed on 1 April to the 1st West Lancs. Field Company, West Lancashire Divisional Engineers; with rank and precedence as in the Volunteer Force. Captain (Honorary Lieutenant in the Army) Harry La Trobe Campbell. (To be supernumerary.) Harry’s next movement is as usual printed in the London Gazette when he transferred to 2nd West Lancs. Field Company; 2nd (The St. Helens) West Lancashire Field Company, West Lancashire Divisional Engineers; to be Captain. (To be supernumerary.)

In 1911 the census return of 2 April shows Harry and his family residing at ‘Cotham’ ,Huyton, near Liverpool. The property has eight rooms and shows Harry, his wife Daisy and three year old son, Harry Kenneth Campbell along with 21 year old Elsie Davies of nearby Huyton Quarry, employed as a domestic servant.

Following the outbreak of war in 1914 Harry becomes Adjutant, to be Major. Dated 28 October, 1914, West Lancashire Divisional Engineers. His unit started the war as 1st West Lanc’s, R.E. and was sent to France on 3 January 1915 in the 4th Division. It spent a short period of 10 days under the 48th (South Midland) Division from 18 to 25 April 1915, then when the 55th (West Lancashire) Division was reformed it returned there on 28 February 1916, now known as 419 Field Company. R.E. While serving in France and Flanders Harry is mentioned in dispatches on three occasions, the first on 1 January 1916 serving as a Major, and awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 14 January 1916. At this time he is Officer Commanding 419 Field Company, Royal Engineers, as part of the 55th (West Lancashire) Territorial Division. Another promotion, to temporary Lieutenant Colonel, is announced 9 July 1916, and his second mention in dispatches is on 11 December 1917. The third of these is on 20 May 1918 and on 22 May he is awarded the Territorial Decoration. Harry is given the rank of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel as announced in the London Gazette of 3rd June, 1918.

His death (due to previous wounds) came after the armistice on Wednesday 19th February 1919, and his body was interred in Section W, Grave 49 at Canford Cemetery in Bristol.

Probate Campbell, Harry La Trobe of Cotham, Huyton near Liverpool, Lieutenant Colonel Royal Engineers died 19th February 1919 at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. Probate Liverpool 14th May 1919 Daisy Louise Campbell widow. Effects £3429.17s.3d.

Harry is commemorated on other memorials at the Arnold House School Memorial window, St Mary’s Chapel in Chester Cathedral, the Parish Church of St. Michael, Blue Bell Lane, Huyton, the Civic War Memorial on Civic Way, Huyton, the Huyton Cricket and Bowling Club memorial, and at the Institution of Mining Engineers, South Parade, Doncaster. As a Freemason he is commemorated on the Liverpool Masonic Hall Memorial, Hope Street, the Scroll of Honour at Freemasons’ Hall, London, and within the Roll of Honour Book, United Grand Lodge, 1921.

Masonic :

Harry LaTrobe Campbell D.S.O., was initiated into Croxteth United Service Lodge No 786 on 5 March 1909, described as a 27 year old surveyor of Cotham, Huyton. He was passed to the second degree on 2 April raised on 20 July with his Grand Lodge certificate issued on 10 September 1909. He became a Steward in 1912, and is shown in the West Lancashire Masonic Calendar from 1917 to 1919 as being the Assistant Secretary of the Lodge, the previous calendar showing him as Junior Deacon. His father, Henry Hunter Campbell, a surveyor, was initiated into Lodge of Loyalty No 86 at Prescot in 1881, and would become a joining member of the St Helens Lodge of Loyalty No 897 the following year.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley
• Researcher : Geoff Cuthill