Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Thiepval Memorial, Picardie | Pier and Face 2 C and 3 A. | |
| 2. Book: | De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour | Vol 3. | |
| 3. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.122 | |
| 4. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 32A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Queen's South Africa Medal 3 Clasps King's South African Campaign Medal | ||
Early Life :
Born, 1880 to William Lindsay Emmerson and Sarah Jane Morton at Waltham-le-Wold, Leicester.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6/Leicestershire Regiment |
6th (Service) Battalion Formed at Leicester in August 1914 as part of K1 and attached as Army Troops to 9th (Scottish) Division. April 1915 : transferred to 110th Brigade, 37th Division. Landed in France on 29 July 1915. 7 July 1916 : transferred with Brigade to 21st Division. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Detail :
EMMERSON, HENRY HETHERINGTON, Major 10/Leicester Regiment Son of Dr. William Lindsay Emmerson Born Waltham on Wold, Leicester 20/10/1880 Educated privately, and Wyggeston Grammar School, Leicester. Subsequently apprenticed as an engineer. Joined the Leicester Volunteers 1898; served in the South African War 1899-1902 (Queen's Medal with three clasps and Kings medal. Traveled to Argentina where he was engaged in agricultural engineering and later ranching. On the outbreak of the European War he returned to England and was gazetted as Lieutenant and Adjudant in the 10/Leicesters. Promoted to Captain then Major he went to France on 27 Aug 1916 and was attached to the 6/Leicesters with whom he was killed on the Somme, leading his men into action. The battalion was positioned to the south of Guedecourt and was involved in the capture of the village. By 1800hrs the battalion had secured the village and was dug in on the far edge. In the capture of Guedecourt, brother officer and Brother Mason Captain George Maurice Gerald GILLETT of the same battalion, was killed. Neither body was identified and both are remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | St. Augustines No. 1941 E.C. | Staffordshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
5th April 1916 | 3rd May 1916 | 31st May 1916 |
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