86020 Serjeant Henry George Bacon MM, 155 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery

86020 Serjeant Henry George Bacon MM, 155 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery

Henry George Bacon was born in Paddington, in early 1883 to Alfred, a house painter (formerly of Sudbury in Suffolk), and Martha. At that time they were living at 16 Southern Street, Paddington. In the 1911 census he was still living with his parents and was employed as an insurance collector.

On 25 September 1915 he married Dorothy Mary Jane  Bacon (née Scales) at St. Paul's Church, Paddington. His profession was described as insurance agent.

By the time he enlisted they were living at 44 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale. He worked as an agent with the Prudential Assurance Company.

A Derby man, he attested his willingness to serve at Paddington on 8 December 1915, aged 33 years 10 months. After attesting for deferred  ('Class A') service and receiving the customary day's pay, he was posted to the Army Section 'B' Reserve the following day. 

Following a medical examination at Paddington on 6 May he was mobilised, after five months in the Reserve, on 19 May 1916, and was posted to No.1 Depot, RGA as a Gunner. His attestation was approved by the Commanding Officer at Fort Burgoyne, Dover the same day. He was allocated the regimental number 86020.

Within a month he was posted, on 3 June 1916, to 155 Siege Battery, under the command of Major Philip James Arthur Montague (MC and Croix de Guerre). The battery formed at Newhaven on 23 May 1916 and was equipped with four 6" 24cwt Howitzers. Judging from the Specialist Military Qualification recorded on his Soldier's Protection Certificate, Bacon was probably trained as a Layer for the battery's complement of 6" Howitzers. As such his role would have been traversing, elevating and cross-levelling the piece so that its shells landed on the appointed target, giving instructions as to moving the piece's trail, and having custody of the dial sight and clinometer. 

He was appointed Unpaid Acting Bombardier (Date illegible 18 ? ??), probably at Lydd before the battery proceeded overseas. Given his qualification as Layer, it seems likely that he was No.1 (in charge) of a section manning one of the battery's howitzers.

He went overseas on 28/29 August 1916 with his battery via Southampton, entering the France and Flanders theatre at Havre the following day. Whilst there the 6" batteries appear to have been primarily engaged in counter-battery work, destruction of earthworks,  interdiction of crossroads and transport lines, etc.

On 16 January 1917 he attended a 2nd Army cookery course of a fortnight's duration.

In mid-February the battery was with 52nd Heavy Artillery Group, in positions south of Erquinghem, and suffered 9 casualties when the position was shelled by enemy 5.9s.

He was promoted to Bombardier on 16 March 1917, probably when the battery was at Vlamertinghe. Whilst there the battery was quite active, one notable day being 6 April, when the battery put down 552 rounds on the German 'Damstrasse' position, in a successful shoot which saw many rounds actually fall into the trench works. The middle of the following month saw the battery serving as instructional siege battery at the Second Army Artillery School at Tilques, near Saint-Omer.

The battery saw service at the Battle of Messines, from 1 June, moving into positions near Locre and unloading 3,400 shells by 3.30am on 31 May, setting up its Observation Post on Kemmel Hill and registering its four guns on Hun Farm. Its roles included destructive bombardments, wire cutting and bombarding Messines and Wytschaete villages, targeting strongpoints and practice barrages, including some mostly successful  aeroplane-guided shoots on hostile batteries. 

Henry George was appointed Acting Corporal and then confirmed  in rank on 28 July 1917, whilst the battery was at Grand Bois. This was after the battery had joined the 41st Heavy Artillery Group on 8 June 1917. The group was being used in support for the coming Battle of Polygon Wood, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres. The support provided included direct support to infantry attacks through counter-battery shelling, such as for the 6 and 10 November Canadian attacks on Passchendaele Village. 

In early December he enjoyed some leave to the UK; during this period (on 4 December) he was also granted his class I professional pay.

Around 3 January 1918 the battery joined 36th (Australian) Heavy Artillery Group (Brigade from 5 February),  RGA, 2nd Army. The battery was at near Oosttaverne in the Ypres Salient at the time. It was principally occupied with counter-battery work, particularly in conjunction with 54 Siege Battery. In mid-February the battery was made up to six Howitzers.

The brigade appears to have remained in the Oosttaverne position until the opening stages of the Battle of the Lys on 9 April ('Operation Georgette' to the Germans). In the days before the battle opened, the battery was  particularly employed in suppressing Trench Mortars. 

Coincident with the start of the battle, on 9 April 1918 Henry was appointed Acting Sergeant (Paid). 

After the battle opened, fire shifted to pre-arranged schemes including Counter-battery Lines South and 'Defend Armentieres'. On the 10th the battery was subjected  to shelling and gas bombardment, Captain Dyke being killed bringing ammunition to the guns, and the order was given to withdraw the guns to Army Battle Zone positions.  By 6 pm all but one gun, which was too difficult to pull out, had gone. A detachment under Lt Martin fought the lone gun until the enemy were within a few hundred yards of the position and an order came at 9 pm to destroy it and withdraw, which they safely did. After this the battery was almost constantly in action, regularly shifting its position (to the Lettenberg, or 'Little Kemmel Hill', on the 11th and near Locre on the 13th) as Second Army withdrew to a shorter and more defensible line off the Passchendaele Ridge, but keeping up fire by day and not infrequently by night too. Indeed, in its entry for 14 April the war diary notes that that night the majority of the men enjoyed their first sleep for four days. The battery was employed in counter-battery, harassing and other fire on enemy positions, transit points and concentrations plus barrages and gas shell shoots. On 15 April at 4.30pm it carried on firing through particularly heavy shelling,  in spite of communications with Brigade being cut and the officers having to replace wounded men at the guns. The brigade had a similarly difficult time from 1.40am on the 25th, with much gas being used on them, probably in connection with the fighting around Mont Kemmel.  On 28 April, in the vicinity of Scherpenberg, it was in the unusual position of being well forward of the field batteries  (which had had to be positioned to the rear to clear the crest of the ridge in front). The following day, the Germans called-off Operation Georgette. 

It was almost certainly during this period that Henry George won the Military Medal, which is named to him as Corporal (Acting Sergeant) serving with 155 Siege Battery. The award, by the Corps Commander, was notified to the battery commander by wire on 12 May 1918, with the congratulations of both the Corps Commander and Brigadier-General Commanding VIII Corps Heavy Artillery. In the absence of a citation it is not clear for what the medal was awarded. It may have been for a single act of gallantry  (for example in withdrawing the guns under fire on 10 April, or whilst with the Martin detachment - an action for which Lieutenant Ronald Martin was himself awarded the Military Cross) or, like the DCM awarded to Sjt W J Elms of the battery, for gallantry and devotion to duty over ten days' operations. Two other Corporals (Acting Sergeants) from 155 Battery were awarded the Military Medal in the same Gazette and although their consecutive schedule numbers are nearly 3,000 away from Henry George's, it is possible that they were awarded for the same action or actions.

On 19 August 1918 Henry George was confirmed in the rank of Sergeant. 

His Military Medal was gazetted in the London Gazette Issue 30873, dated 29 August 1918. 

Towards the end of September the battery was pulled out of its position on Pilkem Ridge and rested in Hazebrouck whilst new positions (which the gunners then built, levelling the ground and installing a platform of railway sleepers) were scouted-out on Messines Ridge, close to the scene of the previous battle, at Gapaarde, opposite Wervicq. 

Henry George suffered a Gas Shell wound (seemingly Mustard Gas) on or about 15 October 1918, probably in or around the above position. At this time the brigade was heavily employed in firing gas-shell concentrations on suspected enemy positions, neutralising machine gun posts and firing in support of the Infantry crossing of the Lys. He was passed along the casualty evacuation chain to No.4 Stationary Hospital, Arques, being admitted on 17 October and discharged back to duty on 29 October 1918. He finally rejoined his unit, via a casualty clearing station, on 2 November 1918. At that time the brigade was in the vicinity of Dottignies, near Tourcoing, engaged in neutralising fire and instructional shoots.

He enjoyed a further fortnight's leave in the UK,  via Calais, between 19 December and 2 January 1919.

Following a medical examination in the field on 2 February 1919, Henry was posted to the Home Establishment for release before being demobilised on transfer to the Army 'Z' Reserve on 9 March 1919. He was medical category A1 on discharge. His address on demobilisation had changed to 64 Elgin Avenue, Maida Hill, London.

His Specialist Military Qualification was recorded on his Soldier's Protection Certificate as 'L'  6" (interpreted as Layer, 6" [Howitzer])

He is recorded on the Prudential Assurance Roll of Honour 1914-18.

Henry George Bacon died in Willesden,  Middlesex, on 11 June 1943, aged 60. His effects were left to his widow, Dorothy.