5-5629 Pte H J Howard, 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers, German Spring Offensive/Battle of the Lys 1918 casualty

5-5629 Pte H J Howard, 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers, German Spring Offensive/Battle of the Lys 1918 casualty 

Herbert James Howard was from Great Yarmouth. Enlisting on 18 March 1915, he served as a Private in the Northumberland Fusiliers under the regimental numbers 5-5629 (the prefix indicating that he passed through the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, N.F., a Territorial battalion) and 241338. 

His medal entitlement (British War Medal and Victory Medal) indicates that he entered a theatre of war after 31 December 1915, whilst the fact that he has his 4-digit Territorial Force regimental number impressed upon his medals would suggest that he entered theatre before the renumbering of the Territorial Force Infantry took effect on 1 March 1917. His Medal Roll entry indicates that he served with the 1/5th Battalion. No other battalions are indicated on the Roll, and the fact that his new six-digit number of 241338 is also from the number bloc allocated to the 1/5th Battalion indicates that he was on the strength of the 5th Battalion at least up until March 1917 and most probably throughout the war. 

His service could therefore have taken in the following battles:

1916: Battle of Flers-Courcelette, Battle of Morval, and Battle of the Transloy Ridges (all phases of the Battle of the Somme, 1916)

1917: First Battle of the Scarpe, Capture of Wancourt Ridge, Second Battle of the Scarpe (all phases of the Battle of Arras), and Second Battle of Passchendaele (a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)

1918: Battle of St Quentin, Actions at the Somme Crossings, Battle of Rosieres (phases of the early part of the German Spring Offensive, 1918), Battle of Estaires and Battle of Hazebrouck (both phases of the Battle of the Lys, where the battalion was engaged in holding the line at Estaires on 9-10 April, until finally forced back to Neuf Berquin and then La Couronne with losses due to partial encirclement), and the Battle of the Aisne.

As 241338 Pte, Howard, H J, Northumberland Fusiliers he was listed as ‘Wounded’ in War Office Daily List No.5580, Report Date 31 May 1918, indicating that he was probably wounded in mid to late April 1918, possibly a Battle of Estaires/Hazebrouck casualty. As such, he was entitled to wear a "Wound Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of 6 July 1916. The List gave his Next of Kin Address as Yarmouth.

He was discharged from the Northumberland Fusiliers depot under paragraph 392.xvi a of King’s Regulations (no longer physically fit for war service) con 23 January 1919, and was subsequently pensioned for six months at a rate of 8s/6d weekly. He was also issued with the Silver War Badge, number B263035.

He appears to have died circa 28 May 1927.